my success, marathon training, and gastroparesis

hey everyone! I’m Ashley and I’ve been active on MyFitnessPal since November 2012. Since then I've successfully lost +20lbs and am training for my first marathon in October.
If you would like to follow me or see my training and success check out my FB page: www.facebook.com/FitOsaurusRex. I'd love to help encourage and motivate others in my journey.
I'm a gastroparetic so I've had to learn how to eat better and take better care of myself in order to be able to even exercise. Getting nutrition in can be really hard for someone with gastroparesis because we get sick immediately after taking a few bites of food. The nerve that contracts to push food down in the stomach to digest it is damaged in my case and does not work properly. The body also decreases blood flow from the digestive organs and pushes it to the extremities when doing strenuous exercise so it's not common for a gastroparetic to participate in exercise such as running.
I'm a bubbly person and would just love to have support on my journey, as well as support you on yours. I do not sell products or ask for anything in return for following me. I just hope to provide a little motivation and inspiration for others on their journey. When I started running years ago I was excited to run a mile without stopping in 20 minutes. Now I can successfully complete 1 mile in 9 minutes, 4 miles in 39 minutes, and my farthest has been 10 miles in 118 minutes. I couldn't run at all when I started out and I've just come so far in my running, in spite of my gastroparesis. I really want to help encourage and motivate others. If I can do it I really feel like anyone can.