Now that I know I’ve no blockages in my arteries, I felt confident enough to go for a plodding jog. I maintained a languid pace and never let my heart rate exceed 140. The average was 124. At no point did I push myself into labored breathing. Also, I didn’t feel “thickness” in my muscles. They felt relaxed and limber. In the past three years, I experienced, for lack of a better word, congestion of the muscles. It created a feeling of weight or resistance that bogged down my running.

Today, that wasn’t the case. I felt, again, for lack of a better word, release. There was no resistance in my steps or breathing. Let me stress – especially in my breathing. Even after the slowest of walks, my lungs would feel congested. Not today. Even my sinuses don’t feel as congested. Most important of all, there is no feeling of overwhelming exhaustion.

After the last three years of starting and restarting my exercise regime with disappointing results, I feel hopeful. I won’t make any wild claims of “halleluja! I’m cured!” but I am willing to say that I feel confident. I voiced hope things had changed in the past, but I didn’t feel hope. Today, I feel hopeful that things have changed.