For the May edition of the CLOT BUSTER ATHLETE OF THE MONTH I am very pleased to introduce to you someone who has a story to share that I am sure will inspire you just like it has inspired me. 
Please welcome JANINE SWIATKOWSKI as she shares with all of her thoughts on questions that I had the opportunity to ask her so please read on and get ready to be inspired because Janine can tell you that anything is possible if you put your mind to it...
4. Tell us about your clotting episode Are you on blood thinners now? How long were you out of commission?
6. What is your favorite piece of gear for your favorite activity?
9. If you could go some place to visit and explore, where would like to go?
Please welcome JANINE SWIATKOWSKI as she shares with all of her thoughts on questions that I had the opportunity to ask her so please read on and get ready to be inspired because Janine can tell you that anything is possible if you put your mind to it...1. What is your sport/activity of choice?
My sport/activity of choice is running half marathons. Also, I still snowboard. I enjoy running half marathons because I love to have a training goal in mind. If I just run for fun everyday, I wouldn't do it. When I'm training for a race and I have a training plan that tells me exactly what distance to run everyday. I love running because of the way it makes me feel. I feel free while running and it gives me the opportunity to listen to my music and think about life. I love snowboarding because I love the feeling of gliding
2. How did you get started in that sport?
I got started in running cross country in high school to stay in shape for basketball, as basketball was my sport of choice back then. I started running half marathons about 20 years ago. My first one was in Murrieta and my second was in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. I got started snowboarding when my brother asked me if I ever wanted to try it. He's six years younger than me, but he, myself and my other younger brother, all grew up competing in sports together. So, we're very competitive. I thought if he could do it, I could do it.
3. What is the latest milestone you achieved or plan to achieve?
I ran the Disneyland Half Marathon in August 2008 and I'm training to compete in the Palos Verdes Half Marathon in May. I took some time off from racing, because I lost my job in August.
4. Tell us about your clotting episode Are you on blood thinners now? How long were you out of commission? My clotting episode happened about three years ago. I was walking around and thought that I had a pulled calf muscle. I went to my Bible study one night and I was so uncomfortable with that leg. The next day I called the doctor for an appointment. When I got there, the nurse's eyes got very big and she kept saying, "DVT." The doctor arranged an ultrasound and it was confirmed that I had a DVT. I also had a pulmonary embolism (PE) that was confirmed by a lung scan in Nuclear Medicine. I had never been to Nuclear Medicine before, so I was a bit frightened by the whole experience. They sent me to the ER and it took six hours for me to get admitted to the hospital. I spent the night in the hospital and was discharged the next afternoon. I had never been in the hospital before, so it was an interesting experience. When I was discharged, they failed to mention that I needed to be on bed rest for the next five days and that I was to limit my intake of Vitamin K foods. My doctor was furious when she found that out. I was prescribed Coumadin for life as I found out that I have Factor II genetic clotting disorder. My mom has Factor V and Factor II.I was probably out of commission for a few weeks or so. The folks at work were a bit freaked out as I am such a healthy and active person that ran and played soccer regularly. Needless to say, my soccer-playing days were cut short due to my daily intake of Coumadin.
5. When were you able to get back into your activity? How did it feel that first time?
Since I wasn't allowed to play soccer anymore, I had to do something to stay in shape and get active again. I decided to resume my running training. I don't recall how long it took me to get back. I would say it might have been a few months or so. My lungs felt kind of rusty and I felt out of shape.
6. What is your favorite piece of gear for your favorite activity?I'm loyal to my Asics running shoes and I love my IPhone for being able to listen to my music on ITunes and I love MapMyRun for IPhone. It allows me to keep track of my routes using GPS.
7. How much are you getting out doing your sport?
When I'm training for a race, I'll work out five days a week. When I'm not training for a race, it's probably more like three or four days.
8. What is your favorite food? Either generally or after a workout.
I love to cook and try new recipes. But, I'd have to say that I'm partial to a great steak on the grill, a loaded baked potato and a crisp, fresh salad.
9. If you could go some place to visit and explore, where would like to go?I would love to go to Australia and Africa. I am a photographer by trade, so I've always wanted to go on an African safari. Someday...
10. What would like to say to someone who is going through a clotting episode, perhaps very similar to yours? How can people return to do what they enjoy? Tells about your concerns and what you look out after as you got back.
I would say that you need to listen to your doctor first and your body second. You're going to need to take your time and let your body adjust. You'll have to have patience, but in the long run, it will be the best thing for your body, because I feel that getting back to an active activity will improve your circulation. Also, it improves my mental state and keeps me happy.
Janine MANY THANKS for your willingness to share your story with all of us. We look forward to hear how the Palos Verdes Half-Marathon goes for you. GOOD LUCK!!!
Thanks for reading,
The Clot Buster
I am simply stunned that I was able to pull this off. Mrs. Clot Buster sure looks good in the results page with this blazing time... I even stopped to get my pictures taken by Mrs. Clot Buster who was watching the race go by in the outdoor sitting area of a coffee shop while Junior ate his apple suace... I was so fast that I had to stop to let her take my picture. I have no idea where that race came from. I am just pleased that the speed work that I've been doing helped me to get a whole minute + faster...
Today's run did not feel so good so I am paying the prize...
Mid April - HAPPY BIRTHDAY Clot Buster... you are getting old!
Ran one of the hardest 10K course in Ohio... the ECOTHON at The Wilds conservancy park. Back in 2006 I did race and I stopped the clock on a respectable 50:18... fast forward to last weekend and 
Very cool that after the race I introduced a physician to NATT and our STOP THE CLOT effort. He noticed the polka-dots and we got talking. Never under estimate the power of the polka-dots regardless of where you are... Please wear your polka-dots and help us spread the word.
Stay tuned for another update in which I will let you know the Clot Buster's racing schedule and see if I can see you out there at the races. Checkout the schedule carefully because I would love to challenge anyone out there to race against the polka-dots. 
For now I am working on the riding... 40+ Miles of riding between Friday and Saturday... not bad if you consider baby feedings and diaper changes. Mrs. Clot Buster and I make up a FANTASTIC Team that takes care of Junior without a hitch and gives us the chance to still do what we want in terms of working out.
Time to get to bed... Junior could wake up any moment so I need to catch some Zzzz's... yikes!
1) What is you sport/activity of choice? Why do you enjoy it?
2) How did you get started in that sport?
5) When were you able to get back into your activity? How did it feel that first time?
8) What is your favorite food? Either generally or after a workout. For me there is nothing better than a Chipotle Burrito...
I am also, lucky to have the chance to finish the race running. There were times after mile 22 where I was thinking that I could walk all the way to the finish but I never did more than getting through an aid station. So, I am thrilled with the notion that I am maturing on my marathoning experience and I was able to keep it at far better than in 2008. Ironically however, this time around I was slower than last year by more than a minute... see 
3:30.57 is the main reason behind my disappointment. I am both very lucky and satisfied but the disappointment lingers with me simply because I was not able to improve on my performance on last year. It is strange to feel this way but the competitor in me is driving this feeling and it is not easy to walk away from it. I trained hard put in the miles and speed work through, cold, rain, ankle deep snow and driving winds but I don't have a PR to show. And that is what makes me feel disappointed.
Because I was alone naturally my pace dropped from what it was but I did not feel that it was too dramatic. Miles 19, 20, 21, and 22 went by and I was enjoying the sand dunes around me, the signs with jokes and trivia along the course... Did you know the new light house is 264 Feet tall? Did you know the old light house was only 90 Feet tall? How about this one "Why do we wash bath towels? After all we are clean when we use them?"... So, as you can see my mind focused on something else other than the running. But half way through Mile 22 I came face to face with "the wall" and once again the wall won slowing me down to a shuffle... I was at 3:07.45 at this point with less than four miles to go and no matter what I tried the legs did not want to go any faster. 
Strange sport this is... simply hard to predict how your body can react to the pounding and the exposure of such high intensity effort. I made it to the finish once again with the polka-dots on and my green shorts in honor of the irish spirit of the race. No luck of the irish for me this time but all things considered an experience that I will remember for ever.
So, now it is time to concentrate on the summer and what events I will do. I am thinking about doing a half-marathon on the first part of May and see how I would do after all of these miles on my legs for trainig... is there a PR for me in the Half-Marathon distance? I will let you know if that is the case... But during the rest of the summer Ohio for sure will see its fair share of the polka-dots. I hope the Buckeye state is ready for that...
I was back running just six weeks after my blood clots. I ran a 5K nearly four months after the PE, and continue to run everyday. I was scared to get back into it after the incident, but I knew my fears would only defeat me. I had to learn to trust my body and pay close attention to any pain or weakness I had. Now I can run with confidence that I will be okay, as long as I take care of myself and take every change in the way I feel seriously.
I have spoken out at every opportunity given to me to tell my story and spread the word about the dangers of birth control and blood disorders. I recently did a story on the news about what happened to me to try and raise awareness. I got responses from people all across the country who had been through the same ordeal. Most of them were scared and lived with fear everyday. I always tell them to try and live as normal of a life as you can. Yes, having PE changes you, and changes your lifestyle, but you can’t let it take control of you. God has allowed us to be survivors of this, so it’s our job to spread the word of awareness and hope for prevention. I hope every female realized what she is putting in her mouth when she takes birth control. I hope to continue to educate young women with my story, and I hope to inspire others who have been through this, that life doesn’t have to stop. I feel so much stronger now and I feel smarter. I won’t let Factor V stop me from living my life and I hope it doesn’t stop you."
Thanks for reading,
I was very much impressed with her. I am always impressed by Mrs. Clot Buster and what she can do. Her potential is endless regardless of what she is doing triathlon, trail running, or half-marathonning. For me she is a tremendous inspiration. After everything she does for us "her Clot Buster boys" her performance is awesome to see. 
HUGE CONGRATULATIONS to her on the her performance this weekend. I just hope that some of that potential can rub off on me so that I can do well in the up coming Shamrock Marathon I will be racing on the 22nd...
If you want to have this banner on your portal get in touch with me and can pass on the secret... I've tried to have Google add this banner to their list of "banner for causes". I have not checked in a while maybe they already have it up I probably need to check. 
I hope that I can look better that in the photo above this time around. One thing is for sure, if I ever do another marathon down the road it will have to be a race either in the summer or in the fall. No more spring marathons... it is simply too cold to run effectively. 
In my opinion it is very inspiring to see Mr. Francona overcome the challenges of suffering from two clotting episodes and go on to take on his job and be very successful at it.
I appreciate this man's history and I take a great deal of pressure to share with you if you did not already know about him. I could not believe it when I first heard about it...
So, we have this older version of Truth or Dare Jenga (the one in which the pieces have a question on them already printed... looks like the newer versions let you write a new question every time...that would be interesting) and I moved a piece that had a question that went something like this... "If you could have anything, what would it be?". Now, the first thing that came to mind was in the context of my family and I thought of good health for everyone of us. I believe that without it the road can be rough so for me good health is paramount. 
Oh! Sounds like Junior just did some business that requires my attention...
Thanks for reading,
I imagine that the theory behind the use of compression socks for athletes competing in a triathlon has to do with the increase in blood flow but in this case in order to keep feeding the muscles to continue doing the race and avoid or decrease the fatigue. Does this help? I can only hope that it does but I am not sure there is valuable data that can support the claim that these socks really help. I believe that the people using them are doing it because it feels good and they experience less fatigue. Then, the next question is what maker has the best design and are these options all worth your while considering regarding the compression characteristics that make all the difference with these speacial kind of socks.
I am not sure if I ever get around to trying them but I am sure that people using them have plenty of good things to say about them. If you are one of those out there I would love to hear about your take on the benefits of the compression socks and if you were to recommend them to us who are still on the fence.
So, between diaper changes and watching after almost crawling Junior I continue to fit in my trainig when possible. It is been a challenge but one I take on with great pride. I have to get those STOP THE CLOT red-polka dots out there to spread the word... believe me last Saturday the people working out at my gym saw nothing but polka-dots throughout the first 10 Miles because after that I had no choice but to change my dripping wet shirt as people at the track were complaining about drops of my sweat all over the place... If you don't know this about me already you should know that I can sweat like there is no tomorrow...
I understand that I have to be more careful now that I am on anti-coagulant therapy, but I don't have to let my medication run my life. I was wondering if there were other people out there in my situation and, thanks to your blog, I see that there are (e.g. Cheryl Edwards). This makes me feel like I am not alone in my desire to live life to its fullest in spite of my condition. It also gives me confidence that these activities can be carried out in a safe manner that does not significantly increase the likelihood of haemorhage."
Not only she met her goal but put a little extra on top of it just in case! Unfortunately the snow arrived shortly thereafter and she was not able to ride outside any more and hit the 3500KM mark...
*** Participated in 3 triathlons over the summer placing top three in my age group in every single one of them... The power of the polka-dots is helping me out!
So, here it is The Clot Buster's year end review. 2009 should be GREAT FUN and I am very much looking forward to it. You know that I will be attempting my second marathon aiming to make it to Boston but for the rest of the plans I will have to keep you in the dark...
