Tag: exercise

Every Day I’m Shuffling

by Kimberly Frey, posted in Motivational, Running, fitness, Uncategorized

2018 was a year full of fantastic high points and absolutely devastating low ones. I know people often write their reflections on the previous year sometime in January, but I have only recently returned to blogging, so I missed the boat then. However, there are things about last year I need to share in order to fully write about the present or begin to look towards the future.

Tomorrow I am running the Chicago Shamrock Shuffle for the 6th year in a row. I love this race, and it is often the official start of racing/running season for me. Last year I almost didn’t participate in this event though, because approximately six weeks prior, on the day after Super Bowl Sunday, I was rushed to the emergency room with excruciating pain. I could barely swallow or speak. I thought it was a lymph node infection or something like that, but I didn’t believe it was anything dangerous. Boy, was I wrong! The speed and efficiency at which the hospital staff moved once they determined the danger I was in was impressive. Long story short, the infection had caused swelling which in turn had caused my airway to become constricted. I had to have an emergency tracheotomy performed in order to save my life and a complex surgery to get rid of the infection. It was the scariest health situation I have ever been in, but ultimately – I. Am. Here.

Last year I was cleared to run this race only a couple of weeks prior to the event. I didn’t care though. I was just ecstatic to be out there. I actually cried a little as I ran around the last bend before the finish line because I was so grateful to still be alive, much less running. This year, I’m trying to set a new personal record on this course as a testament to still being alive and a tribute to those who have gone on before me. Every day is such a gift. Let us use those gifts wisely as we shuffle on.

‘Cause everything you thought would last forever

Never lasts forever like you plan

Don’t let your now become another

So take life by the hands while you still can – Brothers Osborne

Back at the Races

by Kimberly Frey, posted in Running, fitness, Uncategorized

Yesterday I had the privilege to run in my first race since moving to the city seven months ago. It was unique in that it was a single loop course, completely indoors. Yep, you read that right. Inside. It was held inside McCormick Place Convention Center. Although it might not have been the most scenic course, it sure felt good to be out there again. Since this is my first winter as a runner, I don’t have a lot of cold weather running gear (although I’m starting to build up a collection). Plus, this has been the coldest winter in Chicago since…. Well…. Right before I moved to Florida. Apparently, this polar vortex is all my fault. Anyway, I’ve spent the majority of the winter running indoors (ugh!) on an elliptical (double ugh!). Since I’ve been focusing on getting my back strong and healthy again, I’ve been using the elliptical for cardio to lessen the impact on my body. I can say that it’s paid off. I ran the whole course without the run/walk intervals I had been using the last couple of years. I actually completed the course with a much better time than I thought I would. Of course, I also finished the course thinking about what I could’ve done differently to be just a little bit faster. And that’s why I love this sport. It pushes me to be better and not just physically. It forces me to not be complacent. It stretches me to reach my full potential. It encourages me to be the best me possible. Run on, my friends.