Today is July 21st, exactly one month out from the day that we, as a Paralympic Track and Field team, leave for our training camp at Kadena Air Force base in Okinawa, Japan. I'm sitting here looking at the weather in Okinawa vs. Beijing, the Kadena AFB homepage (looks like the movie theater has some good flicks!). My training is coming along very well, and actually is just now ramped back up to full pace after encountering a slight (or large) bump in the road in June. Wait a minute - "what?" Why was I off for two weeks in June? Let me briefly recap the series of events:

-June 20th, Cheri flys to Duluth, MN to race Grandma's Marathon
-June 20th, 10:00 PM, Cheri notices large swollen area on her body, call if you'd like details *smile*
-June 20th, 10:05 PM, Cheri decides not to race Grandma's Marathon
-June 21st, 7:00 AM, Cheri proceeds to emergency room in Duluth, MN, and as admitted for a large area of soft tissue infection
-June 21st - June 26th, Cheri is treated with IV antibiotics at a wonderful community hospital in Duluth
-June 26th, Cheri flys back home to Stanford Hospital and is admitted for a few more days of IV medication
-July 1st, after re-imaging with CT scan confirms that the area is healing appropriately, Cheri is discharged from the hospital......finally.

Yes, I'd call this a large bump. I was out of training for nearly two weeks, and have since been easing back into things, making sure to regain my base fitness while not doing anything silly to my body. I'm actually feeling great again now and am back to my baseline - so - now on to this one last block of training before heading out. The moment this went down, all of my coaches said "Cheri, don't worry for one second, we'll have you right back to where you need to be my September." And I believed them. In fact, this moment of adversity has only served to make my focus more intense and my drive more passionate. I had two weeks to clear my head and to plan out what was important in my life; now, I only need to execute the plan.

So, here we are on July 21st, and I'm in full forced training once again. My priorities are very, very clear. Training, taking care of my body to include eating well and sleeping well, honing my equipment...every minute of every day...these things come first. Then, if I have time, I might write a blog entry.... :) That's the fun part.

In the aftermath of all of this, I need to provide several thank-yous:

-To the team of doctors and nurses at St. Mary's Medical Center in Duluth, MN. You guys sure run an impressive show up there. I felt cared for at every moment and knew that every decision made was in my best interest - I can't thank you enough.
-To my colleagues at Stanford Hospital - same goes for all of you! Especially to the OT staff for working with me on perfecting my seating position and planning for the future, your assistance has been invaluable.
-To my friends and family who came to my rescue, you guided me through this with smiles and laughter, which is ALWAYS the best way to go.

This, my friends, is exactly why every win, every medal, every victory is only a small part my own effort, and a large part the efforts of the people in my life. So - shout out, yo!