Living Life to the Full: My Ironman Journey: Cleveland Marathon May 2011

Saturday, June 4, 2011

Cleveland Marathon May 2011 - returning to competition!

So, sure I did a marathon during Ironman Arizona (www.ellenliveslifetothefull.com) but I'd never run a marathon before that. My time for the marathon during the Ironman was 4 hours and 57 minutes. So I was excited to return to Cleveland and race my first ever stand alone marathon on Sunday 15th May 2011. The weather was great for runners but terrible (cold and rainy) for spectators, still that didn't stop me from realizing more of my dreams and goals. I predicted on lcal TV that I would run the marathon in approximately 4 hours....and my official finish time was 4:00 ! (too bad there wasn't a prize for the best prediction).

Returning to Cleveland and running past the Cleveland Clinic where I had had my open heart surgery just 15 months earlier was simply fantastic, the marathon course runs right by the Cleveland Clinic and as I past by and looked up at the Miller Family Pavillion Heart Center, my heart skipped beat and I had a tear in my eye as I remembered all that I had been through over the past 15 months. Nothing is impossible, no dream is too far-fetched, it is possible to run after open heart surgery , heck it is possible to do a marathon after open heart surgery and comeback from being setback! Live life to the fullest folks.....

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Welcome to my Blog !

Www.ellenliveslifetothefull.com

I'm new at this ! but I've taken the technological plunge and started to write a blog. What fun!

My blog is about me. My journey from Open Heart-Surgery to competing in an Ironman Triathlon in less than 8 months.

My story begins with my bizarre symptoms which puzzled my doctors, the dramatic diagnosis and immediate requirement for open heart surgery. Then came the painful and slow recovery and the longing to return to my triathlon passion. My determination and will power to succeed against all the odds and realize my dream: To become an Ironman.

My Story

On March 26^th 2010, I had unplanned open heart surgery to fix multiple holes in my heart that had gone undetected for 41 years. I was born with a severe congenital heart defect and was told that I needed surgery to prevent my heart failing. The right side of my heart was severely enlarged and doctors told me without the surgery, my days would be numbered. I had no idea, I had such a defect, I was a triathlete and had been competitively racing triathlons for almost 7 years – what now?

The days and weeks following my surgery were miserable. Even walking slowly up and down the hospital ward was difficult. My doctors were encouraging though and my surgeon was confident I would be up and running again soon enough. Of course I had signed up for my first Ironman distance race (Arizona) in November 2009 and did not anticipate having to deal with open heart surgery at the beginning of my training plan! By May, I was back on my bike in earnest and was even able to begin some easy swimming and jogging. My doctors were amazed but were also concerned that I may have been pushing myself too hard. I still had my Ironman goal for 2010 and I was determined to at least try and get to the starting line.

In September 2010, my doctor did a thorough medical evaluation and was sufficiently pleased with the results to allow me to compete in the race. She did place some restrictions on my training and my racing however but concluded that I made a tremendous recovery and my heart was now functioning far better than it ever had been.

I began writing a journal in the spring about my experiences and then continued on throughout my recovery and training periods. My journal became more of a memoir and soon I was encouraged by friends to contact a publisher to discuss publishing my memoir. I was skeptical that anyone would be interested in reading about my life and experience but nevertheless agreed to send in the memoir once I had completed it. The publisher asked me how the book would end and when he could receive the manuscript. I replied that the end of the book would be when I crossed the finish line at Ironman Arizona, when I finally become an “Ironman”. On November 21^st, 2010, almost 8 months to the day since my surgery, I crossed that finish line in my first ever Ironman in a time of 12 hours and 37 minutes, and I have never felt so alive.

My book will is called “Living Life to the Full…My Ironman Journey” and is available through my website

www.ellenliveslifetothefull.com . I'm hoping to raise awareness for Adult Congenital Heart disorders and provide inspiration to those needing it. It is possible to swim, bike, run and compete again after open heart surgery, follow your dreams but listen to your heart!

Also visit my facebook page and click on "like" : www.facebook.com/ellenliveslifetothefull