Strava Marathon (Bellingham, MA)
Finish Time: 3:50
Pace: 8:48
Temp: 68
Conditions: Warm and Clear
Run For: Carli
Recap:
Running a marathon is hard on your body. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again and again. Running a ridiculous number of marathons in a fairly short amount of time isn’t exactly ideal for the body either.
Running beats you up, physically, mentally and emotionally. Ask any runner, especially a long-distance runner and they will tell you all about the times they were defeated mentally and/or emotionally from a run/race. Most runners are also not shy when talking about all the injuries they have had, thanks in part to a sport that sees a force equal to 3 to 4 times your bodyweight coming down each time your foot impacts the ground. That’s in excess of 600 pounds every step you take! Running is undeniably not easy on the body.
With running comes injuries, it happens to everyone and even though there are a lot of things you can do to limit the number of injuries and the severity, inevitably they show up and you can’t avoid them completely. Years ago, I developed a bad case of chondromalacia, also known as runner’s knee. I honestly think I first did something to my knee while at basketball camp as a kid when I landed wrong going for a rebound and injured it. It had never given me any trouble since then until one year during a local 5k where I seemed to aggravate it. Whatever I did, it was bad enough to sideline me for quite some time. At that time, I was able to add “Runner’s Knee” to my list of pretty severe running injuries which unfortunately seemed to be getting longer.
Since that 5k, when something didn’t feel right, it’s the only injury I’ve had to keep my eye on throughout my running journey. Every now and again that same knee gets a little cranky for reasons I know and some reasons I have a hard time figuring out. All that being said, about a month ago it acted up on me again and had dealt with some minor swelling as well as slight knee cap alignment issues. It was nothing serious but I needed to take a little break from the longer distance runs and any speed work. I needed to allow some time for my body to heal and get better.
As a runner, it’s important to listen to your body and be smart about what you are doing!
Fortunately, things have been feeling much better which allowed me to get back at it, continuing on with 26.2 For You. To be completely honest, I was still a little hesitant heading into Sunday and the plan to run this marathon. I decided to test the waters and did a run with Sharon for 3.5 miles in the morning, without wearing a knee brace or KT tape for the first time. This test run went well and things felt good, so I decided to add another test and picked up the pace for another mile and a half. Again, everything seemed to be in good working order so it was all systems go to keep adding the miles. After a quick break to fuel and hydrate I jumped on the treadmill to cover another 8 miles, again just to make sure all felt good reaching the half marathon mark. With half of the marathon complete now, I felt confident I could finish up with the second half after taking a break to eat some “real” food (aka not GU or Blocks). The final piece of the plan for this marathon was the real test; to see how 13 miles felt after already running 13 miles. At this point I didn’t anticipate any issues and my only concern was not wanting to let too much “non-running” time to pass because I was nervous about the recovery process kicking in. I have always been fairly quick to recover post run so this is actually always a concern when breaking any of these marathons down into multiple parts, not necessarily a concern with just the run this day.
For the final 13 miles, I purposely and deliberately slowed my overall pace and my body and knee appreciated it by still feeling good. Even these last couple days, post run, things seem to be going well with no swelling or alignment issues to speak of. I’m pretty happy about this and credit being a much wiser runner than I was in my 20’s. This has kept me fairly healthy and injury free for quite some time despite the amount of running, specifically marathon distance running I’ve been logging. Listening to my body and being smart about it has been the key to success for me and is something I wish I knew, or better yet, followed when I first started running years ago. I was 100% a very stubborn runner and a stubborn runner is usually an injured runner. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve still had injuries along the way, but nothing serious that has stopped me from running entirely. The severity has diminished tremendously which I’m very thankful for.
Overall, I felt really good and pretty comfortable running the entire time during this marathon, so now with this successful 26.2 I’m ready to keep things going. I’m ready to get back on schedule to run more marathons and share more stories as we make our way to 100 total marathons.
Speaking of stories, I was honored to be able to share Carli’s story with this marathon. I met Carli when she ran the Chicago Marathon with Team Challenge two years ago with what was referred to as “The Bowel Brigade” which included her sister Jayme, her brother Paul, and his partner Natalia. Running is better with friends and it’s something special when family members join you. Both Carli and Paul have been living with Crohn’s Disease for many years and it has been both a complex and, at times, a gut wrenching journey. IBD doesn’t just affect the person who has it, it’s something their entire family goes through with them. For Carli and Paul, they had family going through marathon training and the Chicago Marathon as well, so it was definitely a more enjoyable experience together… well, maybe.
Carli has been through a lot but she has also accomplished so much despite having Crohn’s Disease. Like she said, her disease doesn’t define her. Like many others I know, Carli gives back to the IBD community not just by participating with Team Challenge. Her involvement with both the University of Chicago and the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation are so important in helping others who are also patients dealing with IBD. It is because of people like Carli that are propelling us closer towards that cure, and making life better and more manageable for those until we get there.
Thank you, Carli, for allowing me to share your story and run a marathon for you. I admire all that you do to give back and help others and I know when we do get those cures it’ll be in part because of the efforts of people like you. It was awesome to have a front row seat witnessing The Bowel Brigade” crush the Chicago Marathon a couple years ago. Impressive running by all four of you and a well-earned Chicago Marathon finisher medal to add to your growing collection. Thank you again, this 26.2 was for you!
26.2 FOR YOU 