Off to the races

Five years and 4 days ago I broke my leg.  I was skiing in very deep snow and had no business being where I was.  Surgery and 6 months of rehab followed.  I was told by my surgeon that I would never run again.  To be clear; I was not an advanced runner but did enjoy it and had participated in a half marathon and two other shorter organized runs.  To hear that you cannot do something ever again is discouraging and even if its not the thing that defines you, it can quickly gain more importance in your mind than it actually had.  I diligently struggled through all of the rehab steps and the surgeon downgraded the never run again to can run but only 5km limit.  One year after the break I started to slowly slowly move again.  500 metres shuffling.  One kilometre was a big day.  I ran once a week around a park, with a hideous leg brace.  Then was regularly running 5km without any issues.  Sahara asked me if I would be interested in running a half marathon with her and without any real thought; I agreed.  Sept 2024 I ran a half marathon in Montreal with the astoundingly slow time of 3 hours and 6 mins.  I had 3 goals; to finish, not injure myself, and under 3 hours.  I did all three (Shhhhh....I am counting the 6 mins as bathroom breaks that I did not plan well).  As soon as we finished the Montreal race, we immediately signed up for the BMO half marathon this coming May.  And we have signed up for the Whistler half marathon a month later in June.  The entire process has been a learning curve for me.  During the last 5 years I have also started Menopause and all the things that entails in relation to health, strength, diet changes, muscle tone, bone density, etc.  The entire idea of how to train, treat and nourish yourself is different when your body needs very specific and new things to flourish.  I am a fairly organized person and I like the process of learning how to run and get better and more efficient at it.  I also like the part where anybody can do it and as long as you are moving you are doing it right.  My body is happy with me moving and more importantly moving consistently.  I plan on continuing as long as possible.  

The picture below is of a salad I like to make.  There is no recipe.  Fennel (sliced thin), Greens, Goat feta, pomegranate seeds, toasted walnuts, orange and grapefruit (segmented), persimmon (sliced thin), and a viniagrette of citrus juices, dijon, olive oil and salt.  Add all together and enjoy, its a bit of sunshine on these grey days.