Week 7ish!

Well, Monday I went out in the morning and made it 23 of the 25 minutes. I got super tired and sore, all of a sudden, so I decided to take it sown to a brisk walk. Then, not 2 minutes later, I hear, "You only have 5 minutes left!" I knew I could do it. I ran the rest. I'm pretty proud of myself for that one! I'm getting there!

I'm not so much sticking to the schedule now, since I know I'm supposed to run 25 minutes. When I can do that, I'll go to the next week. No matter how many days it takes me!

Today, I woke up to a decent rain and about 40 degrees! I got the kids ready for school/daycare and my husband headed off with them so I could go for my run before my Dr. appt. I thought it looked pretty nasty out, so thought maybe I'd skip the run for today. Then, I checked my email and had a message from my buddy, Lisa. She asked about my progress and encouraged me. I shut off the computer and found my running shoes!

I headed out into the rain. I decided to do my route backwards. Not running backwards, just the reverse order! Anyway, I only made it about 7 or 8 minutes before I needed to stop. The rain actually felt good. I was really anxious and nervous about my minor medical procedure happening later in the morning. I just wasn't focused and couldn't talk myself into it. I did power walk the rest. I felt good to get moving, but know with my 5K this weekend, I should have done more.

I am thinking I may try a shorter run on Saturday, just to see how things feel and get moving. I don't want to be too tired for the run on Sunday. We'll just have to see how I feel. If it's anything like right now, I'll be lucky to make it off the couch. They promised me I should be back to full form by Saturday though. I hope so. I've been working too hard to not be able to do my best! I'm going to be really disappointed if I'm not up to par.

I do realize that this was something I had to have done, and there will be other 5ks, I just feel like I've been working so hard and putting maybe too much pressure on myself to complete this 5k. I need to be able to let it go. It's just after everything I've been through, and everyone saying that I may think I'm better, but I haven't dealt with everything, and eventually it will catch up with me, I wanted to be able to show them, in a concrete way, that I am better. They don't seem to listen when I talk, so maybe my actions will show them. If they see me run across the finish line, they'll know. I also want to prove to myself that I can do it. I have never, ever run before in my life. I am so proud of myself for doing this and working hard and ticking with it. Not being able to complete this 5k because of this procedure won't diminish any of that, but it's just not what I pictured. I saw myself completing this program, being able to run the entire 5k and crossing that finish line with a huge smile on my face.

I WILL complete the 5k on Sunday. I WILL have a smile on my face. I WILL be (and am, now) proud of myself for all the hard work. I WILL.

Week 6

Sorry! I know this is overdue, but it's been a rough week! So, Monday I went out and did w6d2. I was able to complete it all and even made it just barely under 3 miles!! It was a beautiful overcast day and actually had to run with a stocking hat on!!! I was a little sore when I got home, as the route was fairly hilly, but I was really proud of myself.

Yesterday, I tried my hand at the treadmill. First time ever. Nearly killed myself. Twice!! There is a reason roads don't move. I'll just stick to the roads or the track. I didn't do very well. Couldn't even complete w6d2 again. I was aiming for w6d3, but there was no way! My issue is that I don't run straight. Turns out that is a problem when on a treadmill! I ran off the side twice. Not entirely off, but enough that I had to skip a step or 2, then slow it down, get my footing, and restart. Needless to say, it did not go well!

I'll get back out on the road tomorrow, regardless of the weather. Another go at w6d3 will be good!

FYI - I looked at my training schedule that I had mapped out from w1d1 and Oct. 1 should have been w9d3! :( Oh well, I knew going in that I was not going to whiz right through every week. I am proud of how far I've come and that I am sticking with it!

3rd time's a charm!!!!

I DID IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Okay, now that that's out of my system, I'll tell you how I finally conquered w5d3! I've been running on the track. It's gentler on the body and easy to keep track of distance. I think it was getting to me. Running in circles for a half hour is not that fun! (It's ovals, actually, Mommy! - this is what my 3 year old daughter said when I said this to my husband!) Anyway, I just kept thinking, "Okay, 1 mile down, 6 more laps, 5 more laps..."

It became really overwhelming. It was more a mental thing than a physical thing. Everyone on the c25k facebook page that has gotten over this hurdle will tell you that. I was not smart enough to realize this the first time I tried it, or even the second, but after a mile on the track, something clicked. I ran directly out of the stadium and onto the street. I just ran.

I made sure to run where I could drive so I could track my distance. I am so excited to say that I was able to finish! I texted my best friend and called my mom and my husband! I was so proud! I went about 2.4 miles in my 30 minutes. Not too shabby!

I am actually starting to understand people wanting to run. Not that it is fun, but it just feels so good when you accomplish it! You're right, Emily! And thanks for the encouragement, Marcia, I thought of your comments as I was struggling!

W5D3 is killing me

I couldn't do it. Again.

I am getting really frustrated, but I am making progress. I ran for about 12 minutes, walked for 3, then ran for the last 5. I made it 9 laps or 2.25 miles. Not quite as good as last time, but still not too bad. I'm starting to get worried though because my 5k is Oct. 11 and I still can't run for 20 minutes. I can guarantee that by that time, I will have conquered the 20 min. run, I'm just not sure how far beyond that I'll be!

But, I need to think positive because that is the only thing that will get me through.

I'm also a little worried as I have a minor procedure done 3 days before my 5k. The nurse said I will probably be in some pain the day of the procedure, but I should be fine to run by the next day. Here's hoping!!!

Well, that's about it for now . . .

W5D2 - check. W6D2-what??

My son became ill last week, so that threw a wrench in my plan. He had a fever of 104.3 late Wednesday night. Needless to say, he did not go to the sitter on Thursday morning, so I didn't get to run or go to work. So, Friday, when Daddy was home, I got to go out for an evening run. I decided to go to the high school track that's just a few minutes away. I decided I really like running on a track so I can keep track of exactly how far I'm going. It was a beautiful evening out, so there were a few people there. I did pretty well. I made it 2 miles in my 1/2 hour.

I was really proud of myself!

Then, I looked at the training schedule and became terrified. I'd come to the dreaded 20 min. day. I tried. I promise you, I tried. I ended up running 10 min. walking 5, running 10. Turns out that is the exact same as the schedule for W6D2! I was pretty happy with that, but am determined that I am going to do all 20 minutes tomorrow. However, I did run further than ever on that run. I again went to the high school track and ran 10 laps - 2.5 miles! Yeah me!!

I think it may have been because I had an audience...of sorts. I got up early with the kids Sunday morning and then, about 9:30ish, headed out to run. I went to the track, and there were a bunch of cars parked there, and a table set up with snacks and drinks. I looked around a little more, and on the sidewalk, a guy had a big clock and was timing runners coming across what I gathered to be the finish line. I assumed I was not in the way, as they were on the sidewalk and I was going into the fenced area to the track, so I began. Soon, everyone started to filter into the fenced area and mill around. I thought maybe they were just hanging out?? Then, a few of them began to jog a little. One guy ran the whole track, the opposite way as me. Then another...

What the heck were they doing?? Well, eventually, the guy with the big clock/timer thing and the starting gun, meandered onto the track and began issuing instructions. Not that I could hear, I was listening to my podcast! Before he did that though, I asked him if I was in the way but he said I wasn't since I'd offered to stay in the outside lanes while they were there. But anyway, they were apparently having a 400meter "dash" now. I put that in quotes because for them it was a "dash" for me, it was a 3 minute run!! Anyway, They finished 2 heats of their "dash" by the time I'd finished my 30 minutes.

I asked 1 gal what they were doing and she explained the whole thing. Apparently, they start out with a 5k, then do a 400m dash, then a 1 mile run, followed by a 100m dash, topped off with a 10 mile run. They get 15 minutes of rest between each! It's called Pewterman's Pentathlon.

And here I was proud of my 2.5 miles!!! Maybe next year...

W5D1

**If you think you can, or you think you can't, you're right.**

So true! I was just really feeling good today and decided rather than repeating another day from week4, I'd just take a chance and move on. The worst that could happen is that I'd have to stop a little early or walk a little extra. Well, neither of those things happened!!!! I was able to finish all of W5D1 today.

I decided to try to run on an indoor track today for a few reasons. #1 - that is what I'm going to have to do when it gets cold, so I thought I'd give it a try. #2 - I wanted to know exactly how far I was running. #3 - I wasn't sure the local college would allow me to come in and run, so rather than waiting until winter to find out, now seemed like a better option!

#1 - it went well. Felt good and was much easier on the legs than running on concrete. #2 - I ran just shy of 2 miles, but I only did about 1/2 of the 5min. warm-up and about 1min. of the 5min. cool-down, due to time constraints. #3 - the kid there today didn't seem to care who was on the track, and since I was the only one, it probably didn't matter. This winter it might be different.

I think I'm going to go ahead and move on to W5D2 on Thursday. Hope that one goes as well!!

W4D2

Much Better!! I went out at about 8ish this morning and it was 60degrees and sunny. Perfect running weather! I "ran" into several others out taking advantage of the beautiful morning. I had a really good run this morning. I managed to finished the first 3 running intervals entirely, and about 2/3 of the last 5min. interval. I'm hoping 1 more day on W4 should be good, then on to W5. We'll see maybe 2 more...

Either way, I can feel the improvement. My theory is, as soon as I can accomplish the week I'm on, I'll move on. So, once I can do all 4 intervals entirely, I should be ready for W5.

I'm so happy to be back on the right track. I was pretty down for a while about having my little set-back. I guess I'm becoming a real runner. Who would have guessed?!?! I may be slow, but I can do it!

W4D1...eh

It didn't go as well as I'd hoped. Here's the thing. New shoes - awesome, no knee pain. Taking off too much time - not awesome, soo out of breath to finish the 5min. intervals. Well, I guess I'll just get back into doing it every other day again, and keep with week 4 until I can do it. Hopefully it won't take too long!

I took my dog with this time and that probably didn't help! She's not great on a leash because she's used to running free when we go to the farm, or in our back yard. We had a WONDERFUL off-leash dog park here until the flood last year wiped it out. They're apparently making a new one that should be open next year. The old one was 14 acres and had walking trails throughout. That would have been a great place for us both to run! She always loved it there, but I was much lazier then, and just walked! Now I'm hoping the new one is as nice as the old one so I can take advantage of the trails and she can run free with me! When we were at the farm last time, she followed right along with me, stopping only when the horse-drawn wagons passed! It was pretty neat!

Anyway, I think I'm on the right track again and will stick to it! My 5k is only 4weeks away!! OH NO!! Well, I'll just do it however I can. If I need to walk some, I will. But I'm hoping that the excitement and the adrenaline and all the thousands of people will help push me that little extra bit! I guess we'll find out in a few weeks!

W4D1...redo!

Well, I got my new shoes and am venturing out again today. We'll see how it goes. I ran on Sunday morning, at the farm, and my knees didn't hurt too bad, but the gravel may have helped out with that. I know it is slightly more forgiving than concrete! I was wearing my old shoes, but was able to get through it. Now the problem is too much rest = not being able to finish the 5 min. run because I was out of breath! I'll get there.

On a side note, my mp3 player that went crazy?? It's better now. I didn't do anything different, it just started working again! Who knows!!! I was able to download Carli's next few podcasts though! YEAH!!!

Anyway, I'll try to be better about updates and posting. It is just so easy to do when you're doing well and want to tell the world. It's becomes much harder when you come to a bump in the road. You don't really feel like telling everyone that you had a setback! But, that is what this is for, chronicling the good, the bad, and the ugly that comes along on this journey with me! So, here it is. The is the bad I guess. Not ugly, and I'm hoping I don't run into ugly, but if I do, I promise I'll tell you all about it!!

Thanks for all the support and comments, everyone, they're much appreciated!

W4D1

Well, today didn't go so well. Like I said last time, my knees were hurting pretty badly, so I took an extra day of rest. I went to our local running store, www.runningwild-iowa.com and met Nate, who was super nice. While waiting forhim to finish up a phone call, I wandered aimlessly, since I'd never even stepped foot inside a runnig store before, and read everything I could find. I read one sign that said something like If you're planning on having us analyze your feet, then buying your shoes elsewhere, don't bother. It makes us feel used. Since, as I mentioned last time, I'm short on money, this was my exact plan! Well, after sitting down with Nate and chatting and finding the right shoes for me, I still couldn't buy them yet, I had to chat with the hubby first! Normally I don't consult on purchases under $100, but we're really trying to save for a new house, so I thought I'd probably better! I had decided, however, not to buy them online!

The style he recommended for my is the Nike Air Pegasus+26. He actually brought out 3 pairs, but these were the best. They felt really good. I'm excited to go back on Monday and get them. My husband agreed that new shoes would probably help with the pain, but I have to wait until Monday, after we pay a few things off, to make sure we have the extra in our budget.

So, this morning, out of sheer curiosity, I checked eBay. I know, I shouldn't have! But, I did. And they weren't available. Anywhere else I checked online was the same price, so I gave up and felt satisfied that I was going to buy them from the store with the helpful staff and buying locally is always nice. But I do like a good deal!

Anyway, I will try to get through the rest of this week with my old shoes. I am thinking I will not be able to do week 4 though, I may just have to repeat week 3. Then do 4 next week. I'll let you know tomorrow what I decided to do!

And, if you're looking for good shoes in Iowa, make sure to visit Nate at Running Wild in Cedar Rapids!

Week 3...Check!

Well, I did it. I finished another week. I believe I mentioned a little bit of knee pain last time. It's back and stronger than ever! I powered through all but the last 30 sec. of the last run. I iced them both when I got home and they felt much better. I have decided that I need new shoes.

I am going to the running store tomorrow morning. Not that I have money to but new shoes, but I know it is something I am going to have to make happen if I want to continue to run. It just hurt too bad. I have several friends who are runners that told me that the right shoes can make all the difference. I'll let you know what I get.

On a side note, my mp3 went crazy. It will not connect to my computer so I cannot download Carli's next podcasts. :( I'm still working on it! Hopefully it fixes itself, as the warranty is up!

Anyway, I rested for 2 days this time, rather than just 1 as I have been doing, so now I'll be back at it tomorrow morning!

Running in the rain!

I was planning on doing w3d2 on Wednesday, but it was raining like crazy here in Iowa. I don't mind running in rain, but running in flash flooding is a whole 'nother story! I waited until Thursday and it rained even harder! So, Thursday night, it finally stopped raining and I headed out right after dinner. It looked eerie out, but I decided to go anyway. There was a strong headwind, but since I was turning the corner in a few blocks, I decided it would be in my favor at then end of my run, so I stuck to my route.

I was smarter than last time and cut the route a little shorter than before. I found myself surprised when it said to stop running, as I wasn't ready yet! PROGRESS! I did stop though, so as not to overdo it. I felt good, but apparently didn't stretch enough after because I was sore this morning. I also was feeling it a lot in my knees. I wasn't able to figure out if it was actually my knees that were hurting, or the muscles surrounding them. I feel much better today, so I guess we'll just have to see what tomorrow is like.

Oh yeah, I've lost another 2 pounds, so I'm down 5 since the day I started week 1. Not really enough to make a difference in my clothes or anything yet, but at least I'm heading the right direction! I have found myself cooking a lot more now because I want to make sure that what I'm eating is at lease decent! Last night we had chicken parmigiana with whole wheat noodles. It was really good and the kids and the hubby liked it too!

Anyway, guess that's it for now! W3D3 tomorrow!

W3D1

On Monday, I did w3d1. I thought it would be hard, but every time I got tired, thinking I couldn't run anymore, I just picked a spot a little ways up and said to myself, If I can just make it to that mailbox (street, scary dog, old man on a HoverRound, old scary dog peeing on the mailbox from his HoverRound, etc.), then I'll stop running. But, before I arrived at said object, I heard my favorite sound... time for your walk!!! There was only one time when I got to the landmark before it was time to walk, and that time, I just picked one a little further out. It worked great. I just thought to myself, I made it to this place, I bet I can get to that one!

I did have a few issues though. I cut the back of my heel pretty good Sunday night while helping my mom out with some stuff. It happens to be right where my sock and shoe hit. So, it doesn't feel too good when walking or running. Plus, stupid me, I didn't think to cover it up, so now it's infected. Needless to say, it is covered up now and starting to feel better. Hopefully, next time I'm scheduled to run, I can!

The other issue is that I mapped out a great route the other night. I was thinking that if I were to get hurt, kidnapped, die, my husband would have no idea where to look for me. So, I came up with a route that is just shy of 3 miles and told him the route, so we'd all feel better! I knew I wasn't up to doing the entire route in my 30 min yet, but there are several cross-streets on which I could cut across to shave some distance off.

I left the house and got into running on this brilliant route, and before I realized it, I was at the furthest point away from my house on the route. I'd forgotten to cut across on one of the other streets! Oops! So, I finished on the route we'd established and when my time was up, I was still a decent ways from home! I ended up walking about 15 extra minutes! That's not bad, but this particular route is kind of hilly and with it being my first day on week 3, I was ready to be done after my 30 minutes!

Oh well, I guess I survived!! I'm scheduled for w3d2 today, but it's been storming all day. We'll see what this afternoon brings, I may have to wait until tomorrow. That might not be a bad thing anyway, then I can let my heel heal for another day.

Well, Happy Trails! Talk to you soon...

Week 2...Check!

I am officially done with week 2. I did the w2d3 run yesterday morning, and am still sore! I have never been a runner before, at all. The other day I was reading on the c25k links about proper running form and I learned I'm doing it all wrong. Not a huge suprise! Anyway, I have always run heel, toe, just like I walk. It seems natural to me. I have been having some occasional shin pain and I read that you are supposed to land on the balls or your feet, and push off with your toes. So, if I understand correctly, the heels shouldn't really touch the ground at all while running. Is this right?

Well, I tried it yesterday and I have to say, it seemed really awkward to me. It felt like I was tip-toeing really quickly, like I was trying to chase someone quietly! I felt a little creepy! Luckily, there wasn't anyone in front of me, or I might have felt REALLY weird! I didn't have any pain while doing it, but the after-effects are longer-lasting! I'm sure I must have used different muscles!

Well, I'm going to try to do it that way again tomorrow (w3d1), hopefully it will start feeling more natural to me. I don't like feeling like a creep!!!!!!!! I just downloaded the week3 podcast from http://RunningIntoShape.com so I am ready. And if you were wondering, yes, this one has Brittney on it too!!!

W2D2

I did it. It's done. I hope to never do it again. I'm still sore.

Okay, may all the dramatics aren't fair! So, yesterday I was planning on getting up at 6:30am to run as my husband had to go to work and I wanted to get it in before he left. About midnight or so, my son starts SCREAMING and doesn't stop. At all. For several hours. As you can probably guess, I didn't get up at 6:30 to run. At that point, I think I'd only gotten about 3 hours of sleep or so.

We headed up to his parents farm yesterday afternoon, which is about 2 hours away and I thought I'd sleep in the car, then maybe after dinner, head out for my run. I should know better! I didn't get one minute of sleep. Then, we got to the farm and as usual, my mother-in-law made a fabulous meal and I ate too much. 8:10 rolls around and it's starting to look a little dark. I drug myself off the nice comfy couch and threw on my shoes. I dedided I couldn't not do it! I had to, no matter how much I would have rather stayed on that couch!

Out I went. The nice thing about being out in the country like that is that there is a cross-road, every 1 mile, exactly. So, you know how far you're going! I am embarassed to say that in my 30 minutes, I did just over 2 miles. On second thought, I'm not embarassed to say that. If I was in week 9, I might be, but for week 2...that's not too bad. The fact that I could continue moving for 2 entire miles if pretty impressive if you ask me!

It had been a chilly, drizzly day, and the evening started out nicer. It was cool, which was really nice. There was a decent breeze, which was also nice when I started. Until I turned around to head back to the farm and realized that the first half of my run, that seemed fairly tolerable, was due in large part to the tail wind! Which had just become a HEADWIND!! Ahhhhh....

That made the second half of my run much more difficult. The wind combined with the fact that it was getting pretty dark and it actually felt chilly, even after running, made the last stretch a little tricky!

But, I did it! I tried a new podcast too and LOVED it. Here is the link: http://runningintoshape.com/5k-training-downloads/ It is a free download, but she happily accepts any donations. On her site, you will find her stories about the everyday battle most of us go through to try to stay positive and keep on running! She's newly unemployed too, as they laid off a large number of people at her job, so every little bit helps! I am definitely using her podcasts from now on. They are kind of "poppy" but , you know, so am I! I'm not afraid to admit it...I like Brittney Spears!!!!!!!!!!!!

Oops!!

This will be short, I promise! I forgot the weight update. So, I'm 6' tall and at the beginning of week 1 weighed 195. At the beginning of week 2 I weighed 192. At least I'm headed the right direction!

Week 2...

I don't have much time to write right now, but I did w2d1 yesterday. I feel like I did a pretty good job. I had to walk the last 30 sec. or so on the 4th run, but other than that, I did just as I was supposed to. I did go to Curves Monday and it felt great. I am definitely going to keep trying to do that on my non-running days. Today, life got in the way!

I looked at my calendar and mapped out when I'm going to run each week. Following my every-other-day routine, as opposed to 3 times a week, I will finish 1 week early. That is nice because I feel like I may need a few days of wiggle room when I get up to weeks 5 and 6. Rumor has it they can be brutal! I guess I'll let you know in a few weeks!!

w2d2 for me tomorrow! Have a good one!

Week 1, DONE!!!

I did it! I finished my first week on the Couch 2 5k plan! I am so excited and proud of myself. I am not even sore at all today. We had a nice, rainy Sunday and I took advantage of that and ran in the middle of the afternoon since it was nice and cool.

Tomorrow I am going back to Curves. I love it there and I haven't been for a few weeks as I was out of town then I started this program and didn't want to be too sore. I am thinking that Curves will be a good workout for my non-running days. Curves is the only workout I've had success on, but since my stroke, I've had to take that a little slower too! Hopefully the combination of the two programs will help me out in both the fitness and weight loss endeavors!

Speaking of... Since I am trying to loose weight along with becoming more fit overall, I think I need to post how I'm doing in that area as well. I am 6ft tall and the day I began my first week, I weighed 195lbs. Ideally, I'd like to get down about 30 pounds or so, but that is a long-term goal! Just to get started losing would be awesome. I have also started a low-cholesterol diet as that is a requirement when you have stents. So, between the running, Curves, and the low-cholesterol diet, I should be heading the right direction!

I also am finding I have more energy already. It's amazing how quickly these changes can happen. Maybe it's all in my head, but either way, it's good. I'm getting more done around the house, which is appreciated by my husband and have more energy to play with the kids, which is good for everyone!

Week 2 starts on Tuesday!

Week 1 Day 2

Well, yesterday I did my 2nd day and it was great. I was still pretty sore when I started, but by the time I was finished, I felt much better. Weird! I managed to make it through all but 30 seconds of the jogging this time. Last time I skipped out on 2 minutes, so I think I'm getting a little better! Hopefully tomorrow, Day 3, I'll be able to do all of it.

I tried a new podcast yesterday and didn't care for it as much. I liked the music better, but I didn't care for the talking and the encouragement! I prefer not to know how much I have left, then it's a nice surprise when I'm finished! For those of you who like knowing and the encouragement from a faceless man, try this podcast: http://www.ullreys.com/robert/Podcasts/. I guess I just found it slightly annoying when on run 4 or 5 he said something like, "You should be feeling it now. Not tired or out of breath, just feeling it..." WHAT?!?!? I was tired and out of breath on the first run! So, needless to say, I didn't care for it that much. But, the music is good! So anyway, I think I am going back to my first podcast. Maybe I'll try a different one again, there's lots out there. If I try another, I'll let you know!

Being totally honest...

I hurt! I started week 1, day 1 yesterday, after 4 days of decent manual labor, and am paying for it today. The outside of my shins (I don't know what that muscle is called!) hurts every time I take a step! Other than that, I'm doing pretty good. Today is one of those days when I'm thankful that I have a sit-down job!

Week 1, day 2 tomorrow. We'll see how that goes!

Here's the backstory!

For those of you who are interested, here is the story that led me to where I am right now. Dec. 2, 2008 I had a headache. It quickly became unbearable so I visited my general practitioner who, upon seeing how much pain I was in, sent me immediately to the emergency room. When I arrived, they were concerned that I had meningitis so I got a spinal tap. That came back clean so they gave me some migraine meds and hoped I would feel better soon. I didn't.

I was admitted to the neurology floor of the hospital and given narcotics to try to alleviate the pain. I was given massive amounts of these narcotics and after about 3 days, I had an overdose and "crashed". I woke up with doctors, nurses, LifeFlight nurses, and aides standing around me. I was apparently out for about a half hour. I don't remember anything about the 3 days leading up to that point.

Narcotics didn't seem to help the headache pain, they just made me so out of it that I didn't realize it hurt, so they decided to try something different... Nothing. That didn't work either. The headache was still at full force 6 days into my hospital stay. At that point, my GP decided to call in some help. A neurologist was called in to assess me and decided he could help. His plan was to administer DHE, an intravenous drug that can be taken as an out- or in-patient. I had my first half dose and I couldn't believe how much WORSE it made the pain. I would rather have given birth 10 times than have that kind of pain again! The neurologist told me that was normal as we had to "break through the pain". Nice of him to tell me that after the fact!! Anyway, I wasn't thrilled about it, but several more doses were essentially forced on me.

By Dec. 12, 2008 I was still in the hospital and the headache still hadn't subsided. I decided to go home. Both doctors agreed that it was a good idea and if necessary I could return for outpatient treatment. I had missed celebrating my birthday (12/8) with my kids and family and I didn't want to miss Christmas too. I was looking forward to decorating for the holidays when I got home and making cookies with my kids.

Well, plans got ruined again... Within 6 hours of arriving home, I was paralyzed on my right size. Terrified, I called to my husband, who was sleeping upstairs, and he came down to help me. He was sick and my kids were asleep, so we called my mom to take me back to the hospital. I can't even explain how scared I was.

By Dec. 15, 2009, I was entirely paralyzed, having seizures, aphasia, and essentially unconscious. I was taken by ambulance to the University of Iowa Hospital. I was taken to the neurology floor, but immediately switched to the ICU.

The team of doctors wasn't sure what was happening. My arms and legs were paralyzed, I couldn't say the words I was trying to say, I was pulling out my IVs and tubes with out even realizing it. My paralysis was transient. It would switch from side to side. I started to feel like maybe I was crazy! It was terrible.

Eventually they figured out that I had an allergic reaction to the DHE. It caused my vertebral arteries to close, causing a stroke. I was 28 years old, and I had a stroke.

After 3 angiograms, an angioplasty, 2 stents in my left vertebral artery, and 1 bald head (from the radiation they use with the angios) I was finally able to move again. My right vertebral artery was completely occluded. They could not even open it with an angioplasty. They told me that it would never open again once it was closed like that. Luckily, the stents held open my left artery and I could function with only 1. Any brain damage that was done, would probably come back, since I was so young.

I spent 29 total days in the hospital, 9 of those in the ICU. I missed my birthday and Christmas, but being alive and healthy is the best gift I could have asked for!

I am back and functioning at basically the same level I was at before my stroke! The right artery, that was occluded, opened on it's own! They said that wouldn't happen, but with the help of LOTS of prayers, it did!

I went through several months of physical therapy and have now been released from that. I was an athlete through high school, but it's been about 10 years since I really worked out on a regular basis. I decided this was as good a time as any!

I am so excited to be on this journey, however rocky it may have started! I have learned not to take things for granted, especially my health, as you never know when you'll lose them! I am planning on running my first ever 5K October 11, 2009, less that 1 year after suffering a stroke. Who knows where I'll go from there...

Why not bounce back from a stroke and be better than before! I am literally running for my life!

No time like the present!

So, yesterday I began this wonderful program called "couch 2 5k". I am in love! I downloaded a podcast that helps me through and for the first time since...okay, for the first time ever, I am excited about running! Here is the link for the program: http://www.coolrunning.com/engine/2/2_3/181.shtml and the podcast: http://www.djsteveboy.com/intervals.html . I love it!! I am going to try a different one too and see which one I like better, I'll let you know tomorrow!