12,000 Miles

The following year was a blur of visits to specialists and imaging appointments until my gastroenterologist eventually arrived at a diagnosis of achalasia. If you sprain your ankle, you can use crutches to avoid aggravating the injury. However, you can’t simply stop eating so every day became a tightrope act between properly fueling while navigating the anxiety of only eating certain foods that were more comfortable to eat and sporadic panic attacks when those foods weren’t readily available. Additionally, the muscles within the esophagus gradually became fatigued over the course of a day which essentially imposed a volumetric constraint on how much food I could eat. In order to counter that, some of the foods I would eat were calorically dense with a high glycemic index because I needed to maximize the amount of energy relative to volume. However, those foods often caused energy spikes which quickly placed me right back on the same tightrope.

As a result, I learned to be much more mindful about eating foods that provide steady energy and maximize satiety throughout the day. I run first thing in the morning so I always make sure to eat a robust breakfast afterward to fuel recovery with a focus on complex carbohydrates (e.g. overnight oats) and protein (e.g. protein shake, Greek yogurt). During the rest of the day, I primarily focus on eating whole foods without being overly prescriptive while also making sure to have snacks around that provide steady energy with some of my go-tos being apples, popcorn, mixed nuts, and graham crackers. Over time, the feeling that I first felt in class gradually happened less frequently until it now fortunately only happens rarely but this journey definitely taught me the vital importance of nutrition and to appreciate the opportunity to run—and more importantly live—to my fullest potential every day.