I’m excited and thankful to say it feels as if my back and neck injuries are fully recovered.  I’m pain-free 953 days after being struck by a drunk driver on January 3, 2018.  This realization hit me just a few weeks ago and has been confirmed since then.  I’ve reflected on life before accident while comparing to the present.  I still get sore…but I’m 45 now; 42 at the time of the car wreck.  At 42, I was occasionally sore.  If you’re older than 40, you know what I’m talking about.  Small aches and pains were a normal part of life as a 42 year-old endurance athlete.

There hasn’t been any disruption to my regular daily routines over the past few weeks.  Traces of lingering pain have disappeared.  I still have occasional pain, but it’s not anything directly associated with the accident.  I’m back to where I started with a goal of feeling better than I did before the accident.

Our family just returned from our annual, summer vacation to Mexico.  It was a last minute trip, (13 days-notice!) and we enjoyed pandemic-priced rates.  It ended up being one of our most memorable family vacations and was my first trip without back pain.  Every trip since the accident came with pain and inconveniences, but not this one.  I’m so thankful for making it this far.

My only limitation is weights-lifting; I haven’t  dead-lifted more than 70 pounds in the gym.  I’ll just need to keep working for it.  Over the 60 days leading up to my trip I was able to push myself harder than any other 60 day stretch of my life.  Over those two months I ran 273 miles, completed 36 hours of DDP Yoga, attended 6 hot yoga classes and completed 16 one-hour Orangetheory Fitness classes.  I also fit in a few thousand squats, sit-ups and crunches.  I’ve never hit it this hard over a 60 day period….EVER.  I’m accomplishing more despite permanent injuries.  I worked out every day during my vacation, but toned things down a bit to give my body a vacation too.

Many of the readers of this blog prayed for me over the past 2 ½ years.  Same with friends, family and church family.  I’d like to thank all of you.  God gave me a plan to get there.  God gave me the strength to keep moving forward each day.  I praise and thank God for getting me to this point.  All credit and glory goes to God for my recovery.  With that said, I’m even more thankful for the recovery journey.  It was 953 days of trials, challenges, self-discovery and perseverance. 

I wrote my fitness plan in June 2019 with rehab/core work, DDP Yoga and cryotherapy as weekly priorities.  This was just weeks after receiving a “permanent injury” diagnosis.  I executed a plan of increasing running mileage and speed while focusing on those three areas.  I’ve looked at my goals every single day ensuring I’m on track.  DDP Yoga is increasing my core strength while simultaneously giving my body a tune-up.  Cryotherapy sessions reduce any inflammation and shortens recovery time between my difficult workouts.  Everything has come together to make me feel better.

I’ve looked for opportunities to feel discomfort.  My first hot yoga class was two months ago.  Hot Yoga is so different than DDP Yoga—it’s learning something new all over again.  It’s been challenging and I’m the beginner in the class room.  Humbling and motivating.  I’ve also scheduled 2 runs a week in 90-100 degree heat.  I need that discomfort for additional growth.  Working through the difficulty keeps my mind mentally sharp, which keeps my motivation levels high.

Think about this:  one year ago I passed on surgery.  My orthopedic stated I had reached “maximum medical improvement”.  Bleh, I just needed to take a different path—the difficult path many would avoid.  I attribute years of endurance running (prior to the accident) prepared me to achieve it through hard work.  The same fuel that drove me to lose 92 pounds also propelled my broken body to the recovery line.

I’m a year off from beginning marathon training, but I am exactly where I want to be on my schedule.  More important, I am fully recovered.

Again, I’m fully recovered.  And very thankful.

(To be continued….)