My Journey to Healthy - Kathy Kingsbury

I wanted to start running, bad! I had no idea what to do to start. The month of my 30th I decided now was the time. Running started small, driveway to driveway. A week later it was 2 driveways then walk one. Pretty soon I learned that at my park by my house there were green dots every 1/10th I ran the park for months increasing the number of green dots each time. I became a green dot runner! 
 

I remember the first time I ran the whole park, it took so long but I did it! I was so thrilled! I felt so accomplished. At this point my father-in-law (a 30 year runner) asked me to do a club run with him. I knew I could do it but didn’t know if I could do it with everyone watching. Thankfully it was cold so there weren’t a lot of spectators and thankfully he is patient and willing to go slow with me. We made it! My first race! Hook-Line-Sinker, I was a runner now! From then on I met my father-in-law once or twice a week to run together. I loved it.

I had been running about 1.5 years when I was diagnosed with breast cancer. At this point I had completed 2 half marathons, lots of 5K’s, and ran probably 4-5 times a week. I was pretty good and decently fast. My life came to a sudden halt, I had cancer. Many surgeries, chemo, and overall feeling like crap days later, I was finally released to run again. My plastic surgeon knew every visit I was going to ask “the” question, “when can I run again?” Thankfully he was a runner and understood that I needed to be on the road. 
 

Trail running with friends.

After taking about 6-7 months off from running, I was finally released to run again! I couldn’t have been happier! Laced up my shoes as soon as I got home from the doctor's visit, headed out. I ran one driveway and realized my body was not ready for that. So I waited some more and tried again about a month later. This time a little easier, not comfortable but a little easier. I eventually went on to complete my 3rd half marathon just 4 months after the completion of chemo—no hair but I was there!

I slowly transitioned back to being a runner but had gained about 25 pounds during chemo and the weight added to the inability to train, made me really slow, REALLY SLOW! Nothing like I was. I continued to run and run and run some more even if it was slow. In April of 2014 I started a cleansing program and finally dropped the weight. This past summer I have worked super hard on my body and finally am back to my pre-cancer weight and pre-cancer ability. I AM BACK! Took 2 years to get back to me.

Now I run 2-3 times a week, cycle 2-3 times a week, strength train twice a week, and rarely take a full on rest day! I get cranky without exercise. I appreciate so much what my body can do, and where my body has come from. There was a point in my life I couldn’t sit up on my own and now I can run 13.1 miles! I GOT THIS!!! 

Kat (in the green on the left) with her workout buddies

Thanks for sharing and inspiring others to be a green dot runner, Kat! You will be reading more from Kat in future months in her featured posts, "Run, Kat, Run."
Be sure to check out others who have shared their fitness journeys in the Features tab above.
Interested in sharing your journey and inspiring others? Contact me at fitinlou@gmail. I would love to hear from you!