Never in a million years did I think I would ever write a
blog. Why would I want to spend my free time writing about my random exchange
at the dry cleaner, or that annoying person on the T? And who would even want
to read such a thing much less? But perhaps my initial thoughts were wrong.
Maybe those people who say “never say never” are actually on to something.
Finding a fan base seems to be the easier of the issues to
tackle. If all else fails, I know at least my Mom will read the blog, and will
print it out and give a copy to my Dad to read while he sits on the couch
watching Seinfeld reruns (love you guys!). And while I don’t have any intention
of writing about my latest experience at the Pearl Street laundry, I do intend
to document my marathon training. Running a marathon is something I have
dreamed of doing for as long as I can remember (well maybe not exactly, but
more on that later) so it seems like keeping a record of it is a great idea,
especially since I have no intention of ever running 26.2 miles again.
This marks my first official blog post, and over the next 6
months I am planning to keep you all up to date on the trials and tribulations
of gearing up for my first marathon. I am officially registered for the ING NYC
marathon on November 4, 2012. Since I am asking for support from so many of my
family members and friends it seems only appropriate to somewhere prove to
everyone that I actually am doing this.
As a child I very much preferred reading a book to any sort
of physical activity (as anyone who knows me will attest to). Sometime around
middle school I decided running was the “in thing” and I wanted to be part of
it. I remember being very excited that one day I was able to “run” a mile in 13
minutes.
Once I got to college and my consumption of jungle juice
skyrocketed (jungle juice is also known by a variety of names, but in its most
basic form is grain alcohol mixed with kool aid and served in a trash can at frat
parties, and yes, it is every bit as disgusting as it sounds), I decided
perhaps running would be a wise decision. Turns out jungle juice is not exactly
ripe with nutritional content. So I registered for my first race – the Blue
Cross Broad Street Run, a 10 mile course through Philadelphia – and attempted
to ward off the effects of the jungle juice.
Over the years since I’ve run an assortment of races – another
go at the Broad Street Run, a half marathon in Boston, a half marathon in
Minneapolis, an odd 10k, and maybe a 5k or two. While I enjoyed participating
in these races, every race I participated in I deemed my last. For at any time
during the race my heart rate could instantaneously spike to 235 – 250 beats
per minute, making it challenging to breathe, let alone run. I would get dizzy
and feel generally awful. And so while I looked longingly to my marathon
running friends, I knew this was just a pipe dream for me. I didn’t want to
spend months of my life training, and devote hours to running, only to be
disappointed by the results, or worse, unable to finish the race.
I had lived with this problem my whole life and had visited
the cardiologist on and off for years, but they could never figure out what was
wrong with me so I just carried on. It wasn’t until I got to MIT that
everything changed. Every single person that I know hates MIT medical with a
passion, but I am eternally grateful to them. After just a single visit they
confirmed what I perhaps knew all these years – I am not normal! One look at my
EKG and the doctor knew that I had Wolff –Parkinson-White with symptomatic
supraventricular tachycardia (SVT). Or in people terms, I had an extra
electrical pathway in my heart, which sometimes caused my heart to beat too
fast, hence the crazy episodes I had while running.
Long story short, I had surgery in January to fix my heart
(all done through veins in my legs so there are no visible scars, and the
recovery was quick), and now my heartbeat doesn’t get trapped in the never
ending loop that caused my 235+ heart rate. By the time I went for a follow up
visit in February the doctor deemed me “normal” and even told me he never
wanted to see me again. It was the best news I could hope for!
So with a clean bill of health and no more threat of SVT, I
set out to conquer one of my pipe dreams – running a marathon. To test out this
“new” heart and ease into my training I signed up for a half-marathon in
Boston, the same one I ran years ago, but had to walk because of my SVT. The
race is next Sunday so stay tuned for an update!
