Michelle Schneider celebrates after finishing the Hues for Humanity colour run, her first ever five-kilometre race, less than one year removed from not being able to knell or jog. Schneider was able to start running after receiving platelet-rich plasma injections. -- SUBMITTED PHOTO
Medicine Hat News
Sometimes life can change in the blink of an eye.
For one Hatter, who just over one year ago was struggling to even kneel and walk, her life changed for the better and just last week completed her first ever five kilometre race.
Michelle Schneider said the key was to not get knee surgery, and instead opting to getting platelet-rich plasma injections into her knee every six months. The injections take blood from another part of the body, to inject, and hopefully strengthen the point of injection.
“A year-and-a-half ago doing so many simple things like walking or kneeling without my knee giving out were just out of the question,” she said. “After getting the injections my life slowly started to get better. After the first one I started to kneel. Then I started feeling really great after the second one. After my last one in March I decided to start running.”
Once she started her daily runs, Schneider said she could not stop, running six days each week starting at 5:30 a.m., not stopping until 3.5 kilometres are finished.
“Running has been so refreshing and really just lets me clear my mind,” she said. “Once I started I just couldn’t stop. It has just become something I do six days every week no matter what.”
Schneider, a 51-year-old gas field operator and mother of two, decided to take on June 10th’s Hues for Humanity colour race. She said the five kilometres were very scary at first, but she came out on top.
“The morning of the race I was a nervous wreck,” she said. “I was honestly puking a lot, and once I got going I realized my asthma was going to be an issue. As I made my was through, I got a call from my friend telling me I could do it, and that was a really big motivator to me — my final time was 42 minutes, which I’ve heard is actually OK.”
Schneider said finishing the race was a very rewarding, yet emotional time for her.
“I tell people this was my 101st thing on my bucket list, and I say that because I never thought I’d be able to run at all, let alone this far,” she said. “At the end of the race I cried a lot, but it was just so great.”
Schneider said she has thought about working towards a 20-kilometre half marathon, but added she will play it one day at a time.
