Skip to main content

About Me

 



Hello and welcome to my blog!

I'm Tess. I have been married for 9 years to my husband, Michael.  We have two children, Aria (5) and Luke (3). We also have two cats, Chewbacca and Blitz.

I was diagnosed with Bipolar three years ago when Luke was 4 months old. I have had three hospitalizations for my Bipolar, and have gone through several medication changes in that time.

About 2 years after my diagnosis, after I got back into some fitness I discovered running.  I started by downloading the Couch to 5k app and trained all summer for the 5k at the Calgary Marathon.  Then about 3 weeks before the race, I was hospitalized for my third time. I wasn't sure if I would be out in time for the race. I was released, and then three days later I ran the 5k race.

After that race, I was hooked on running.  I eventually met more people in the community that also ran, and formed some good connections in my city.

In 2022, I underwent a hysterectomy, and about 7 weeks post-surgery I joined a learned-to-run club.  That club really helped in my recovery, and strengthen my love for running. I also ran an 8k and a 10k race that year.

Then at the beginning of 2023, I signed up to run my first half marathon. After many months of training, I ran the half marathon at the Calgary Marathon at the end of May 2023. 

Running has made living with Bipolar a bit easier. If it wasn't for running I am not sure where I would be today. Running has saved me.

Besides running, I also enjoy writing, photography, and spending time with my family. 

This blog is a lifestyle blog with a focus on running and mental health.


Thanks for stopping by.


Tess

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Summer Training Begins

On Saturday, I did my longest post-half marathon run. I broke up my run a bit. I ran from my house to ParkRun, and then from ParkRun back home. That was a total of 15km.   It was threatening to rain but just ended up being humid. I really struggled in the heat a few times during my run. I think my body is still not used to the summer temperatures, as I did most of my training in the winter. After I ran the 15km I decided it was time to start training again for another half marathon. I'd told myself that I would start training again in mid-June but now felt like a better time to start. In September, I will be running the half marathon distance at the Lethbridge Police Run. Last year I did the 10km race at this event, and I wanted to bump it up to the half marathon this time.   I was hesitant to sign up for another half marathon this year. My original plan was to take it easy during the summer and train for 10km. I had already run two half marathons since I...

Bipolar Warrior Part 1

  About three years ago, I was diagnosed with Bipolar. It started with a bout of postpartum psychosis, which led into a severe manic episode. Then I was diagnosed with bipolar.   These past three years have definitely been a journey. I still try to put all the pieces of everything that went down together, but I don't believe I ever will. I am not going to hide the fact on this blog that I have bipolar. I have always been a very open person, so this is nothing new.

From Couch to a 5k Race

  It has been almost two years since I last made a blog post.  So much has happened since then. It is almost hard to know where to begin. In my last post, I had walked 7km and I was proud of walking that distance. I then considered taking a course to learn how to run properly. I wondered, "If I could walk that distance what else could I do?" I was hesitant at first, because I feared getting injured. Running was something I had always wanted to do, but I honestly think starting held me back. We were still in the height of COVID-19, so no running groups were happening at the time. So, I decided to download the "Couch to 5K" app, and start from there. I remember that first run vividly. I was wearing some semi-worn shoes, and I had my phone to track the run. It was a hot evening, and I took off. I remember starting that run. I alternated between running and walking. That first run wasn’t long at all. I remember I was breathing heavily during and after the run. At ...