Today, I sent the following letter to my friends and family. (Though, naturally, in the real letter, I referred to my husband by his real name!) If I missed you, please know it was unintentional and my brain is all over the place right now. I hope you’ll forgive me. In the next few days, I’ll be talking about everything that led me to this decision. Thanks for all of your support along the way.
Dear friends and family,
Thank you so much for all of your support on my journey to Steelhead 70.3. You have donated, cheered me on, called to see how training races went, and some of you even read my silly blog. I am so grateful to be surrounded by people who care about me so much.
I’m writing today with a heavy heart to let you know that this is where my journey to Steelhead ends. I will not be able to race this year. As many of you know, I live with a disease called ulcerative colitis. While at its heart it is a digestive illness, it also has effects outside the digestive tract that I am dealing with right now. I’m detailing it a little more on my blog, so if you want the deets go to www.forwardisapace.com – I’ll spare the rest of you.
This was not a decision I made lightly. It was made through sleepless nights and countless hours discussing things with Goose and my parents, my coach, and my doctor. I finally decided that although my training has taught me that I am capable of 70.3, my body is telling me that this is not the right time. I have so many fun things planned for my future, and I love completing triathlons. I don’t want to get so caught up in one goal that I do something to limit my ability to do this in the future.
Again, thank you so much for all of your support. It has meant so much to me. Please know that, if you donated, your donation does not go to waste. Girls on the Run is one heck of an organization, and it will use the money to help little girls across Chicagoland reach goals they never thought they could – just like I have done in my training this season.
With love,
Lauren
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You are making your health the #1 priority and that’s the best thing for you L. I think things will work out the best for you.
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