Major milestone: From a Wheelchair to Marathon Training is my "MAJOR" milestone that is just incredible... a miracle!What is the secret to your success? Do a little more today than yesterday. Read on to learn about Beth's 10 steps challenge.
What is the biggest obstacle to reaching your goals and how do you get over it?
In May 2014 I was a cyclist riding hundreds of miles a week. I crashed and landed on my head and face, suffering a Traumatic Brain Injury, or TBI for short. My 3 adult children quit and/or took family leave and moved back home to help me get back on my feet. They would say "We got you, don’t worry.”
The first big breakthrough was taking 10 steps. The next day, I went 20 steps. This led to an obsession to add 10 steps a day. I started keeping notes on graph paper. It took two months, and it was a huge accomplishment the first time I ran a mile without stopping! My dog ran every step with me.
What is the most rewarding part of training? I’m proud of myself!!! I ran my first 5K in 2015, then a bunch of trail races. In fact, it is my belief that running and trail running are the reasons my brain has made improvements. I’m reminded of Dr. Jay Alberts, who works with MS patients and advocate for working hard and pushing limit to enhance brain function. I’ve also met some fantastic people, and made some great friends.
What advice would you give to other members of the Runcoach community?
It’s fun to change up your routes, especially try to make your long run an adventure! It is my hope that somewhere along the line my story will help even just one other person with a brain injury. It is running that made all the difference in my progress.
Anything else you would like to share?
Never in my wildest dreams would I ever have believed that I would become a runner. Nevertheless be training at 63 years old, to run in the NYC Marathon!!!
What feedback would you offer on the Runcoach experience? I’m one that tends to overdo it and get injured. Runcoach is a reliable way to build gradually and be successful (ha- I hope lol).
