I love the outdoors.  I spent much of my youth wandering around the woods and mountains of northeast Pennsylvania. As I got older, backpacking and hiking was the way I got my kicks. Then I graduated college and started working in the demanding construction services industry. Soon I was working 14 hour days and had little time for much else. Years later I looked back and realized I had spent a decade on the couch and much if it occupied by video games. Plus I was still smoking half a pack a day. I was restless and unhealthy in many ways.

I was diagnosed with epilepsy at age 15 when I had a Grand Mal seizure, a term no longer in use. There were times I would have one seizure a year and times I’d have 3-4 in a month. And I am lucky compared to most who suffer from this. At age 32 my doctor scheduled me for a week long observation in the Epilepsy Monitoring Unit at UPMC Presby. After that stay we tried a few different medications. One drug, Keppra, made me angry all the time. One gave me a rash.  And , in this case, the third time IS the charm. The last drug has worked perfectly with no notable side effects and I am happy to say I have been seizure-free for years now.

I had finally quit smoking and a few months after that hospital stay I decided I needed to move my body. I couldn’t sit still any longer.  I put shoes on and ran a mile. I was doubled over by 1/8 mile in  and I thought I might puke.  But afterwards I felt good. Really good. So I did it again the next day……