The BFC team made a recent trip to Baltimore to attend the American Society of Reproductive Medicine annual general meeting.

At our clinic we are passionate about staying on top of our medical field.

These events also give us the opportunity, as the years have gone by, to confirm that what we do, not only works, but that we also stand out as a best practice clinic. On a professional level it is a fantastic opportunity!

It is wonderful to see new trends and see the data presented in so many various fields in this line of medicine.

BUT..

What happens when work starts to impact your personal goal? While there I needed to log a 14K, 10K (twice) and a 5K. Hmmm not easy.

On the first day I woke up at 5 a.m. and went to the gym. I got in a 10K on the treadmill all the while staring at myself in some mirror.

It was hard!!!

And boring!!!

I don’t have the best sense of direction and I didn’t know the city, so taking to the streets wasn’t an option.

Pounding that black belt I felt the panic rise a bit.

Just the week before I was telling myself to trust the training but now the training was being derailed. I got off the treadmill and had a chat with myself. There was no way these runs were going to happen according to the plan. The plan had to be tweaked. It took me the whole elevator ride back up to my room to accept this, but something still wasn’t sitting right. I felt like if I came off the plan there would be a fracture.

My eyes then caught a promotional flyer on the desk in my room. An exhibition entitled The Big Hope Show was being held at the Museum of Visual Art.

That evening, when my lectures ended, I went to the Museum and there on the wall was this quote –

“Hope attracts chances…”

Wow!!!! That’s what I was missing – hope!

I was placing so much emphasis on the time of the race I had forgotten that little word. With hope you can look at your fertility journey and use it as a tool, as an inspiration and a net to catch you when things get tough and don’t go the way you expect.

While leaving the Museum I thought of the week ahead and promised myself that even when things don’t line up I will look around for the small things to inspire me on this journey, I will have hope. I will keep going.

Ironically, the morning after my museum visit, the team ran a 5k and I ran my fastest time ever for this distance!

Hope, Inspiration, Team… I think these three combined is a new formula for my training!

I want to encourage you every week to look around and find something that inspires you, that gives you hope. It may come in the least expected way but if you seek it, you will find it!

Rachel De Gale