My Life After Lehman

I can't believe a year has gone by since I walked away from my job at Lehman Brothers, having been part of the mass layoff that happened just days before the firm ceased to exist. It's crazy to think of all the ways my life has changed since then. Next week, I start co-leading a beginner cycling program for women here in NYC. And in January, I'll be the lead coach for Team Lipstick's first half ironman training program. I've never felt this proud or passionate about anything I've done before. I love the direction my life has taken. I'm even okay with the missteps and disappointments I've had along the way. My stubborn personality is what makes it necessary for me to learn the hard way sometimes but it's also why I'm able to pick myself up and keep working toward my goals.

I'm also keeping busy as I continue training for the NYC marathon. I'm surprised at how well my body has taken to all this running and even more surprised by how little bike fitness I seem to have lost over the past 9 weeks. I've only gotten out for two relatively short rides since the accident, today being the second, but I feel great out there and my strength and speed seem to have suffered very little. I think it's because of all the running and the fact I barely stopped strength training following my surgery.

I still go to the hand therapist 9-10 hours per week, too. I'm at a point where a lot of the exercises have become too easy but they find ways to make them more challenging. There's this one where I clip big plastic clothespins of varying degrees of tension onto a metal rod. When the hardest became too easy, they started adding rubber bands to the ends. That's starting to get too easy now, too, but I'm sure they have other tricks up their sleeves.