Welcome to AIPooja!
My name is Pooja, and I am trying to keep my head above water while balancing disease, wellness, and graduate school. Continually learning and growing, with no end in sight. I hope you find something you can relate to here!
Tag Archives: perseverance
10 Questions to Never Ask a Marathon Runner
Happy Marathon Monday!! My friend Monica and I sat down to dinner last fall and had a good laugh over the various questions we’ve received as marathon runners, either while training or post-race. We compiled some of our favorites and … Continue reading
Posted in Fitness, Marathon Mondays, Running
Tagged advice, distance running, fitness, friend, health, healthy, marathon, marathon monday, marathon runner, marathon running, motivation, perseverance, question, questions, run, runner, running
2 Comments
Daddy’s Girl
I can sum up my relationship with my dad with one story. A story that still brings me to tears when I think about it: May 1st, 2011 was the day of my first full marathon. It was also my … Continue reading
Posted in Anecdotes, Fitness, Marathon Mondays, Misc, Running
Tagged birthday, compassion, dad, dad's birthday, daddy, daddy's girl, emotional, father, father's day, health, love, marathon, motivation, perseverance, run, running, senior prom, strength, support
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That Oklahoma Soul
One of my favorite Oklahoma stories takes place in Chicago: I visited Chicago a few times while I was in high school. One time, I was walking around in downtown Chicago, just absorbing the sights and loving life, when I … Continue reading
Posted in Anecdotes, Misc
Tagged chicago, compassion, devastation, emotional, family, lesson, lessons, love, moore, moore tornado, oklahoma, oklahoma soul, oklahoma tornado, oklahoman, perseverance, pray, rebuild, soul, strength, strong, support, tears, tornado, tragedy, wordsworth
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Borrowing Legs for 26.2 Miles
A question I’ve been asked several times is what exactly a person thinks about for 26.2 miles. Music is great and all, but it cannot possibly be enough to occupy your mind for that long. For my first marathon, I … Continue reading
“Look for the Rainbow”
Today I’m going to share something with you that is very special and empowering to me. Recently, a close childhood friend of my mom’s shared my pain and wrote a beautiful poem about finding the hope in pain and sorrow … Continue reading
Posted in Anecdotes, Hidradenitis Suppurativa, Misc, Uncategorized
Tagged beautiful, being sick, change, compassion, courage, discouragement, disease, emotional, empower, empowering, friend, health, hidradenitis, hidradenitis suppurativa, honesty, lend a hand, love, motivation, pain, perseverance, poem, share, sickness, story, strength, support, truth
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Stuck in “One Year Ago” Land
I haven’t blogged in a while because I’m in a bit of a rut. I feel like I’m trapped inside my own head and I’m not sure how to reach out about it. Lately, I’ve been stuck in what I … Continue reading
Posted in Anecdotes, Healthy, Hidradenitis Suppurativa, Misc, Uncategorized
Tagged advice, anniversary, being sick, change, discouragement, disease, emotional, health, healthy, hidradenitis, hidradenitis suppurativa, honesty, mental health, motivation, perseverance, physical health, sickness, story, therapy
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Tat-two Year Anniversary
I never saw myself as the kind of person who would get a tattoo–in fact, I saw myself as the person who would never get a tattoo. I hadn’t even considered it until a certain phrase crept into my head. … Continue reading
Posted in Anecdotes, Misc
Tagged being sick, change, conozca su valor, discouragement, emotional, health, know your worth, love, marathon, motivation, perseverance, story, success, tattoo, value, worth, wrist tattoo
2 Comments
Journey from “Will Run,” to “Can’t Run,” to “Must Run”
Any time I talk to someone about running a marathon and I receive the response, “Man, I could never run that much. You’re crazy!” my first thought is, “You probably could–you just don’t feel like you have a reason to run … Continue reading
Posted in Anecdotes, Running
Tagged 26.2, discouragement, health, marathon, perseverance, running
14 Comments
“Maybe College Isn’t the Thing for You”
…is what a faculty member at my university said to me when I had to medically withdraw from school for the third time. I was also reminded that no other student had withdrawn so many times and that I could … Continue reading
AIPooja: Seeking Wellness through Disease 