By MARY BLICHMANN
Most of my life I was in pretty good physical shape. I rode my bike across a few states, rode over mountain passes, and finished several sprint triathlons. I also dealt with compulsive over-eating, anxiety, and depression which took over later in my life, causing me to stop doing these physical activities. I gained a lot of weight, and 18 months ago I couldn’t even walk a block to the library without resting on a bench before I returned.
Today, I’m preparing to walk the 13.1 miles of the Door county Half Marathon. This is how I got here.
At 63 years old, I was very discouraged and ready to give up when two things happened almost simultaneously. I met Holly Swain at Door County Medical Center. She was very encouraging and offered to meet with me every three months to help me with my weight loss goal. She said she believed in me and was confident I could meet my health goals. I agreed, and for the first time in a long time, I had hope.
The second thing was that I watched the movie Nyad, about Diana Nyad, the long-distance swimmer who successfully swam from Cuba to Florida at the age of 64. It was so inspiring to see someone close to my own age accomplish such a grueling event. Standing on the Florida shoreline after swimming for 52 hours straight, she said three things:
1. You are never too old
2. Never give up
3. It takes a team.
I took these three things to heart and decided to put together my own team. I knew it was an uphill battle. But I already had Holly in my corner, and I have my supportive wife of 41 years. I added in a dietitian and the
best mental health therapist I could ever ask for. I dove into learning about sugar addiction and cut out most sugar from my diet. I ate fruits and vegetables and began to lose weight without even exercising! Going to weekly therapy helped me the most, as I began to sort out my old messages and all the things holding me back from living a healthy lifestyle. I journaled daily, meditated, and then started walking as soon as the weather became warm. I began slowly, adding in a few more steps with every walk. Small steps led to big changes. Soon I could walk a couple miles, and then a couple more. I was walking daily and loved it and I eventually lost 90 pounds over 15 months.
Then I heard about the Door County Half Marathon. I thought of Diana Nyad and thought that if she can swim that far, I can certainly walk 13 miles! I never dreamed this would be my journey. I learned that race participants can choose a charity and raise money with the Run For A Cause program, and of course that resonated with me. I chose to raise funds for Feed My People, Clothe My People here in Door County. Today I continue to walk as much as I can to train for this event. It has not been an easy journey and takes sacrifices, but it is worth it.
I will never give up, I am not too old, and I have my team to help me.
This is how I went from walking one block to signing up for a half marathon. See you at the finish line!
