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Diane Alexander

@dzaplastics

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From 0 to 13.1 in four months. Copenhagen, I made it. 🇩🇰

For more than a decade, I’ve stayed close to half-marathon shape. Six to eight weeks of extra miles, and I could usually run a half.

This time was different.

An Achilles injury meant six months without running. At one point, I couldn’t walk a block without limping. I had never rebuilt my endurance from zero, and every step forward came with the fear of getting hurt again.

But the deeper fear was that I might never run again.

I’ve always pictured myself as the 80-year-old still doing the Peachtree Road Race. Suddenly, that future felt uncertain. Running has been part of who I am for so long—I wasn’t ready to let it go.

As a physician, I wanted to understand why the injury happened. I still don’t have a clear answer. But as a surgeon, I know the remarkable power of the body to heal.

And my brain remembered: I had done this before. I believed I could find my way back.

So I started slowly. Run, walk, rest. Listen. Build a little. Keep going.

It was frustrating, humbling, and sometimes horrible. But running makes me feel like myself. Getting that back was worth the work.

Four months ago, 13.1 miles felt impossible. In Copenhagen, I crossed the finish line.

At 65, I’m still discovering what I’m capable of. And I’m still picturing myself at that Peachtree starting line at 80. #girlsontherun #trainingforlife #keepgoing #halfmarathontraining taken in Atlanta, Georgia by @dzaplastics

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2 days ago

taken in Atlanta, Georgia by @dzaplastics

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8 days ago

Morning run: reflections. #portland #girlsontherun #bridges #initforthelongrun taken in Portland, Oregon by @dzaplastics

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20 days ago

We did it!!!! #girlsontherun #superhalfs #copenhagenhalfmarathon taken in Copenhagen, Dennmark by @dzaplastics

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23 days ago

New year. New coffee shop. New opportunity. New community. ☕️

Yesterday we celebrated Lina and Chris at the grand opening of their beautiful new Condesa Coffee in Grant Park.

And walking into the space, I was reminded that a great coffee shop is never really just about the coffee.

It’s about connection.
Conversation.
Community.
And those little moments of joy that happen when people come together.

I’ve always believed that the spaces we create matter. Architecture and design should reflect the purpose of a place—and this space feels exactly like what Lina and Chris hoped to create: warm, welcoming, beautiful, and full of life.

Beautiful space. Beautiful art by Kayla. Beautiful flowers by Roots & Blooms. And, of course, The Beauties showed up! ❤️

Yesterday, the room was overflowing with joy. People gathering, laughing, hugging, drinking coffee, admiring the art—and simply enjoying being together.

And maybe that’s what a beautiful space can do.

A new business becomes something bigger than a business.
A coffee shop becomes more than coffee.

It becomes a gathering place.

A little corner of a neighborhood where joy, connection, and community can happen.

Here’s to Lina and Chris, to Condesa Grant Park, and to all the new beginnings ahead. ❤️

#condessacoffee #newbeginnings #grantpark by @dzaplastics

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a month ago

Memory and hope.

This morning, looking out from my deck, I was struck by this image—the building illuminated in remembrance of 9/11, alongside the beams of light reaching upward and reflecting into the clouds.

Last night, we entered Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, on the 20th anniversary of 9/11. The juxtaposition felt especially profound—a day defined by remembrance and loss coinciding with a holiday centered on reflection, renewal, and the hope of beginning again.

We carry the past with us—not to remain in its darkness, but to remember, to learn, and to honor what has been lost. And then we look toward the light.

In the Jewish tradition, joy is rarely separated completely from sorrow. We make room for both—for memory and hope, grief and gratitude, endings and new beginnings.

Somehow, this photograph captured all of that for me.

We remember. We reflect. And still, we choose hope.

L’Shana Tova. May the year ahead bring more light, healing, understanding, and peace to us all.

#memoryandhope #lshanatova by @dzaplastics

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a month ago

Finally, back on the run—and feeling like myself again. 🏃‍♀️

I had no idea how hard it would be to heal from an Achilles injury. And I definitely didn’t appreciate how long it would take, even after the pain was gone, to get my endurance back.

I’ve been running consistently for almost 15 years. I ran my first half marathon in 2013, and last year Amy and I ran seven. Running has become such a constant in my life that I honestly never imagined an injury could take it away from me.

I’m a cautious runner. I don’t push myself to extremes because I’ve always been in this for the long run.

But this time, my body was screaming at me—and I had no choice but to listen.

I tried just about everything: rest, ice, elevation, red light therapy, acupuncture. I improved, but I just couldn’t seem to get all the way there.

Then I started thinking about the Achilles from a healing standpoint. Tendons have a relatively poor blood supply, which is one reason they can be so frustratingly slow to heal. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy exposes the body to 100% oxygen under increased atmospheric pressure, dramatically increasing the amount of oxygen dissolved in the plasma and delivered to tissues. It can support angiogenesis—the formation of new blood vessels—and other processes involved in tissue repair.

So I decided to do a series of hyperbaric treatments.

For me, that seemed to be the turning point.

Today I’m running again. No pain. No limp. And slowly but surely, the endurance is coming back.

Most importantly, I feel like myself again.

And now I’m heading to Copenhagen for my first race of the year. 🇩🇰

After months of not knowing when—or even if—I’d be able to run normally again, I’m not worried about my time.

I’m just incredibly grateful to be standing at the starting line.

Sometimes being “in it for the long run” means knowing when to stop, letting your body heal…and trusting that you’ll find your way back. ❤️#marathontraining #initforthelongrun #trainingforlife #girlsontherun taken in Cashiers, North Carolina by @dzaplastics

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a month ago

Puppy parking. #dolomiti by @dzaplastics

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a month ago

What the Mountains Are Teaching Me 🏔️

On our first hike in the Dolomites, we met our guide, Herman. He’s 70 years old. Apparently the guide company decided we were now in the senior guide category. 😂

When we started, I wondered why he was walking so slowly. I thought, This will be beautiful, but I’m not sure it’s going to be the exercise I was looking for.

I was wrong.

Herman has one pace—calm, smooth and steady. Up steep climbs, down rocky cliffs, over boulders. He doesn’t fight the mountain. He simply moves with it, almost like a mountain lion, finding his footing along the way.

After 2,600 feet of vertical ascent, I was ready for some tea and the hot tub. Herman looked exactly as he had when we started.

It made me think about how much of life we spend pushing harder, moving faster, racing to the next thing.

Maybe we don’t always need to move faster.

Maybe we just need to find our pace, adapt to the terrain—and just keep going. 🏔️❤️

#dolomiti #mountainlife #natureismedicine #justkeepgoing taken in Dolomites, Italian Alps by @dzaplastics

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a month ago

Morning run…probably the most beautiful run I have ever done. #dolomiti #girlsontherun #halfmarathontraining taken in Dolomites, Italian Alps by @dzaplastics

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a month ago

Mountain cow #dolomiti by @dzaplastics

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a month ago

Gone hiking 🥾 #dolomiti taken in Dolomites, Italian Alps by @dzaplastics

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a month ago