Cross Runner's Heart

As the year 2020 comes to a close, I would like to invite you to a New Year's Day challenge -- The Heart Warrior Half Marathon.  Enjoy this latest blog post and if you haven't done so already, sign up for the free virtual running/walking event on the  Cross Runners Heart home page . If you have already signed up, invite a friend!  It was a crisp, 62 degrees on a sunny Fall day.  My feet felt light on the flat blacktop of Ohio's Richland County B&O trail-- a frequent running route for me.  My mind drifted from topic to topic.  Noah's upcoming second open heart surgery was at the forefront of my thoughts, while my lungs sucked in the cool air.  My mind shifted to think about why I had started www.crossrunnersheart.com. Asking "why" can be such a powerful question.        My Fall running in Virginia (not Ohio, but you get the picture) As I trotted the path that day, a flight of ideas came rushing in. Suddenly, I realized there...

Sign up for the New Year's Day free virtual running/walking event on the Cross Runners Heart home page With this post, we would like to especially thank the University of Michigan  Congenital Heart Team.  Post #14 Waves of Hope Noah loudly cries out.  After 30 minutes, I'm at a loss as to how to console him.  I have tried everything, but why is he still crying?  Just then, Jana comes in the room and we decide a nice "stroll" around the unit may help.  To this point, his labs and numbers have "normalized" with discharge studies pending.  Not bad for post operative day five.  We would like to think Noah is one tough boy, but we also know the contribution of the medical staff at the University of Michigan C.S. Mott Children's Hospital has played in his success.  We have received world-class care here and are very thankful.  The second open heart surgery (HemiFontan Operation) recovery has been a little easier on us - perhaps we are just use...

This is the first guest post... "Juliana Part 2".   Part 1 here .  This post is written by my wife, Jana ( Post #4 The One I Love ) as letter to our daughter.  The Cross Runner's Heart journey is about #faith #family and #running.  I hope you find meaningful ways to relate to our posts and are inspired to deepen your relationships, dive into a fitness goal, or do something else amazing!   Juli Girl,  Growing up, I never really had an urgent desire to be a mom. I knew that one day, it would probably hit me, and therefore I wasn't in as much of a rush as most people my age. As life goes, things happen when they happen, and the day came when I had you. I was 29. You see, I had prayed to find the husband that I would build a life with, and when I did, it wasn’t long before you came along. Jeremy provided the peace of mind and confidence that had been the missing link for me to feel "ready".  The day you came into the world was the day that c...

Many of you have seen the video of Noah's first run ( see Noah's Heart Facebook page ) It was a family outing where I got to push Noah in the running stroller while my wife, Jana, rode the bicycle.  In that short video clip, the one with the most enthusiasm was the two and half year old girl being pulled in the buggy behind Jana. This post will highlight that joyful little girl named JULIANA NOELLE RIEHM.  Juliana is part of our quartet that makes up the D' RIEHM (pronounced: "reem") team.  (A little 1990's USA basketball spin off) Here is how her story began. Juliana is named after two of her great grandmothers-- Julia and Anna.  Being born close to Christmas, we decided Noelle was as a perfect middle name.  She arrived on a cold and snowy day in December of 2017 with just 12 days to go until Christmas.  In contrast to  Noah's  birth, Juliana's hospital course was relatively uncomplicated.  We brought her home just two days later.  Whil...

Noah is working really hard to establish oral feedings.  Because of his heart condition, he fatigues easily.  Someone told us that his feeding challenges are similar to an average person stepping out to run a 5k with no training.  Our medical team does not want him fatiguing past thirty minutes to get his full three ounces every three hours.  Sometimes he is able to gradually consume the whole amount, and other times we are faced with the decision to connect his nasogastric tube for the rest.   Fighting to feed As Noah works to improve his feeding efficiency, Jana and I are striving to find a balance with our time.  Yes, I am still running.  Sometimes fast and sometimes slow.  We are both trying to be more proactive while taking time-out for "mindfulness" in our own ways.  I'm trying to remind myself to use the creative portion, or right side, of my brain as mentioned in the  About Me  section of  www.crossrunnershea...