Wow! I am feeling so grateful right now! I accomplished huge goals last weekend on the eve of my VAD and Stroke diagnosis anniversary. I still can’t believe it’s been 3 years!!
First off, I’m going to get into these half Marathons that I ran last weekend. If you follow my blog, you know that I’ve had a goal to run back-to-back half marathons. I’d be lying if I told you that I wasn’t worried. And don’t forget that I just partied my face off in Las Vegas the week prior.
The first race was my 3rd Annual Stroke Anniversary Half Marathon in which I run the same route that I did between strokes 3 and 4 in 2020. That run was pure torture when I was ill, but running it every year since then makes me so thankful that I feel better every day.
This year, David ran the first 1.5 miles with me. It was a joy to have him out on the course. We parted ways and I picked up the pace. I decided to listen to music that made me emotional. I created a playlist when I was healing called ‘Stroke Appreciation’. I put that on my new playlist, along with some other heart-wrenching tunes. I cried, laughed and felt all the amazing and intense feelings. I finished the run in 2 hours 14 minutes, stopping several times to snap some photos.
The next day, I woke up feeling sore! I could feel all the lactic acid in my legs and arms making me feel like I had the flu. I was worried, but got up and completed my regular routine. I headed down to the race where I was planning to meet my parents (Mom ran the half marathon!) and their friends as well as my gym-wifey, Shannon, who was running the 10k. Turns out, traffic to park was insane this year. I waited to park for nearly an hour. I started the race almost 15 minutes late. That was ok with me, I was trying not to stress.
I was able to catch up with my mom around mile 3. I was so so happy to see her out there. She hasn’t run this great a distance in nearly 10 years. I was so proud of her! I was beaming when I ran across her.
Once I started running, I felt little pain from the run the day before. It is amazing how the energy at a race can elevate a participant. I completed this one much quicker than my Stroke run…I finished in 2 hours 4 minutes. I’m very proud of that time. My body is feeling it this week, but it’s much better than I had expected. My legs are sore, but my neck and head have been great! I’ll be running another half marathon in 8 days from now…I know; I’m crazy!
As for my anniversary this year, it’s honestly not affecting me as greatly as it has previously. I feel so much better that I have in the past few years. My mind is growing stronger and my body has really taken to the exercise regiment I program for myself. I feel like a whole person now; Instead of simply being a survivor, I feel like someone who does inspiring things that just happened to suffer from VAD and multiple strokes. I am more in control of my feelings, too. I have let go of so much anger and I’m learning to be more patient with myself and others. Life is fucking good! I appreciate every damn day that I have been gifted.
Thank you for taking some time to be here with me today! I appreciate all that follow my story.
