It's been a rough winter. My ability to exercise in the months after my initial surgery recovery was impeded by the fissures in December and January and then by being sick for a month and half during Feb-March. But I've been back at it for a while now, and this week I was even able to go out Monday, Wednesday and now Friday. Although I've started interspersing my walks with a bit of jogging, it's been hard to really gain stamina when my opportunities to exercise are so spread out (usually I'm lucky to get out twice a week).
Normally, if I jog a bit, it's on the flat parts between the hills, but today I was feeling good so I tried doing some of the hills too. I was shocked to discover that I just ran right up the steepest hill and rather than collapsing at the top (like the last time I tried it), I was able to keep going a bit further even. It was an amazing feeling--almost like I've been reincarnated.
I'm almost to the equinox of my illness. It was around this time in April last year that things started to get really bad in my colon. Three months later I would be so sick I could barely get out of bed. Three months after that, I'd need my colon removed in order to regain my health. Three months after that I'd wonder if I'd always have pain and suffering as I dealt with recurring fissures. And three months after that, I'd just run up a hill like it was nothing.
When I was so sick over the summer, I remember remembering running and feeling like it was so impossible. I had trouble walking up stairs or walking from my car into work. The idea of walking miles, or even running for a few minutes seemed so impossible. What a journey this last year has been!
