Sand in my running shoes

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Pawley's Island

Luke's mom made sure we had a festive beach house and a place for all of the gifts.

I am truly thankful for almost complete healing from my excision surgery back in August and due to physical therapy, my pain is pretty much non-existent. That means my physical therapist gave me the green light to try running again and I was able to run my first mile last week! We spent some pre-Christmas time in Pawley's Island, South Carolina with Luke's family. I wouldn't call myself a beach person, but it is an extremely relaxing place. It's very cozy sitting on the couch under a blanket, looking out at the ocean with a good book to read. The weather was perfect and we took advantage of it by taking long walks with our toes in the sand in December!

Enjoying beach time with Luke's parents

The giant wall of sand

Luke and I went on a 7 mile walk down to the pier from our beach house. He ran half a mile with me on the road and half a mile on the beach. It didn't take long to get winded, but it felt oh so good! 

Hurricane Matthew hit Pawley's and left the beach looking much different from when we last saw it in August. It washed away most of the dunes along with some of the walkways and stairs to the beach. They brought in a ton of sand and created a huge wall of it in front of the houses.

It's odd to be at the beach in December, but the weather cooperated to give us the ideal day to enjoy the beach and to go for a run. I'm thrilled to have that first mile under my belt, and I'm looking forward to many more!

Starting point at the end of Pawley's Island

Had to stop and give these guys a pat

Beautiful day for a run on the beach

Now, the bad news...when I found out I had endometriosis the two main symptoms I had were abdominal pain and nausea. You wouldn't believe how many pregnancy tests doctors made me take! The abdominal pain is nearly gone. Unfortunately, the nausea continues. Many endo sufferers experience nausea, especially if adhesions are aggravating the intestines, bladder, and bowel. I expected the nausea to depart along with the pain. Now my doctor has been trying one thing after the next: diet changes, anxiety, stomach acid, blood sugar, and now sleep. The nausea prevails. In a few days the end of the year will mean the end of having my health insurance deductible met. That means paying out of pocket, or doing some experimenting on my own.

Cody's best dog-frend, Tucker, is visiting and enjoying the walks too.

Nausea or not this is where you will find me most days, out for a walk on Kimbrough. Walking and running my way to a marathon. Luke is sticking with me so far. Any bets on how far he'll go? My guess is a 10K, but let's see if we can get him to do a half marathon with me! I say "we" because this will take a collective effort! Leave a comment on how far you think he should keep running with me!