My 50th birthday present to myself was an Ironman Triathlon.
Missing Title 9 by minutes, competitive high school and collegiate sports were not available to me. I dove into training for the three Ironman components of swimming/biking/running believing I was invincible because I had not worn out my body as a youth. Using multiple marathons and half-irons a year as "practice", between 2004 and 2010 I successfully completed 5 Ironmans. Goal:Kona.
Life happened and I took 10+ years off of racing. My personal diagnosis was that I was becoming increasingly out-of-shape and needed to "stretch" to regain the mobility I was losing daily.
By 2021 I could barely walk, and normal everyday functions became impossible. 30-40 mph wind gusts kept me in my car for fear of being blown over.
Late 2021 I was recommended to Caleb by a concerned friend. Caleb's criteria for accepting clients - Functional Patterns is the core focus of all work together. I bit - and have never looked back.
Within two weeks, we looked "under the hood" through imaging on counsel from an FP-aware chiropractor. Osteoarthritis had destroyed my hips. Both were totally fused, one of which no longer had a ball. Two total hip replacements were "inevitable".
Thanks to the professional advice to use FP for "prehab" before the surgeries, my recovery has been beyond belief. Hip replacements at 8 am, walking by noon, on my way home early afternoon. Both times (R hip April '22, L hip August '22) my walker was ditched the next day and I was back in the FP gym within 4 days.
With FP guidance, throughout the rehab process I have invested time and energy in getting muscles to fire in a coordinated fashion for the first time in over 10 years - a true "class reunion"!
After the second surgery, I went back to full-time retail work in less than a month. My surrounding tribe has been driven crazy by my unending comments of "I could not do this a year ago".
I am convinced that the successful coaching of a Functional Patterns professional saved me from an early life in a wheelchair. Or worse.