Hi all,

I did 5 more miles yesterday and will attempt 13.1 today! Im Back!!!

I tried running for the first time last Saturday March 12 for the first time post surgery. Honestly I was nervous that I would not be able to run without pain and that I had regressed too much to continue. My biggest fear was that I had missed too much training and the Marathon would be in jeopardy.  So my goal was just to attempt a mile or so and reassess at each mile.

Mile one- Felt pretty good, slow and heavy but no pain.

Mile two- Pain, like a cramp, right abdomen but not bad enough to stop or go back.

Mile three- felt great to be out! I was still slow and heavy but I decided to see if I could do 5miles so I picked a route that I could bail on easily should the pain get too bad.

Miles 4-5- I DID IT! Smiling and laughing the whole time because of this:

In mile one I ran past this:

I find that Eddie and Freddy speak to me in ways that I can not really explain when Im running. I often think of them, hence the name, and definitely feel their life force often which feels great and is very motivating. So this one was the best! They once again encouraged me to push on and tap into my inner warrior spirt. So I listened, smiled as I planned to end my 5 miles at the site above.

To celebrate my return to the road and training for the NJ Marathon-

This is how I rolled home!

Thanks guys 😉

Word of the day: Endurance |enˈd(y)o͝orəns|noun

The fact or power of enduring an unpleasant or difficult process or situation without giving way: she was close to the limit of her endurance.

• the capacity of something to last or to withstand wear and tear.

Unicorn of the Day:

Me Post Operation! 3/4/16

OK. SO, week 10 has 0 miles. As I said in week NEUN! I had to have my gallbladder removed, and that happened on Friday. Lets rewind to give credit where it is due. This all started around Thanksgiving while running a Turkey-Trot 5k with Eileen and my Sister in law Beth I actually, for the first time ever, had to stop and take a knee in the last .2 miles out of pain and nausea. Thought it was a stomach virus. FFW the symptoms would come and go but eventually gained intensity. In complaining one morning at school, Mrs. Nicole Bowden called it, “Gallstones” she said. After contacting my friend and MD, Dr. Stavros Christoudious and telling him my symptoms, he also said “Sounds like it’s your gallbladder, your text book”

After a few doctors, medicine, Sonogram, CT Scan, Blood tests, Nuclear HYDA Scan test, endoscopy and colonoscopy, all of which told me that my gallbladder looked ok and was not obstructed BTW, we decided that we have exhausted all possible causes and it had to be it since everything else looked fine. So we changed my diet, tried some antibiotics and there it was, big improvement in symptoms proving that something was up with the ol’ GB. This is a very typical story apparently. The symptoms are common with many other gastrointestinal issues so I have learned to make sure you communicate with your doctors effectively and push for what you believe is going on.

In removing my gallbladder we ( I say we because I was there;-) we found multiple small stones in my very twisted bile duct and good ol’ sludge bile in my gallbladder, thus proving that it was my gallbladder all along. Whats up now tests :-[  !

I am thankful for Dr. Christudious in telling me to trust my body and diagnosing me appropriately (quickly) while still exhausting all other possibilities. His first priority was my well being which I really appreciate. I also had a great experience at the Vanguard Surgical Center in Maywood NJ. Super clean, very attentive, and on schedule. I’ll be going there for all of my major surgeries 😉 Seriously though the nurses, doctors and staff were awesome and took great care of me. I closed my eyes and it was all over in a blink:-)

Any how, Im in a good amount of pain but it’s getting better every day and I feel like I will be all good in a few. I am supposed to be able to start running again mid week but Im going to take it day by day. Im looking forward to running and eating normally again but I am very grateful that all of this is really just a big inconvenience and not anything very serious. As a matter of fact, all of the testing and surgery has shown that I have very healthy organs! I am also grateful that I am able to get top quality medical treatment when I need it. I realize that is not a reality for a lot of people in our country and the rest of the world so I am very humbled by this experience and have an “enlightened” view of healthcare in the US.

Overall, I am grateful for all of the love and well wishes sent my way. I appreciate all of the support especially from my wife Eileen who has the privilege of dealing with me over the past few days ;-). My Doctor/Friend who fixed me up and all of my family and friends who have helped along the way.

I am especially encouraged by the donations to the AFSP! In week 10 we shot up from 35% to 60% of our goal!! That is huge!!!! I am confident that we will reach 100%+ by May 1st, I thank everyone who has donated so far and I hope we are all very proud that we are honoring the memory of two great guys along the way! (link to donate to the left)

Thanks all! Back to running!!!

Word of the Day: Efficacious |ˌefiˈkāSHəs|adjective formal

(typically of something inanimate or abstract) successful in producing a desired or intended result; effective: the vaccine has proved both efficacious and safe.

DERIVATIVES

efficaciously adverb,efficaciousness noun

Unicorn of the day: