This is Carol (and her sister Annie on the right).
At age 64, Carol just ran the Boston Marathon, her 13th successful marathon, competitive in her age group, with a smile on her face and in her heart for it was her first marathon in 10 years. 10 years ago, just after she completed the Boston Marathon for the first time she was “diagnosed” with MS after experiencing partial paralysis in an arm and leg, with visible lesions on her spine likely being the cause, the only conclusion the medical world could come up with was MS. Carol refused to accept defeat, refused to just inject herself with drugs to correct the “disease” she wasn’t sure she had. She did research, worked hard to regain mobility and strength, changed her diet, continued to exercise, used complementary medical practices, herbal supplements and deep commitment to change the trajectory of her health. I was there for five of these years, in which she suffered a few other injuries associated with trips and falls due to the foot function and other people being inconsiderate. Every time she picked herself up and soldiered on. I moved from NM where she lives, to CO, and hadn’t worked with her directly in years but thought of her and many of my NM based athletes often. This last winter Carol reached out and asked if I’d train her for the Boston Marathon again. She felt ready, her first marathon since her diagnoses. Cured, strong and ready. I couldn’t think of a better team and a more meaningful journey for her. We worked together online, on the phone, made a training plan and she executed it in a consistent and determined way.
April 15 2019, Carol returned to Boston with her sister and lots of family and conquered that marathon once again, feeling strong with more goals ahead. I’m sure you’ll be seeing more of this woman in the future.
From Carol:
I completed my 13th marathon in Boston. Feeling balanced and strong, I was amazed at my performance. I crossed the finish line feeling like I could run at least three more miles. I felt better than other performances when I was much younger. It was exhilarating.
As always, thank you Carolyn. I look forward to continuing my endurance training and achieving improved performances.