Saturday 12 March 2011

the beginning.

I read in a running magazine that you can call yourself a runner as soon as you complete a 5k race...so I guess I became a runner in September of 2010.


I did my first 5k in my time goal of under 40 minutes...which for many 5k runners would be a very easy goal, however they are not all running crooked :)

My scoliosis was discovered in 9th grade by a friend who quite clearly stated, "Hey, your back is crooked" Well that opened the door to my mother feeling my spine, my father feeling my spine, the doctor feeling my spine, the x-rays, the Toronto hospital trips and the rather surprising diagnosis of Scoliosis. I think it was a surprise simply because it has never been noticed before. I had already entered and finished puberty and typically it is discovered before puberty begins, usually found in young children. So as a 10th grader by this point, there was not much to do but start different types of therapy. I had been in ballet/dance classes for most of my childhood which in retrospect is probably why it was never noticed. My regular excercise and increasing flexibility caused the Scoliosis to not cause pain and therefore went unnoticed. It turns out two curves were found,a small one just above my tailbone and a bigger one (approx. 32 degrees) between my shoulder blades. It is the larger curve in my spine that has the most side effects.

Fast forward years of chiropractors, yoga, college, a wonderful husband and a couple that invites us for a bike ride through a nearby park. As we are riding, my friend Jenn mentions that they do a Try-A-Tri (half triathalon) in this park in the summer, and half-jokingly suggests we do it.

The rest is a crooked history :)

We successfully completed the Try-A-Tri which contained a 2k run after a 375m swim, and 10k bike.


The day after I completed it, I registered for my first 5k...the one that would create a runner in me. I knew if I stopped running after our Try-A-Tri, I would never start again, because a big portion of my hated (and still hates at about the 3rd km) running.

I completed the 5k, and did another one.

I am now registered for a 8k, 10k, 15k and the ultimate goal of a half-marathon in September.

This is my journey of running with a crooked spine, how it effects the running, what tricks I have learned and what gadgets I have gotten along the way.

So let's go for a run....


1 comment:

  1. yaaaay! love the blog! you are inspiring barclee which is another reason why your friends love you so much. :o)

    ReplyDelete