A Donation

Anywhere from 18-60 years ago (I really don’t know) a certain person was born.  That person probably had people in his/her life that loved him, cared for him, made sure he was fed and properly taken care of during those first few years of life.  It’s my hope that this person went on to live a life that was fulfilling and was loved by those around him and that he loved back.

When he was born, he had an Anterior Tibialis Tendon.  It started developing well before he was born and continued to develop and grow well into this person’s teenage years.  He used this muscle every day, to walk, hike, bicycle and such.  It was something he needed just to live life.

Sometime over the last several months, he died.

On December 30th I had his Anterior Tibialis Tendon implanted in my left knee to act as an ACL.  I do not know this person or his family and I probably never will, however I can’t even begin to express how grateful I am that he and those around him agreed to give his tissue.  It’s not a heart or a liver or something that I can not live without.  (There are a lot of people out there living without their ACL’s)

But it is something that I’ll never forget.

I’ll never forget that someone gave a part of themselves so that I could run, bike, walk normally, hike, get in and out of a small cockpit and vehicles normally again.

I will never forget!

 

…running through my mind…

 

 

Do you have a Finish Line?

To run or not to run?

That was the question this week.

The surgeon that performed the ACL Surgery earlier in the summer, released me to run on Tuesday of this week.  I have been looking forward to this day for a long, long time.

Because I have a good amount of respect for my Physical Therapist, I decided to wait to run until I spoke with him directly before I took to the street or High School Track.  Figuring that getting his take on this would be in my best interest, as I definitely wanted his guidance on how to start my running regime

Image by Susan NYC via Flickr

His advice was to not start running for a few more weeks. Truthfully I expected this, but it felt good for a day or two to imagine that I’d be running again shortly.  I was not all that torn up with the prospect of waiting for another few weeks to start running.

Why is that?

I had looked forward to running again since my injury date, June 6th.  Yet when I am advised to wait a few more weeks, It’s OK.

Am I learning Patience?

Did a part of my “Running Spirit” die over the last few months?

Is acquiescing to others becoming easier for me?

Am I scared; I do not want to hurt myself again?

I am not sure which one – or combination – of  those questions above is more telling of where I’m at in life.

What I do know: I will not run for a few more weeks and I’m fine with that.  Running is clearly not what I’m looking at as the “finish line” here.  I’m not sure what the “finish line” is – if there even is one – but it is clearly not running.

What is your finish line?  Do you have one?

…running through my mind…

Gettin’ my Heart Rate up!

There have been many days since my last post.  A combination of Percocet, non-cardiovascular activities and uninspiring work has caused me to think that I don’t have a lot to share, at least anything anyone would care to listen too.  With that said, I am glad that you are reading this, welcome back.

I did have ACL reconstructive surgery on July 2^nd and my recovery is going very well at this point.  Many days I was very down  in the dumps, yet there were quite a few that I was up, as well.  I can feel the whole thing getting better every day and I have a new found respect for Physical Therapists.  The Therapist I am receiving services from makes me want to change professions and be a Physical Therapist myself.  His knowledge and ability to slightly change “the plan” because of something I can or cannot do well is refreshing.  He makes it look easy, yet I know it is challenging.

The biggest change in my life over the last few months is my inability to run.  I have not run since 3 hours before my injury on June 6^th (Not that I’m counting).    Until this morning I have not done anything that comes close to the feeling I have when I’m running, since that ugly day.  This morning though, I was allowed to get on the elliptical trainer.  I was on it a short 5 minutes, however exhaustion pulsed throughout my body after that short time on the trainer.

This is truly going to be an undertaking – getting me back into the shape I was in on the morning of June 6^th.  I’m up for it though.  I’m getting excited to regain my form and to possibly find a few more ways to get my heart rate up in the process.

Aside from my recovery, I have had a couple of inspiring moments in the last few days that I’ll write about soon – stay tuned, and thank you for reading.

…running through my mind…