A Heart for Running : How Running Saved My Life

After years of growing overweight and out of shape, something had to change. The sport of running was my saving grace and within the span of two years I had dropped 25% of my body weight, while at the same time my running results improved dramatically.

Then came a mind-bending shock that blindsided me, and everyone I know. As a 48 year old marathon runner on the verge of breaking the three hour barrier, I suddenly found myself lying on the floor after suffering a stroke brought on by an 11mm hole in my heart. The fallout from this episode was far reaching and linger to this day. However, so have the surprising running results ever since the surgery to repair it.

The lessons learned from my life-threatening episode have been hugely beneficial in the quality of my life and of those around me. It shouldn't have taken a stroke for me to improve, but I was given a second chance and took hold of it with both hands.