Joya Virtual 5K – 10 Years Post Hip Replacement – 23:25

January 2022 will be my 10 year anniversary for my new hip.  It still feels new. 🙂   Today was the day I designated for the Joya Virtual 5k.  Joya is a non-profit that my wife serves as the executive director for.  Joya serves medically fragile and developmentally delayed children from ages birth to 3.  I always marvel at the great work that these people do.  It truly is a gift.   They are currently building a new facility for their services because they have outgrown their current location (an old school), and the school district wants it back.  The picture above shows me standing in front of the new site and shows a rendering of what the new place will look like.  I set up a 5k course that starts on the Centennial trail adjacent to the new construction site and takes runners on a 5k loop that goes along the river and through Riverfront Park in downtown Spokane.   My wife and many others used the course to run their vitual 5k’s last week.  Out there this morning, it was just me.  I was as ready as I could be.  In my previous post  I had described a little injury that I have been dealing with for the past several months.  My hammy on my hip replacement side was inflamed right at the sit bone.  I had no strength on that side and it made running difficult.  Thankfully with some PT and strength training, that issue is going away.

I completed my 5K (actually it was a little more that 5k – 3.18 miles) in 23:25.  In past years I would have been very disappointed in that time, but not today.  That time means I am coming back….finally.  It’s been 10 years since I got my hip replacement at 46 years of age.  Seemed young at the time, but I knew it was time.  10 years later, I am still running 5k’s, doing 10 mile training runs with my buddies and playing some occasional hoops (which I did after my run today).  That seems like a lot of boasting, but that is not my intention.  My intention is to remind all of you that you can remain active and do all of the things that you like to do after a hip replacement.  Keep reading these posts and see for yourself.

Joya is a lot like Hip Runner.  People who come to this Hiprunner are searching for answers.  Some are even despondent about the fact that they may not be able to run again.  The main purpose of this site is to show that it is possible to continue to run with a hip replacement.  Hip Runner provides hope to individuals facing hip replacement and gives them a sense of optimism.  Joya provides the same hope for families through an approach that is similar to Hip Runner, but on a higher level.  Here is what they say about their approach.

“We believe in every child we care for. Many parents who come to us with a diagnosis have been told what their child won’t be able to do. We don’t set limits on a child’s future. We team-up with parents on a journey to discover their child’s potential. We explore every option for the success of children and families to improve health and enrich lives.”

For those of you who want to learn more about the great work that this non-profit does  I encourage you to head over to www.joya.org.  If you feel so inclined, there is a donate button at the top of the page.