Let the New Year Blossom… A Message from Uta…

Dear Friends,

Uta and the Strivers. © Renee Bender-Cohn

It has been such a beautiful year, busy and challenging too! Many of us like to call it life—experiencing precious moments together with friends, family, the children, and running buddies that help us create our unique rainbows with many special colors of living.

Looking back over the past year, I am thankful to have met so many of you at the events I was fortunate enough to attend. There were moments of heartfelt “Hellos,” seeing old friends again and meeting new friends. I also followed the progress of your fitness and training, and watched with amazement the excellent results so many of you achieved and the well-deserved comebacks after unfortunate injuries. You inspired me to add some miles here and there to my own runs—or even compete in an extra event because you were there.

The Mystic cross-country teams. © Take The Magic Step®

Running together is such a joy!

Some of the highlights this past year were the fascinating discussions and meeting of the minds that accompanied my “Running To Freedom™” seminars, including my visit to Concord, Massachusetts, in support of the Louisa May Alcott Orchard House. I appreciated and valued your feedback, opinions, and sharing different views of what freedom means to all of us. How precious freedom is!

2015 also was special for our team here at Take The Magic Step. We enjoyed many happy times with children across the globe. Through our Foundation, we were grateful to be able to support groups and volunteers as well as to join in wonderful events and running sessions with the schools and teams in my hometown close to Berlin, as well as those in Colorado, Connecticut, Massachusetts, North Carolina, and Wisconsin.

The ‘RTL-Spendenmarathon’ relay team. © Take The Magic Step®

Even the memories and pictures can’t reflect all the fun we had in Mystic, Connecticut, with the youngsters’ cross-country teams, or the fun talk with the Strivers Running Girls in Natick, Massachusetts, or the croquet games with the children from the war-torn area of the Ukraine. In July, those kids visited where I grew up. It lifted my spirits and warmed my heart to see them play and laugh so happily, temporarily far from their worries and sorrows.

We also remember the joyful events with the bambini and the mini-Marathoners in Berlin, who were running their own “4.195K marathon” just one day before the “older kids”—the adults—took off on their 42.195K. I was humbled to have been part of the ‘RTL-Spendenmarathon’ relay team, and found new friends involved with this wonderful charity and its motto: “We help children.”

This year was so much about sharing and listening—sharing the joy of running, listening to the stories of our friends who would never give up, such as the members of my Hoyt Foundation team. They are inspired by Dick and Rick Hoyt, the famous father-son wheelchair-duo, and this year embraced change with teammate Bryan Lyons taking a bigger role in the organization.

Michael Reger, Bryan Lyons, Kathy Boyer, Rick Hoyt, Uta, and Dick Hoyt. © Sue Bray

It also was insightful to listen to the voices which are so difficult to hear—friends who are too shy to ask for support or who feel they are tougher if they succeed alone. But it often is easier and more fun to tackle a task or another goal together.

And I thank you for your loyalty and friendship as you invited me to learn more about your concerns, goals, and hopes. It made it easier to update Social Media and to have responses to the many wonderful emails and messages which, at times, came so fast I almost couldn’t keep up with you. 🙂

As in all those years, I am so fortunate to work with my team here at Take The Magic Step, my friends who are with me and give me hugs when I need support, and those who slow me down when I want to rush with fast marathon speed to jump in and help even more than they think I can. Their wisdom has guided me through many periods of travel, writing, and serving those who are not as fortunate as we are. A heartfelt and caring “Thank You!” for all your help.

Croquet with the children from the Ukraine. © Take The Magic Step®

I also would like to thank you, dear Website visitors, for coming back and staying a while with us, and hopefully enjoying these pages. We are right here by your side during your continued search for information on fitness, training, and health. And thank you for being so patient in waiting for our Website’s new design. It now is updated in almost all areas and we are eagerly anticipating hearing your feedback. Please always feel free to tell me what you like, what you do not like, and what else you think we should do.

I wonder what you might be looking forward to in 2016. Some of my friends would like to get into a good fitness routine, others would like to try another triathlon and improve their running segment. Yet others told me they would like to slow down the speed of their lives so they can enjoy the colors and every brushstroke even more. As for me, I would like to embrace the hidden strength of the stillness around me more and more as I continue to “Live with a joyful heart and an open mind, aiming for less if you need to and reaching for more if you can.”

Whatever is right and best for you, please know that, together with my Take The Magic Step team, I never am far away and always will try to provide guidance along your journey in the New Year.

In Fitness and in Health,

Yours,

Find further information about Uta and Take The Magic Step on Facebook, go to: Facebook.com/UtaPippig.TakeTheMagicStep
Uta’s Twitter account: Twitter.com/UtaPippig