Strava Marathon (Bellingham, MA)
Finish Time: 3:43
Pace: 8:31
Temp: 64
Conditions: Inside
Run For: Mark
Recap:
“That’s sounds like a terrible idea… I’m in.”
Not going to lie, when it comes to running, I’ve said this exact thing to myself on more than one occasion…. Ok, fine.. it definitely happens a lot.
Often times when people find out that I run long distances, marathons specifically, and I tell them I don’t run with music the question I get asked the most is always… what do you think about?
This a hard question to give an answer to because the response varies greatly. I guess it all depends on the day and what’s going on in my life.
Which leads me to today’s marathon for Mark. Life has been pretty busy and the summer has flown bye. I wanted to get back to running more marathons this fall because it’s my favorite time of the year to run in New England. Saturday was the first official day of the fall season and what better way to kick that off with another marathon for 26.2 For You.
The weather this weekend for the Boston area was less than ideal with rain and wind from the remnants of Tropical Storm Ophelia. Normally I’d embrace running in the rain, but this past week I have been fighting something, a head cold, possibly allergies, maybe both. Whatever it is, it’s still lingering so needless to say, I wasn’t feeling 100% heading into this run.
So, was it a good idea to run a marathon with all this going on? No, probably not but like that quote says – that’s terrible idea.. I’m in!
Run smart; it’s what I preach as a coach so I took my own advice and kept this weekend’s running inside by deciding to break the marathon into multiple parts. The plan: I will run based on feel, trying not to push it too much.
I ran 8 miles in the morning, which felt hard and left me feeling nervous about the remaining 18 miles still left to cover. To be honest I wasn’t feeling confident after those 8 miles because it took a lot of energy to power through those early miles. Fortunately, some rest and a little food seemed to help as I jumped back on the treadmill for another 11 miles in the afternoon. Besides feeling tired with the lack of energy, I was able to breath once I got going, which helped and made the seeming impossible 26.2 total miles feel achievable. After the 11-mile section I took a short 30-minute break in order to hydrate and give my legs a little breather before forcing myself to get back on and complete the last 7 miles.
If I’m being honest, I almost stopped again after 4 miles because my pace was slowing and I was just about done. However, this is when I thought about Mark and his story. I thought about the scary times he went through that were hard on him. I made deal with myself; I would run just two more miles of the remaining three, as strong as I could and then I could walk the last mile. Why walk the last mile instead of running through to the end? There were two reasons I decided to take this approach.
Mark has been a huge advocate on behalf of the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation, more specifically with the Greater Boston Take Steps program. This is the area where Mark has done a lot so I figure I’d pay homage to the number of years he has participated in Take Steps and walk the last mile in honor of that. I thought it would be a cool gesture.
The second reason is because I was flat out tired and just wanted to stop running.
So, it worked out and I was able to finish and complete the marathon which honestly felt more like a mountain than most of the others I’ve recently run.
Did I run 26.2 miles consecutively today? No, but this challenge has adapted along the way and at the end of the day, I am running 26.2 total miles for someone each time out and on some days all those miles will come in separate parts. Today was one of those days but in the end, I will always complete the marathon and it’ll still be 26.2 For You.
I honestly don’t know which is harder, running 26.2 miles in one shot which is obviously hard and taxing on your body or doing the same distance in chunks throughout the day. Doing it in sections with gaps in between is also hard because depending on the length of the breaks the body starts to go into recovery mode when at rest. Making yourself get back moving and forcing that recovery take a back seat can be really hard too.
I will continue to be smart and listen to my body. I always run the marathons based on feel and I know this whole journey is a marathon (literally), not a sprint. Even feeling slightly under the weather, I was able to complete this 26.2 and as sore and tired as I am today, it was worth it. It’s always worth it.
I mentioned Mark’s involvement with the foundation but how we met is actually tied directly to 26.2 For You. A few years back when I started this marathon journey, I ran 26 marathons within that first year. The very last marathon, #26 was one that turned into a group effort in Lexington where a number of Team Challenge friends joined me as I finished up the last marathon that year.
Mark had heard about what I was doing and he made it a point to stop by and introduce himself in person on that day. So, I literally met Mark during 26.2 For You and because of 26.2 For You, which is pretty amazing. Since that day we have become friends and I have seen and spoken with him on many occasions. I’ve heard his story and I’ve seen what he does not only for the foundation but for the IBD community. To say he is an asset to this group of people is an understatement. Of all the things he does to help support others it was the story about being a peer mentor at the hospital that stuck with me. He volunteers to be there for those who are about to go through the surgery he had. I heard about how he takes time to talk with others, answering questions, calming fears and just being there as one who can relate to what they are going through. That fact alone, being someone you can relate to, is an important aspect of this community. That is the reason I share the stories I do because out there somewhere, someone might read one of the stories and say, I can relate to that. Being able to find people who can relate, who “get it” can be really hard, especially when you are dealing with a chronic illness. Mark, and everyone else who’s story I’ve shared, allows me to give the opportunity for someone to see that they are not alone. I’m forever grateful for this opportunity to share these stories, to help raise awareness for these diseases, and to provide a platform for voices to be heard and be read.
I was fortunate enough to see Mark run his first Team Challenge event earlier this year in Clearwater, FL. He participated with the team and completed 5k and I had a front row seat, being able to get in some miles with him on the course. This was just another way for Mark to give back to the foundation again, this time with Team Challenge. It’s people like him who inspire me with their efforts and their drive to continue to help others. It’s also so empowering to see Mark accomplishment something that at one point he’d ever think he would do again. Surgery and the doctors of Beth Israel Hospital saved his life and when he’s says he is just living every day to the fullest, I can tell you that after knowing Mark for a few years now, he is doing just that.
Thank you Mark for all that you do for the foundation and the community. It was an honor for me to share your story and run for you yesterday. I’m happy to fight alongside you in this battle against IBD and I know when we get cures it’ll be because of the efforts of people just like you. Thank you again, my friend. This 26.2 was for you!
26.2 FOR YOU 