Honestly, most of the time I look forward to training for the Ironman 70.3 Triathlon in Santa Cruz on Sept. 11. If I didn’t enjoy swimming, biking, running, strength training and stretching, I would not have considered doing the triathlon.
Still, there are days when I would rather watch grass grow than to train, and I can come up with a long list of lame reasons (the polite term for excuses) why not to train. Reminding myself that excuses are like belly buttons — everyone has one — doesn’t seem to help either.
But when it feels like I am glued in one place, I think of my dear friend, Michelle Kendall, and get flooded with inspiration. Soldiering on becomes effortless.
Michelle is a Santa Barbara native. She and I have been friends since we met about 10 years ago. One of my favorite things about her is that she is always ready to have fun. I can call her up and within 10 minutes we can be laughing together at a restaurant. She is equally quick to share her latest environmental stewardship pursuit or talk about current affairs.
Bruce, her lovely husband, is a professor at UC Santa Barbara. They had a beautiful wedding at the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History that my daughters stood up in. Michelle, Bruce and I enjoyed an adventure in Scotland this past fall. Together, they own a home in Santa Barbara that they dote over when they’re not traveling. Bruce and Michelle are currently in Oxford, England, for a one-year sabbatical.
On Feb. 12, Michelle was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. Three weeks after a radical surgery that left her with a 12-inch scar bisecting her abdomen, she learned that it is stage 3c high-grade serous carcinoma cancer that can’t be “cured.” Michelle is going through chemotherapy in England and will be returning to Santa Barbara in September.
If Michelle’s prognosis was based upon the effort and candor with which she is facing this challenge, it would be 100 percent guaranteed that she would live a long and healthy life. She has graciously, dutifully and candidly blogged about her journey for those of us who are heartbroken to be so far away from her. She has a positive and grateful attitude with a wry sense of humor that is crystal-clear in her Cancer Warrior blog.
She has welcomed visits (including from me) into her Oxford home, which gives those of us an opportunity to be close and support her and Bruce.
Cancer is the first thing that Michelle thinks about when she wakes up, which is particularly difficult for her. She finds solace in reminding herself that she is not going to die today and she is not going to die tomorrow.
Eloquently, Michelle describes this as the ultimate Buddhist exercise. She fights cancer wholeheartedly every day all day and every night all night, with no breaks, which is why she inspires me.
I hope to bring candor, humor, gratefulness and Zen to my journey to the Ironman 70.3 Triathlon finish line, like Michelle is with her cancer journey.
Inspiration is like a belly button … You only need one. Michelle is my inspiration, which is why I am dedicating my Ironman 70.3 Triathlon journey to her.
— Noozhawk contributing writer Allison Moehlis is proud to have earned many participation medals for completing half-marathons, metric century bike rides and triathlons. When she is not basking in the glow of her medal collection, she is a working mom of two bright and talented daughters and a happy wife of 16 years. Click here to read previous columns. The opinions expressed are her own.