I'm Most Thankful for My Health

This is my cliché post about what I'm thankful for. I could write a list, but I'm not going to. Instead, I'm going to write about the thing I am most grateful for this Thanksgiving even though it could be considered selfish.

I am most thankful for my health. I've been feeling the best I've felt in over a decade. I have a new benchmark for what "normal" feels like and it is mountains higher than it was this time last year. Within the past year, I have experienced the ups and downs on this rollercoaster I call my health. It really feels like I have my life back! NO PAIN! NO BAD BOWL MOVEMENTS! NO FATIGUE! NO DEPRESSION! NO BULLSHIT!

Now that I'm energized and healthy, I am branching out of my comfort zone by trying new things and meeting new people. MarathonFest has been one of the best decisions I've made this year and my good health afforded me the opportunity. I absolutely love my running group. Not only are they fun to run with, but they are also great motivators! They make me a better runner, they make me a better person.

I have energy to get to know my co-workers. Chit chatting no longer terrifies and exhausts me.  My lunch hour is no longer used to nap.   In fact, now I love going to lunch with a few co-workers to talk about life and work... and of course, running. It's fun!

One of the new things I'm going to try is a Ragnar Trail Relay. I was introduced to a team of 8 people I don't know by one of my MarathonFest running friends. One of the people on the 8 person team broke his collarbone, so I'm going to take his place in the relay. The relay is in Tampa and it involves camping for two nights and tag teaming three different trails until everyone has ran all three trails for a total of 15 miles. We'll be running at all hours. My tentative relay schedule for the three trails is 11am, 7pm, and 3am.  Typically, camping with Crohn's disease would sound like a horrible idea, but since I'm healthy I decided to go for it! I don't have any camping skills or trail running skills. Even though I know people on different relay teams, I will be camping with the 8 people I don't really know and I'm excited! 

I joined another running club called Ten10. If I wasn't healthy, there's no way I would consider this. They meet every Tuesday at Ten10 Brewery in Winter Park, run a few miles, and then drink beer.  I met most of the people on my relay team there yesterday. I can already tell they know how to have fun! Our team name is Sloth Squad and our tag line is "We'll get there eventually".  I'm looking forward to getting to know my team better. I'll be going again next Tuesday!

As you know I joined a gym to use the showers after my morning runs on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Well, I decided to start doing one class a week. All classes are free with a gym membership, so I might as well get use out of it. My class of choice is Camp Apex, which is an hour long crossfit class. It is intense to say the least. In the the two classes I've taken, I was tired after the warmup. I've been sore for days afterwards, so I know its working something. There's good scenery, too. Most of the guys are hot! My station partner this past Monday saw my marathon shirt, and then told me all about the Chicago Marathon he did a few weeks ago.

Who am I? I'm exactly who I want to be at the moment. I'm healthy and able to do anything I want! I'm a marathon runner that's searching for adventure!  It's a hell of a lot easier being me when I'm healthy!  Count your blessings and don't take a healthy day for granted... I know I'm not taking this season of life for granted. The top of the rollercoaster offers the best view!

Confession

I have a confession: I do not remember the last time I felt this well. This could possibly be the best I've felt in over a decade. I have so much energy that I don't know what to do with it. I've had no pain. My bowels are functioning better than I ever thought was possible. At the doctor on Friday, I weighed in at 151 pounds! I feel like a normal person, strong and healthy.  Is this how you people feel all the time? It's wonderful!

My life is amazing at this moment in time. Training for the NYC Marathon is going spectacularly well! I've found a pace group that challenges me just enough to keep me wondering if I can keep up. Since I managed to stay with them for 10.5 miles on Saturday, I'd say I can keep up even if it is out of my comfort zone at times.  My supervisor put in a request for me to get a raise and my employer is paying for me to become CRIS (Construction Risk and Insurance Specialist) certified. It's a total of 6 classes and I just registered for the first class this week. The class is online and I can work at my own pace.

I Made a New Friend

Anyone one who knows me probably knows that I don't make friends easily. Mostly because it usually takes a lot of work to build a new friendship. These are my same sentiments about dating as well. I just don't have the energy for it.  My friends are not high maintenance (well, my bestie could be considered high maintenance, but she maintains herself). This is awesome because my friends and I can go for periods of time without communicating or without hanging out and our friendship won't falter. 

When building a new friendship, I never know the appropriate time to bring up Crohn's. Whether I like it or not, Crohn's has a huge impact on my life. It's stressful to conceal it until I build enough trust to feel comfortable discussing it with someone new in my life. I've seen enough people walk away because they couldn't handle it. As if they are the ones dealing with this shitty disease, not me. Some people think my whole existence is disgusting. In which case, I will not pursue a friendship/relationship. Once I consider you a friend, all bets are off and you might end up wishing I wouldn't trust you enough to share so many details.

I was talking with my cubicle neighbor, Ashleigh, at work and she mentioned her Mom has Ulcerative Colitis, which is another form of IBD. I told Ashleigh I know what UC is because I have Crohn's disease and I inquired about what medicine her Mom takes. Next week, Ashleigh and I made plans to bring our walking shoes to walk laps inside the mall during our lunch hour and talk about life. She even has some other stomach issues of her own that she shared with me. She became my friend the moment we mutually agreed that we could fart in front of each other. This is like an unrealistic dream come true.

I think I'm in the right place at the right time and surrounded with awesome people in my life.