Less than nine months after open heart surgery, Diane Wilson ran the Army 10 miler in 2005. (Courtesy photo)

Diane Wilson, a distance runner and aerobics instructor for more than a decade, is well acquainted with the euphoria called ‘‘runner’s high.”

In the winter of 2005, the runner had plenty of highs—and lows.

She delivered her third child, Samuel, a high-risk pregnancy while her husband David, a lieutenant colonel, was deployed to Iraq.

She mourned the loss of her 34-year-old brother who died of a heart attack.

Then she found out she had an aortic aneurysm that would have probably killed her if she’d resumed her workouts.

‘‘I didn’t know there was anything wrong with my heart. I had no pain,” she said. ‘‘It had no effect at all, but the cardiologist told me that it (the aneurism) was pretty large and ready to blow.”

When Diane became pregnant at 39 with her third child after multiple miscarriages, she ceased all workouts. No more running 50 miles a week. No more teaching aerobic classes.

‘‘I decided to just keep my feet up, really relax and carry this child to term,” she said. Two months after delivering Samuel by Caesarean section, she was back under the knife having open heart surgery to correct the congenital defect that doctors said most likely killed her younger brother.

‘‘Having Samuel saved my life,” she said. ‘‘It stopped me from working out. The doctor said it was a good thing I didn’t get back to my workouts because getting my heart rate up, that would have been it.”

Though he missed his son’s birth, David, now the Inspector General for Fort Detrick, made it home for Diane’s surgery, staying awake for 52 hours on the trip home from Baghdad. After her Jan. 20 surgery at the University of Maryland Medical Center, he became the primary caregiver for his son and his wife, who for four weeks didn’t have the strength to pick up her son.

‘‘I couldn’t even open a cabinet door, that’s how weak I was,” she said.

Nine weeks after surgery, she began walking Samuel in his jogging stroller, hitting the hills and trying to get an aerobic workout. At the 12-week mark, she took a kickboxing class and started walking and running. Eight and a half months after her surgery, she ran the Army 10 miler.

‘‘It was the best 10 miles I ever ran,” she said. ‘‘In the past it was all about my time, and (in 2005) it was more about just enjoying the beautiful day. I was thinking to myself, ‘I can’t believe I’m out here doing this.’”

In November 2006, Diane —with three other women who she trained—ran the Philadelphia marathon. Her time qualified her to run the April 16 Boston Marathon; however, she had to skip the race because of last-minute family medical issues.

‘‘My mind wouldn’t have been in the race,” she said. ‘‘I’ll be there next year.”

Rackin’ up points with paintball course

Fort Detrick’s MWR paintball team has picked up where they left off last season. In their first five-person tournament of the season at Outdoor Adventures in Bowie, Maryland, ‘‘Team Outbreak” took 1st place in the Rookie Division and ended up only 12 points behind for a 2nd place finish in the Novice division. The team is comprised of MWR paintball employees and volunteers. In their off time the team members help to improve and maintain the course, located over in Area B. The team members are: Michael Malasky ''Captain'', Brain Mitchell, Chris Bennett, Charlie Heubner, Dan Kline,Tommy Storck, and Alva Moses who make up Novice. The team members who are on the team Rookie are: Bill Thomas ''Captain,'' Chris Michaelis, Luke Klock, Matt Jones, Tyler Shaw, Malcolm Albright.

Fort Detrick’s regular paintball season is now open, 301-619-0247.

—Morale, Welfare, and Recreation Office

Warriors

Six Soldiers from the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases graduated from Warrior Leadership Course held March 30 through April 14 at Fort Indiantown Gap, Penn. USAMRIID Soldiers from Class 008 were, from left to right, Spc. Chet A. Bateman; Spc. Dennis S. Harris; Spc. Jacqueline A. Cupino; Capt. April Harris, USAMRIID Medical Company Commander; Spc. Samuel I. Navarrete; Sgt. 1st Class Juan Ortiz, First Sergeant; Spc. Adam L. Hedge; and Spc. David E. Flowers. Flowers’ classmates nominated him for Leadership Award, which required him to compete before an oral board. In addition to wining the Leadership Award, Flowers was also on the Commandant’s List with Harris. The Commandant’s List is made up of the top 20 percent of the entire class of more than 170 Soldiers. (Courtesy photo)