Just got back from walking a 1/2 Marathon in Phoenix, Arizona and I did get a medal for finishing and it was amazing!

YES- I do have "late", "chronic", "neuro" LD and I still did it (not recommended for everyone, at least till you know where you stand with yourself in the whole crazy mess).

In case you didn't know that's 13.1 miles. Due to a recent relapse I could not run at all so I walked with some pretty amazing people and laughed and cried and even danced some afterwards ( this was with the "American Stroke Association" Train to End Stroke program - with whom I traned with for last 6 mos.) at the Victory Party.

I really want to thank Wildcondor for the LDA bracelets (all my mentors from the program wore them on race day and I had a whole weekend to promote awareness to other's who inquired about mine). I can only hope it made a difference!

More later, but for now I have to try to sleep (haven't done much of that past few days)!

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"Courage is the mastery of fear-not the absence of it."-Mark Twain

Still trying hard to be brave...Deb
 

Bc
 

Thanks for sharing your story with us. It is very inspiring.

I have been thinking about starting to train for something challenging like this. But I guess I am afraid of failure. So your success story is wonderful.

 

Happier to learn you also promoted LYME AWARENESS during the walk and all those wearing their WC lyme bracelets! How cool.
Betty G., Iowa
 

Steph
 

Anyway, what I wanted you to get out of this post is that we all need to set a goal for ourselves and find out, no matter how small or large it is, if you continue to try to reach it, you will. Some days the goal might be to get out of bed and take your meds in a timely fashion at other times you may have more challenging things to accomplish.

On the back of my race shirt (which someday I'll figure out how to put in here) I printed "You can only fail if you fail to try". I lived that throughout my training,
throughout my (PCR positive) relapse (when they-the ducks-once again tried to blame all my neuro Sx on depression), when I only had 2 weeks to 'catch up' in training, the trip across the country (very scary but at the same time soooo.. exhilerating), the race itself, and now through the recovery phase.

I learned that the more I can veiw things in a positive light the more I can really live the way I want (no matter what else resides in my body-it can't invade my spirit if I don't let)!

I did officially resign from the marathon circut but if I ever do decide to make a comeback it will be to raise funds for Lyme Disease Awareness/research and education. At least now I have some background on charity work and what's involved to make something happen!

There have been many posts recently about exercise/ working out/ etc. I my opinion, yes, exercise is tremendously helpful (I usually feel much better with then without it) but you do have to pace yourself-start out slow-balance with proper rest and diet- if it seems like it's too much it probably is but don't quit- drop back some and work it up again (just very slightly past comfortable).

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"Courage is the mastery of fear-not the absence of it."-Mark Twain

Still trying hard to be brave...Deb
 

Lymiecanuck