Running Changed My Life

 I found running last year during my freshman year of high school. The city where I live doesn't offer youth running programs, boy I wish it did. I tried out for volleyball and didn't make. My mom suggested that I join cross country to keep in shape for basketball. Basketball, I grew up playing basketball and I genuinely enjoyed playing. I was hesitant at first because I've never ran before but I decided to join anyway. 

I was so happy I did. I met a great group of girls and had an amazing coach. I've never been in an atmosphere where everyone cheered everyone on. It was amazing, whenever I ran by someone they would say "Great job, keep it up." All the other sports I participated in no one did that, the teams had their "cliques" and if you weren't apart of it, you kinda felt left out. 

I have always been quite shy and introverted. I don't make friends very easily and I'm quite closed off. Running helped me find myself, and without it I don't know where or who I would be l. 

My first season of cross country I think went really well. I'm not super fast but I improved each race and I completed things I've never thought I could do. I might never get to twenty minutes but I loved every moment. 

During the seasons the girls on my team suggested I do indoor track. They said I would be great at it. I grew up wanting to play high school basketball, and I did enjoy basketball. I thought about it and realized how much I loved running. I decided to do indoor track. 

I did not do long distance for track. I was a freshman and I wanted to explore what I was better at. I joined the sprinting/jumpers/hurdles group. I ended up being a high jumper and a hurdler. Honestly, I'm a very clumsy person so I wasn't so sure about doing either but I did. My indoor season went great, I competed in every meet for high jump (My coach could only put 4 athletes per event). 

We have almost a whole month and a half off between indoor and outdoor track. I knew that I was going to work hard and keep myself in shape. I wanted to prove something to myself and my coach. I did, I worked out almost everyday after school. I ran, I lifted, I ate my best, everything. 

Outdoor track came and I found myself doing high jump, 100m hurdles and 400m hurdles at the first meet. The first time I ran the 400m hurdles I thought I was going to die. I was like "I'm never doing that again." I did every meet. I still loved high jump and kept improving but I didn't really like the 100m hurdles. 

The ultimate goal as a freshman is to qualify for Western Mass (I live in Massachusetts). That's where all the best from Western compete in one meet. I'm the type of person to put in 150 percent into whatever I do. I want to do my best all the time. 

As I continued running the 400m hurdles I got faster, I got stronger. My regular 400 times were improving tremendously. I was seconds off from qualifying, but we all know seconds are miles during a race. It was the last regular outdoor track meet when I did it. I went into that meet telling myself to give it my all, even if I didn't qualify I wanted to go out with a bang. All I remember from that race was the gun going off, my Coach yelling at me to move. Suddenly all my hard work all year went into that race. My form was better than it was ever, my pace was perfect, everything was great. I crossed the finishline 1st in that event at a multiple city meet as a freshman. I knew it was close but I was proud of myself. I was less than a second off, I was a bit sad but I knew I gave it my best. The meet went on, we were about to leave and my coach called me over. He said that Western Mass dropped the qualifying time (if they're aren't a lot of people qualified, they drop the time a bit) and I made it. I was so happy. I was proud of myself.

Western Mass was such a great experience. I ran my race and I was able to cut my time a bit more. I knew I wasn't going to win my heat but I also knew I had three more years left. I had goals and I was going to reach them.

Summer came and I knew it was time to focus back on cross country. I wanted to cut my 5k time down so I would be in good shape for the start of the season. It didn't go as planned. In the middle of July I sprained my ankle at a trampoline park while on vacation. It was an old dance injury and I figured I'd be back in a couple weeks. Then two weeks later I was walking down my front steps and it gave out on me (while I was wearing a brace). It was sprained again, this time a Level 2 sprain. So I had to take another month off, I hoped less because I was doing physical therapy. 

About at week ago I started not feeling good. I was away with my best friends and sister. I figured it was just heartburn/acid reflux. I got home and I felt worse (at this point it had been a few hours). This had never had happened to me before and I didn't know why. My mom gave me some anti-acid medicine and I layed down. It didn't help and my heart stared pounding really fast. My mom called my pediatrician and they said to bring me to the ER. We got there and I was taken back right away. My heart rate was 133, they figure I was just in pain and anxious. They did every blood test possible, I had multiple EKGs, an ultrasound on my heart and a chest X-Ray. They gave me fluids and medicine and my heart rate stayed in the range of 120-150 while I was just laying on the hospital bed. Everything came back perfectly fine except one of my EKGs.

On one of my EKGs I had a Prolonged QT. Your heart beats, and the QT is the length of your heart when it rests in between heartbeats. People with Prolonged QT Sydrome usually have no symptoms and it's usually hereditary. If people do have symptoms they involve fainting and at to the extreme sudden death. 

The hospital kept me overnight. They said it was most likely a virus and they realeased me. They recommended I go see a Cardiologist to make sure I was definitely okay. The next day I actually had an orthopedic appointment for my ankle and I was cleared to run but now I had this heart thing to worry about. I also had an appointment to get a Halter monitor (It was just a portable heart monitor that I wore for 24 hours). 

Now it was the waiting game. The Cardiologist was waiting for my halter monitor results. At that point I had an appointment two weeks later. I was beyond stressed because I had already missed the first couple days of cross country practice. I was worried because there was a possibility I could have a heart condition that could prevent me from running. 

I was honestly a bit depressed. I didn't clean my room, I barely ate, I barely talked to my best friends, I was lost. I was already a month and a half behind because of my ankle but now even more because of my heart. I thought I would have to rewrite my whole future life plans. I thought everything I feel in love with was going to be taken away from me. 

Almost four days since I was released from the hospital my mom got a call from my cardiologist. They said they had a cancellation and I could come in right away. We went and I was extremely nervous. I thought she was going to say I could never run again. 

The Cardiologist I had was young, only a year of experience. She was extremely nice but I think she did lack on experience when it came to delivery. She asked my parents a million questions about our family's medical history. She said I had borderline Prolonged QT, and that I could run. 

I started to cry, because she mad it seems like I had Prolonged QT Syndrome. I was honestly scared to run, I didn't want to go running in the woods and never come back. She suggested that I do a stress test to assure me that I was okay to run.

This whole time I kept my feelings inside, I wanted to appear strong. But when I got home I let myself fall apart, I hadn't cried all week but I couldn't stop myself.

Two days after my appointment with my Cardiologist I had my stress test with the head Cardiologist of the practice. I basically had a portable EKG machine on me while I ran and he monitored me. I ran for the first time in a month and a half. I immediately felt all the stress leave me. I ran for ten-fifteen minutes at different speeds and inclines. I didn't wanted to stop but I did. He went over all the data and he turns to me and says "You're perfectly healthy." 

My mom and I were confused. How come the other Cardiologist said I had borderline Prolonged QT and he's says I'm fine? He explained saying that I have a normal QT length but it's just on the higherend of the normal category. He said yes by textbook I have "borderline Prolonged QT." He said as a cardiologist he needed to learned the balance between the cases where he is catious and the cases where he's not. The Cardiologist I had a few days prior has not learned that yet since she's still very new. He said this whole thing was everyone being extra cautious when it was not needed.

Tomorrow I go back to running and I'm so happy. I might not be able to run three miles right now but I will soon. 

I guess I'm sharing my experience because I needed to. This whole week made me realize how lucky I am. There are people in the world that never got to experience the freeing feeling of running. There are people in the world where their passion was ripped away from them and they can't do it it anymore. 

I'm making a promise to myself. This year I promise to run for those who can't. I'm never taking running for granted again. I'm going to run every race like it's my last. I'm going to do my best for those to can't.

- Anonymous