I am not fast. I am not trying to win or pass you on the left, matter of fact I don’t even run. I cannot run, but I love the challenge of a good race. My name is Andrea and I am a 25 year survivor of Leukemia. When I was 17 after my team won the National Drill Team Championship, I was flying high, an indestructible teenager heading to prom and into my senior year. By the end of the month everything changed, the next two years would be some of the most difficult of my life. I went through two years of chemotherapy, radiation, and spinal cord injections. I look back at it now like a bad dream, but unfortunately the chemo left my veins permanently shrunken. That means that the blood carrying oxygen cannot get around as fast as my heart is pumping. This doesn’t allow me to get my heart rate too high before I start yawning and getting dizzy. This also puts me at a higher risk for heart disease, another reason to keep moving forward physically.
Two kids and a divorce later I started to challenge myself again. Who am I and what can I do? My first 5k was a night race, I figured I could just quit if it didn’t go well and no one would notice. It went well! My kids were proud of me and one of them went on to do cross country and track from that night. I then signed up for every 5k that came across my phone, the weirder the better. I have even done those mud and obstacle courses ones as well, and let’s not forget the snowy Polar Bear Grand Prix. Sometimes I am alone, sometimes my kids come, winter races usually my husky and recently my fiancé’ Chris. He has been the most supportive person I have ever had in my life. When I get frustrated with my progress and physical limitations, he reminds me that “I am only in competition with myself.”
After being trapped during the pandemic I was super excited to go out and do community races again. Last Spring I received an email from River City Races and was excited to see there was a series of races leading up to our wedding. We have done about half of them now with Pupkin and the Polar Bear Grand Prix left. I hope that racing will always continue to be a way to get healthy, interact with our community and enjoy the lovely parks we have in Louisville and Southern Indiana. I also appreciate that the racing community has been so supportive and encouraging of those of us who are not per say runners. My goal is to one day do a race longer than a 5k, but we will see, I have a few more races and hikes to get me there first. I have plenty of time left to get to the finish line of life, so I will see all of you out there soon!
