Marathoner

I ran my first full marathon this week! It was one of the most exhausting, thrilling, dramatic, and fulfilling days of my life. I trained for well over 6 months, every single day, watched what I ate, tracked the miles, managed the injuries and prayed for strength and endurance.

I started out my training ahead of most people because I was going to be extra prepared.  My wonderful exercise-induced husband offered to train me and admittedly wanted to use me as a guinea pig for his ideas on paleo/ketotic training in regards to endurance for a marathon. I agreed because I honestly do trust his knowledge in exercise and training more than anyone I know. So I cut down my carbohydrates to between 50 and 100 grams per day.  I kept this up on and off for months.  Unfortunately it doesn't really work to do it on and off... you need to be a lot more on than off and mostly under 50 grams a day to be really ketotic, but I kept plugging away.  In late November I sprained my ankle pretty badly on a trail run and ended up taking most of December off from running. But I was back on feet before new years training again!  At this point I was treadmill bound, as so many Pittsburghers are if they do not intend to run through the snow and negative degree weather. It's not the negative degrees that get me as much as the snow.  I do not like to feel as if I do not have control over my steps.

Treadmill running is something I do not enjoy because it bores me, especially for hours on end during 8-12 mile LSD runs (long slow distance). I started a habit of watching VH1 on my runs, which proved a negative thing since I had all these songs in my head all day long.  So Nick and I decided to get a membership to Audible so I could listen to audio books on my run, rather enhancing my mind than turning it to mush.  This kept me running, but in February I started getting a lot of knee pain after a certain amount of miles on the treadmill.  Nick was very helpful in teaching me the benefits of foam rolling and stretching, but the pain began to keep me from finishing the LSD runs all at once, and eventually limited the miles I could do in a period of days.  We tried upping the incline on the treadmill, thinking I was being hard on my knees, and then I tried adjusting my running form to run every few miles on my toes, learning to cushion my knees better.

Finally come late March/early April I started running outside again in hopes this would help my knee pain.  I had asked physical therapist friends about it and they thought it might be IT band issues, so I had started incorporating other exercises into my daily routine with bands and different planes. The first weekend in April I managed to run 18 miles and finish in a great deal of pain, but the most mileage I had ever done to date. I am pretty sure I prayed my way through it and it was actually God carrying me.  The following days were painful.  I was a few weeks behind my training program so I decided to go for 20 miles at a hilly park near my house the following weekend.  After only 12 miles I could no longer lift my leg/knee at all due to the most excruciating pain I had ever felt. It was now 3 weeks before the marathon and I decided to stop running completely and finally scheduled my doctor's appointment with an orthopedic doctor.

At 2 weeks before the marathon I visited the orthopedic doctor.  He gave me 5 minutes of his time and honestly it was a complete waste.  He asked me questions and interrupted my answers and then handed me a prescription for an MRI and Physical Therapy.  Later that week I angrily headed to my MRI appointment to find out it would be much more than I was willing to pay just to be told I was fine and to go to therapy.  So I scheduled my therapy for the following Monday

At 6 days before the marathon I met with the physical therapist.  I had not run for 2 weeks and had been told by people I trust that I should probably not try to run this year.  I knew in my mind that if it was up to my physical in-shapeness/lung capacity or my mentality, I could indeed run this marathon.  I knew 26 miles was within my reach, just maybe not in my knees.  I asked the doctor point blank, Can I run on Sunday?  She gave her professional opinion that she didn't see any real medical issue with me running and she certainly understood that I wouldn't want to give up now.  She told me to be prepared for the pain and I would probably have to walk, but it was up to me. She gave me exercises and did her magic on me and I stretches like crazy for those 6 days leading up to Sunday.

Sunday came and I ran the whole thing.  I started getting some pain around mile 3, much earlier than ever before... but I took some ibuprofen and gave it to God.  The pain subsided mostly around mile 8 when I started getting shin pain, so I took a little more ibuprofen and I gave it to God.  I ran with a pace group and the pacer Monica was so awesome in keeping me going.  Somethings I need to note about my marathon is what an awesome experience it was.  Running with a pace group was a lot of fun and almost took your mind off running.  It was the first time I had run without music or audio at all.  And the spectators are so much more helpful than they ever realize.  If you are willing to get up early and make a sign and hold it there and yell for hours, you are making a difference in a runners life, I promise.  Even if I see you only for a second, you made me smile and pushed me on.  Also, always put your name on your bib.  People are great and will shout out your name and it really gets you going!

My favorite signs include a few gems like:

"It's not as long as Labor!"
"It's an awful lot of running for a free banana"
"This race needs more cowbell!"
"Worst Parade Ever"
"Hurry up, the Kenyans are drinking all of your beer!"

So after all, I finished the marathon in 4 hours, 27 minutes, and 31 seconds.

At one point I thought it would never end, but I am SOOO glad I did it.  Anyone can be a marathoner.  I saw people older than my parents and much worse shape than I expected, and they had to walk maybe, but they finished.  And so can you, if your dream is big enough.