Run Valkyrie, Run

I don't know if you've been reading since the beginning, or if you happened to look at the very first post I made on this blog, but I described some of the things that I felt were my challenges. Namely some nerve damage from an accident in 2016.

I was a runner back then, training for a marathon, and proud of myself for all the work that lead up to it. Then the accident happened, Mother's Day weekend, and suddenly I was in a wheelchair, no walking for 3 months, no running ever again. Twelve weeks of physic therapy and I had numb toes, pins and needles in the ball of my foot. The same toes that were numb were often so swollen that I couldn't bend them. And that was my reality for a long time.

My best friend came to pick me up at 10, but we didn't leave for another 40 minutes because that's how we are. We should make note of that when it's time to go to Colorado.. anyway, we drove through town. We stopped at the beach stairs, but they're filled with sand. We vowed to bring shovels next time and clean them up so we could run them after. Then we attempted to go to North Point, a steep incline to a sand cliff, and then back down, but the road was closed for construction. So we went to the high school track and field. It was empty, so we grabbed our water bottles and found a bench to set them on. And we both looked at each other like "run?"

We both have issues in our feet, though they are different, they still cause us significant pain. We were both told by various doctors that running was not an option anymore. It was taken away.

But something in us said otherwise. Something screamed about strength and trying and pushing the boundary, and we ran. We settled into a steady pace all through the straights, and walked the curves of the track, for 3 laps. We stopped and did some mobility and stretches, and then we ran up and walked down the bleachers.

We ran. I ran. I ran. I ran for the first time in nearly 7 years. I ran and felt no discomfort. I felt none of the pins and needles, none of the numb dead zones or swollen toes, no cramps or aching bones. Just my feet striking the track in a steady comfortable pace, and my breath lining up perfectly, remembering the form effortlessly.

I'm so proud of us for pushing the limit. For doubting the doctors who swore up and down, you can't. I'm proud of myself, and of what I did today. How far I've come. At the many possibilities I continue to see around me every day. Feeling the momentum behind what I'm doing continue to propel me forward. And I'm so glad I got to share it with my best friend!

Valkyrie Squad continues to help me become strong, and the confidence that strength gives me, I'm using to challenge myself to do what I thought was impossible a year ago. Better every damn day.