My running journey only began a little over two years ago.
Growing up I could never participate in sports or even gym class. When I was four years old I was diagnosed with an autoimmune disease called Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis. This disease causes inflammation in the joints, causing pain and making joint movement difficult. The disease started in my left knee, and by the time I was eight years old, it had spread to every joint in my body.
For most of my life, I had a lot of difficulty walking. I woke up in pain every single day. Some days I had difficulty just moving my joints to get out of bed. It was tough and I never imagined feeling any different. I was told I’d never be able to run or do sports, so I accepted this fact. Fast forward to a few years ago, I started a new medication and diet and my life changed. My joints stopped hurting, and the inflammation went away. For the first time in almost 30 years, I found out what it was like to live without pain.
I began running, slowly, but I started to love it. Two half marathons and a few other races later and I’m still going strong! 2020 may have been rough, and I had to just run on my own, but I was able to really improve my speed!
I am definitely not a fast runner, but I’ve come to love running and everything there is to do with it!