Paralysis-->Losing 100 pounds --> Marathon!!! (pics)

Less than three years ago, this was me:

December 2010. 270+ pounds. Mom of three kids ages 4 and under. Age 30. Height 5'8"


Six months after this photo was taken, in June 2011, I had a herniated disc rupture into my spine, due to being significantly overweight. I had emergency surgery: laminectomy, discectomy and decompression of the spinal cord. The injury left me paralyzed from the waist down. I spent about a month in the hospital, working daily with therapists to regain strength as I regained sensation in my legs.

I was released home with a walker. After another 2 months at home, in order to prevent the injury from recurring, I decided to get healthy. I started using MFP to watch what I ate, about 1600 calories a day, and I began very slow daily exercise. The first day I walked around my block with a cane. Really really really slowly. I kept it up every day and added in more speed or distance as my body could tolerate it.

Most of the sensation slowly came back into my legs over the next 5 months. Right now, I can still not feel down the back of my right leg, nor the bottom of my right foot, and three of the toes.

My daily walks turned into walk/run intervals, and then just straight up jogging or running. By February 2012, I had signed up for my first 5k race.

Within one year, I had lost over 100 pounds. And then I managed to maintain it for another year by exercising.



In April 2013, I ran my first half marathon and finished in 2:24:59. I am not fast at all, but I am consistent. In July I began training for my first full marathon, the Philly Marathon which is held in November. As part of my training, in September 2013, I ran another half marathon, this time finishing in 2:19:02.

The marathon training runs went up to 22.8 miles at our longest run. I trained the long runs with my best friend from college, and we ran the race side by side yesterday. It was the first full marathon that either of us had done.

We ran the Philadelphia Marathon, yesterday, November 17, 2013.

We ran by my mom at miles 1 and 5.


One of the most memorable parts was running by Jefferson University Hospital I think around mile 6. That is the hospital where I had my emergency surgery just 29 months before. It was truly amazing to me to be running by in a marathon.

The first 14 miles were a breeze considering how much we trained. This distance was not that much of a challenge anymore. We only stopped once for the bathroom, and that was at mile 14 where there was no line, we just ran into the porta-potties and were out again in 30 seconds. Miles 17-19 hurt a little.

We ran by the third of our trio of our best friends (she is 6 months pregnant!) at mile 20. It was just lovely to see a friendly face that far into the race. She screamed and jumped up and down and stepped out and we ran up and hugged her and kept running.


I felt rejuvenated from 20-24. Got a side stitch at mile 24, walked for only about 90 seconds, and then ran to the end. So aside from a handful of water stops, and that little bit at mile 24, we ran the entire thing!!!

At mile 26, our husbands and daughters were on the side, cheering and yelling for us. My legs were completely on auto-pilot at that point. I started to tear up knowing that we were actually going to finish this. After we crossed the finish like we cried and hugged each other. Then we met up with our families and I started crying again, all happy happy tears.

It was INCREDIBLE.

We had a few goals in mind before we started. In order of importance:
1. To race with no significant injury.
2. To finish the entire 26.2 miles.
3. To run or jog the whole thing.
4. To finish in under 5 hours.

We got pretty close, with a finishing time of 5:07:30. That's an 11:43 pace over 26.2 miles.

Here I am with my family at the end.


Last night I laid in bed with my sore legs and blistered feet and chafed right armpit (wth is that about? lol) and I just laid there and enjoyed the pain. Knowing that I can FEEL the soreness, and that it's from an accomplishment like running a marathon, well, I was just overjoyed that I was able to feel it at all. I'm really really lucky.


I currently work part time at the YMCA, leading the running club twice a week, and once a week I teach a beginner class called "Moving with Joy" for beginner runners/walkers, with the end goal of training for a 5k race in 9 weeks. The programs are going SO well. I'm very grateful to have a job that I simply adore. I also volunteer twice a week for the elementary school boys running club. They're also preparing for a 5k race which is next month.

And with all that being said, I'm here to tell you don't set any limits on your goals. I was the kid who was always DEAD LAST doing the mile run in gym class in high school. I couldn't even run a quarter mile lap around the track without stopping because I couldn't catch my breath. And yesterday I finished a marathon. I came in number 9,164/10,876 overall. 3,883/4,882 for all females, and 692/883 for my age group. NOT last, and I did not get carried off on a stretcher.

So, set small goals, do it one step at a time. Don't give up, and NO EXCUSES!!!!!!!

Thanks for reading!!
Joy