Strava Marathon (Bellingham, MA)
Finish Time: 3:36
Pace: 8:16
Temp: 58
Conditions: Indoors
Run For: A Friend
Recap:
What better way to start off the new year than to run a marathon, more specifically to keep 26.2 For You going into 2025!
This was marathon #85 and I’m excited to be getting that much closer to 100 total marathons overall. I expect to reach the conclusion of this journey at some point a little later in the year. A journey that started in 2018, running one marathon at a time, sharing one inspiring story after another. We have made a lot of progress but there is still so much more that is yet to come. I appreciate all the support and encouragement along the way and am excited to keep the marathon journey going down this final stretch.
I want to thank my friend for allowing me to share their story and am so grateful they were willing to share as much as they did. I know it can be hard to deal with Crohn’s Disease or ulcerative colitis and being open and willing to discuss the details can be even harder for some. This is the second story I’ve shared where the patient requested to remain anonymous. I am always honored to be able to share all these stories but I do realize that some are not as comfortable as others when it comes to being fully open about what they go through daily, year after year.
Honestly, I have reached out to some friends that were not comfortable sharing their story and I understand their hesitancy to do so. I have so much respect for them and appreciate their honesty in telling me they just are not able to do it. What I have learned through my years of involvement with Team Challenge is that everyone is in a different place on how they are dealing with their own situations. It varies from those who are entirely open and able to talk about all the details while some prefer to keep it all close to the vest and everywhere in between.
How many people do you know who don’t talk much about what they have been through? It’s more common than I thought so it really does mean a lot to me to be able to share all the stories, especially those who remain to be less public about it.
With over 3 million people living in America with IBD, the odds are we all know someone, if not many, who are battling Crohn’s or colitis and we don’t know that we do. They just haven’t told us, or anyone about what their life is like battling against these awful diseases. 26.2 For You is for all those who are willing to share their story or not. We are raising awareness and continuing to do all we can for every one of them, regardless of where they are in their fight. Publicly and privately 26.2 For You is for YOU!
Today’s marathon was done in two parts, both being on the treadmill. I was thinking about running part of this on the treadmill and then finishing up outside on the roads. However, I actually got caught up (or better yet, distracted) watching the Vuelta a Espana from this past August. Like in some marathons I’ve run in the past, I’ve done them while running on the treadmill, watching professional cycling. Being a cyclist as well as a runner, I have a love for both sports and that includes watching major races in both disciplines. It’s been a busy fall so being able to catch up on this cycling event stage by stage is a great distraction when running for hours on the treadmill. I was able to reach 20 miles in the first part of this one while binge watching the extended stage highlights and it definitely helped pass the time and the miles. After a short break to refuel and hydrate I decided to head back on the treadmill inside of going outside so I could watch even more of this race.
The final 10k went by quickly enough even though my legs were tired and somewhat uncomfortable. Being able to zone out while watching others push themselves is motivating to me so having this encouragement as well as the motivation behind those who I’m running for, it’s a recipe for success for sure. Find inspiration wherever you can and use it to keep propelling you forward!
It was a great way to kick off the new year and I am pleased with the effort during this marathon. Consistency was the key word with this one and even when I felt tired, I just kept the legs turning. Stopping is not an option until 26.2 miles have been completed. I do not run these marathons alone and today we completed the 85th one. I have used a slogan with 26.2 For You and I’ll repeat it here now because it rings true, especially today as we got closer to our goal of 100.
“26.2 miles closer to a cure, one marathon at a time.”
26.2 FOR YOU 