Flashback!

January - 1996
My girlfriend Sharon and I enjoyed a few days of vacation
and I ran a half marathon (13.1 miles) in Bermuda.

(as soon as I get a pic - you'll see what these legs look like now and
then you can pray with me that they can run 4.6 miles in April)

Saturday Morning Surprise

I love surprises like this - on a sidewalk in Reading this morning I bumped into one of the docs that helped save my leg in Reading Hospital 4 years ago. It started out as a normal Saturday morning of errands and as I walked out of a store, I looked to my right and coming down the sidewalk was a gentleman with a look of ‘I’ve got places to go and people to see, so don’t get in my way’ all over his face and pace. I started to back up to let him pass in his rush, then instead moved forward and stuck out my hand as I said, “Hello Doctor.” For a second, he looked annoyed at the interruption, but then greeted me with a smile and an out-stretched hand. “Janet, how are you,” he asked. We chatted briefly, with me feeling slightly anxious about holding him up, but loving a chance to reconnect. This doctor was one of the first surgeons I’d saw in PA after coming home from California 6 weeks after my injuries. Though at first, he was concerned that my leg could or would not even heal, he operated on me twice and what he did is what needed to be done to allow my leg to heal.

As he walked away this morning, he called back, “Be careful, don’t do anything dumb in life, I don’t want to see you in the office.” Hearing him say that, I hated to interrupt whatever mission he was on again, but I couldn’t pass this up “On that note, is it dumb to try to run 4 miles on this leg?” I asked. Guess I peaked his interest, because he stopped and waited for me to come over to his car and asked me for details. Hearing my plan, he was optimistic and said, “No, that’s not dumb - but train wisely! Slowly increase your distance and never run two days in a row, always give your leg a break between runs.” I was thrilled as I thanked him profusely for his time and advice!

Garden Spot Marathon - here I come!

New Year Coming

I'm generally reflective at the end of a year - I like to think back over the year and further process some of the pros and cons of it. 2008 was a full year of life for me - joy, laughter, pain and loss. Seeking God through it all has helped me find some beauty - even in the midst of dirt. I’m usually not glad for the dirt, but I’m happy for the beauty I find in it.

I'm looking forward to 2009 with renewed excitement - for the first time in 4 years, I am looking at a new year with no plans for further consultations with doctors and no surgeries planned for the year (gosh, I hope it stays that way!) I wonder if I will go through withdrawal since I must have seen a zillion 'white coats' in the past 4 years. Love those humans - they spend years of their lives learning how to take care of others and everyone I’ve met has done it with a smile (well, there was that one, but I won’t go there)

Since April, on the days my lower body cooperates, I go for a walk - outdoors in friendly weather, otherwise on the treadmill. If I’ve had a tiring day or two of being on my feet, I need to cut out any additional walking for a day or two. Since May, I’ve been throwing in about 2 to 5 minutes of jogging a few times a week. At this time, it’s a great feeling emotionally, but physically, my body does a fair bit of moaning and complaining. I’m constantly trying to determine the seriousness of the ‘noise’ - does it mean I’m pushing too hard or is it just my beat-up body complaining during the process of becoming stronger again?

I will be doing a lot of accessing the next few months as I aim to complete a 4.6 mile portion of a marathon relay on April 4, 2009. I’m excited and scared at I plan out my training schedule - I know slow and steady increases is the ticket, but part of me wants to go hit the treadmill and see if I can pound out 4 miles right now. Don’t think that will happen - as I only run about 1/2 mile at this time in the middle of a 20 or 30 minute walk.

Let the training begin ....