I’ve done it again. As a newbie to races and running, I have managed to sign up for my second 5 Mile race thinking it was a 5 Kilometer race. So now I will be running 5 miles at sunrise tomorrow morning in Simpsonville. It will be my fifth race since I started running in late September, and it will be the race I have trained the least for. Starting to run at age 46 is challenging enough, but throw in an arthritic knee and chronic migraines and people start to question your sanity.
However, I’ve discovered something along my migraine journey of almost 20 years; activity is a good thing. It started when my 6 year old taught me to swim when I was 38. I swam 12 yards and stopped to catch my breath. Then I swam 12 more. I kept at it until I was swimming for 90 minutes at the Y in the winter. I didn’t want to stop. Then I started walking. In the snow; in Michigan; in January. It didn’t matter that it was 10 degrees and snow was blowing in our faces, my friend and I walked.
After a move back to Simpsonville and the luxury of a neighborhood pool, swimming became my summer exercise and walking my winter exercise. Even the dog wouldn’t walk in the summer. Exercise helps my migraines. But not enough. Botox was the catalyst that changed my life from one of moderate exercise with lots of rest and almost daily headaches, to an active lifestyle of running, swimming, faster walks, ice skating and ballroom dancing.
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So tomorrow morning, I will run every step of those five miles. Why? Because I finally can.