So there I was, a couch potato. Four stone overweight and smoking 25 cigarettes a day. Then on my 36th birthday I had a crushing pain in my chest. Laying in casualty I heard the nurse saying to the doctor behind the curtain (because of course a curtain is sound proof!) that there was something wrong with the ECG. Turns out I had coronary heart disease.
So after two weeks in hospital I was discharged. I knew right then that my future health was almost entirely down to me. So no more cigarettes and a healthy diet.
But what kept me going was exercise, starting by swimming and then progressing to the gym, then walking on the treadmill to running. Then I got the bug. Road running. It took some time to get my confidence. I had to start recognising that the fact that my heart was beating faster was normal, and I was getting healthier.
So my love affair with running started. I remember my first 10K run. Finishing it meant so much to me. From being this person who sat in front of the TV, eating and smoking, being overweight, listless and frankly bored, to a healthy, motivated and, oh so much happier woman, with so much energy.
Then a year ago I started getting a really bad cramping about 20 minutes into the run. It used to get so bad that I would stop running but the pain would continue. Then I would vomit and the pain would go, and off I would run again.
I never had this any other time. It almost became the norm, as it began happening on every run. I read all I could. People would tell me that it was wind, digestive problems, but nothing quite fitted. Eventually I went to my GP. After many tests it turned out to be fibroids, which were twisting. Then during the testing I was found to have cervical cancer.
It’s often called the silent killer. I had absolutely no symptoms. If it hadn’t been for the running... well it doesn’t bear thinking about. Because I was fit, the recovery was perhaps quicker than that of a lot of ladies I have spoken to.
After major surgery and further treatment I have started to run again. Not being able to run for five months made me realise just how important it was for me. Picking it up again has been so hard. From being able to run four miles a day and five at the weekend to struggling with one mile was hard. But the day I achieved a pre-cancer time and distance will stay with me for ever.
Running has become my life saver, my life changer, my motivator, and has given me the confidence to face the challenges that sometimes just come out of the blue. I am a runner!
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