It is hard to believe that I only have 10 days left.  10 days in a journey that has seen me run 371 miles, with only 21 miles left until the day of 26.2.  I have had 371 miles to reflect on my life and everything that has brought me to these final 10 days. So I decided I would write a blog each day on some aspect of my life that has been critical to my journey to 26.2.

While my journey back from heart break and self doubt started in February, my journey toward being more physically fit started on Sept 2, 2012. That is the day I had Bariatric surgery. Approaching 240 lbs, I was obese, my back and knees hurt, I couldn’t give my daughter piggy back rides, or fit comfortably on the swings at the playground. It was not a good time for me both physically and mentally. I had lost and gained hundreds of pounds in my adult life and I decided I needed to do something different, dare I say, something more drastic. So I had a procedure called a Sleeve Gastrectomy, where they remove 85% of your stomach and shape the part that is left like a sleeve (or a banana). The surgery itself was not overwhelmingly painful, but the couple years (yes I said, YEARS) after were very rough. Not only did I need to learn to eat again, because now I had a 5oz stomach and I was used to eating at least 12oz of food at a meal which would force me to constantly be throwing up, but the change in my body chemistry and the loss of using food as a stress relief/comfort created a lot of mental health issues. In less than 8 months I dropped 100lbs. Indeed, it was drastic and it was a bit of a rough go, but I came out a much better, healthier me on the other side.

Bariatric surgery isn’t for everyone. I struggled with coming to terms with it for awhile, because as a former division 1 athlete, I felt like it was “cheating” to have that kind of surgery. After having gone through it, I can tell you unequivocally, it was VERY hard work and there is nothing “cheating” about it. So here I am, 7+ years later, weighing in at 136 pounds and 10 days away from running the New York marathon. What a crazy trip it has been, and I can’t wait to cross that finis line on November 3rd!

                                9/3/2011                                                                                            10/23/19