I’m having a HeartSaver CT scan on Friday morning to check for heart disease, specifically for calcium deposits in my heart’s arteries. Sparing the details of a 2014 study where the conclusion was: “long-term male marathon runners may have paradoxically increased coronary artery plaque volume.”

That means if I have significant calcium build-up in my heart’s arteries, I could drop dead at any moment from doing the thing that I love to do. Live by the sword, die by the sword, I guess.

My dad died way too young from heart disease. I want to hang on for as long as I can. And I haven’t run my best marathon yet.

Thanks be to Mario Fraioli and Brendan Leonard for inspiring me to take a step in checking up on my heart health and hopefully I can keep this engine humming for some years to come.