What a difference.......

One year

12 Months

52 Weeks

365 Days

8,760 Hours

525,600 Minutes

You get the rest… ;)

One year ago today, my life – or what I thought was my perfect little life, came crashing down around me. I truly felt as if my beating heart had been ripped right out through my throat. Over the following 48 hours I couldn’t fathom another tear being produced by my body. I also struggled through my longest run ever that weekend 19KM, if it hadn’t been for a friend, I never would have made it past 5K that day.

One year later, here I stand – happy, healthy and in a better mental state than I have been, in many years, if not the best mental state of my entire 42 (and a bit) years. I’ve run a 25K, am about to run a 30K event in a week, and bigger things loom on my horizon.

It’s funny how that period of time can either fly by, or crawl along at a less than a snails pace. If someone had asked me on March 17, 2006 where I expected to be one year later - this is certainly not the answer that I would have come up with, that I know for sure.

One year to reflect, review, pay homage to the things I’ve done and gone through for both the right and wrong reasons. Sometimes wondering why I gave up so much of myself, while at other times kicking myself for not giving more. But in the end I have to be satisfied in knowing that I gave what I could and in the end there was no more that I could give, especially when the recipient wanted nothing to do with what I was offering up.

I no longer take that personally, which was a long tough ride at times, the feeling that I was the failure, forgetting that it takes two to tango, and that a marriage is comprised of equals, not 90% from one person and 10% from the other. No wonder I was tired, run down and constantly feeling like I was drowning.

Tonight, I will celebrate, well in sort of secret anyhow. I am going to the birthday dinner of an amazing woman, who next to my own mom is one of the coolest 60 year olds on the planet. I am also spending that dinner with one of the many people who helped me learn about myself – a person who helped me realize the power I have inside and how I am in control of my destiny, and not to rely on someone else for that control.

It is after all… MY LIFE.

I also want to thank my many friends, both close & far including an amazing crew of runners, strong women and people I look up to and respect... My own personal "village" has been a pillar of strength to me... and I thank all of you...