Running for Life: Diagnosed with Crohn's Disease

One of the big driving reasons in my life that I choose to run is because of Crohn's.  At times, Crohn's can deplete me mentally and physically - but when I run, all that fades away.  My body feels strong and healthy, and I know I can overcome any obstacle life puts in my way.  Having Crohn's, that feeling is something I no longer take for granted.

I was diagnosed with Crohn's disease shortly after moving to Massachusetts after college.  I had just started a new "big girl" job in healthcare management, moved far away from my friends and family, and moved into an apartment on my own.  Looking back now, I had been experiencing symptoms for quite some time before that, but then the disease became undeniable.  I lost weight rapidly - down almost 15 pounds in a few weeks - and experienced excruciating abdominal pain.  The more I tried to ignore it, the worse it came back with a vengeance.  Finally I found myself admitted to the hospital with a nasogastric tube and preparing for a colonoscopy - and in the next few days, was officially diagnosed with Crohn's disease. 

Shortly after moving to MA at less than 100 pounds

  The news was devastating.  At the time, I knew nothing about Crohn's, so I did as much research as I could.  I learned that there was no cure for this chronic condition, and that physicians weren't even sure what caused it.  I learned that in addition to abdominal pain and other unpleasant GI symptoms, it could cause fatigue, weight loss, joint pain, mouth ulcers and more.  It explained so much of how I had been feeling.  

As the next few months passed by, I learned that I could help to control these symptoms.  My gastroenterologist tried a number of medications before we found one that worked - an oral medication called azathioprine, which works by suppressing the immune system (and putting patients at higher risk for other diseases, since white blood cell production is suppressed).  I also learned that diet played a huge role in the inflammation and pain I was experiencing.  The foods we traditionally think of as healthy - like whole grains, vegetables, fruit and dairy - wreaked havoc with my GI system.  Over the years, I have learned through trial and error which foods work for me, and which I can tolerate when my disease is flaring versus when my symptoms are in remission.  

Yikes, check out that prednisone puffiness!

 I also found that exercise was critical to help relieve symptoms (as well as, for me, to reduce stress levels - is commonly thought to be a trigger for Crohn's flares).  So although running could not have been harder at the time, as I found myself sometimes doubled over in pain or experiencing crippling joint pain, it felt like one of the very few things I had control over during a very uncertain and scary time.  

When I completed my first marathon after being diagnosed with Crohn's, I knew I had fallen in love with this sport all over again - and felt like nothing could stand in my way.  Running with Crohn's has proven to me that despite the physical and mental challenges of this chronic disease, I am stronger and braver than I sometimes feel.  Crohn's has taught me patience - knowing that there will be days where just getting out of bed is a struggle, and I need to work with what my body gives me on a day-to-day, and even moment-to-moment basis.  And Crohn's has made me grateful for the days that I do have - those incredible runner's high moments where it feels like I could go forever.  I know with this disease that life has no guarantees - but living with Crohn's gives me a reason to push past all that, and to experience every moment of the run. 
 

First marathon post-diagnosis - victory!

 Why am I writing about this now?  Well this week, I received some not-so-great news.  It appears that my miracle drug that has kept my Crohn's in remission for the past five years or so is no longer working for me.  That's not altogether unusual, as the body adapts to a certain class of drugs and requires a more aggressive form of treatment.  However, I was hoping to have at least a few more years on this one.  Now all I can do is wait for more testing to figure out what my body up to now... including my fifth colonoscopy in as many years.  

As unsettling as all the uncertainty is right now, I am doing my best to take each challenge as it comes.  I am focusing on being grateful for how strong my body has become over the years, both as a result of this incredible sport of running and of fighting this disease.  Crohn's has put many obstacles in my path, but for now, I appreciate every moment I have to keep running on.

Hyannis Half Marathon Race Recap

I am excited to be participating for the first time in a link-up by a fellow running blogger at MissSippiPiddlin.  The purpose of this link-up is to connect with and support other active women. 

 
This was my second time running the Hyannis Half Marathon - the first time all the way back in 2010, when I was still living in Maine.  And my how far I've come... I managed to shave nearly 20 minutes off my time.  Not "half" bad!  (Ok, that was really bad...)  But in all seriousness, I enjoyed today's race and am very pleased with my run!  

The Happiest Place on Earth: Disney Marathon Race Recap

This month, I traveled to the happiest place on earth for my 9th Disney Marathon!  I will never get tired of this race... We started the long weekend the way all good weekends start - with some serious shopping at the marathon expo!

It doesn't get better than this!

Triple Threat Rockport Half Marathon Recap

Last weekend, one of my most special friends from back home in Chicago came to visit me.  I was SO excited!  Amy is one of those friends who I only get to see about once a year, but when we're back together, it's like we were never apart.  We ran our first race together back in 2008 in Chicago, when we were crazy enough to take on an obstacle run-bike race called the Muddy Buddy together.

Our finish line victory!

 Last year, we got together in Louisville, Kentucky for the Kentucky Derby Marathon.  Amy ran the half and I ran the full, and we had the time of our lives together on a road trip from Chicago and exploring the city!  

Enjoying a well-earned post race drink!

 This year, Amy had the idea of signing up for a race together while she was visiting the East Coast, so we signed up for the Rockport marathon in a beautiful coastal town in Massachusetts a few months ago.  We were looking forward to crossing the finish line together for the first time, and couldn't wait for our weekend together!

A few weeks before the race, when we were both looking through the runners' packet, we came across the elevation map, and were slightly horrified by the rolling hills.  That combined with the 10:15 am start time in the heat of summer made for two VERY nervous runners!  Since we figured we would be running at a dead-slow pace, we thought we might as well look good, so thanks to some amazing online shopping, we bought matching sequined running skirts and headbands!  Check out our pre-race photo... pretty awesome.

Still in denial about the race at this point!

 We got lots of comments about our great matching outfits from the race photographers and spectators, which made the run even more fun!  Although it was hilly, we were lucky to have a cloudy day with a cool breeze, and the most beautiful ocean views you can imagine.  It was the perfect race day!  

And this is why I love racing in New England

 Although it was a really challenging course, we had a TON of fun posing for some of the best race photos I think I have ever taken.  I mean, it takes some serious talent to look good in race photos, and I think Amy and I mastered that pretty well!  I never buy race photos, but I think I won't be able to resist one of these!  Check them out:

Feeling great!

Doesn't get better than that!

We did it!!

I have run some pretty amazing races all around the country and the world, but nothing compares with crossing the finish line hand in hand with one of my most special friends.  We've been through so much together, and now being able to share the struggle and the triumph of marathoning together just makes our friendship even more incredible.

I love that the medals matched our skirts!

After the race, we grabbed armloads of water bottles and snacks, and collapsed on the grass near the finish line.  I can't even begin to say what I ate within a half hour of the finish, all while lying in the grass... it was pretty impressive, even for me!  After pulling ourselves together and enjoying a nice lunch in Rockport, we headed back to Quincy for a shower and a much-needed nap (Did I mention we had a 5 am wake-up call for the race?  Yikes!)

Once we were clean and well-rested, we headed to the Hingham Shipyard for our victory dinner.  After a beautiful walk along the harbor as the sun was setting, we settled down for dinner along the waterfront.  I had a watermelon beer, which was pretty much phenomenal.  

Obligatory marathon medal & victory drink photo!

Our post-race celebration was amazing, and the perfect ending to such a special weekend.  I can't wait to start planning our next race adventure together! 

Perfection

Hotter Than... Old Port Half Marathon Race Recap

The Old Port Marathon started off so beautifully.  I arrived at the Ocean Gateway Terminal, the main pier in downtown Portland where the race started, just as the sun was rising over the docks.  

Probably wins for best Packet Pickup view ever.

 I spent some time stretching and warming up along the tip of the pier, feeling the cool ocean breeze and enjoying the salty spray of the waves as they crashed upon the dock.  I was ready for a great race!

I loved the red tug boats... so quintessential Maine!

 As the start of the race took us straight down Commercial Street, a flat two miles along the water, straight through the heart of downtown Portland, I was feeling pretty good.  I knew the hilliest part of the race was ahead of me at mile 3 in the Western Promenade Park, but I tried to stay in the moment and enjoy the beautiful views.

I kind of wanted to stop for some shopping and a coffee...

 And then the hilly part came.  And just as the narrator in the race preview video said, the hills were so steep that you could walk faster than you could run.  I actually saw some people have to STOP walking to take a rest midway up the hill.  It was unbelievably steep, and the hills seemed to never stop coming!  By the time I left the Western Promenade around mile 5, I couldn't even feel my quads and gluts.  

Definitely time for a coffee break after all those hills!

 As I ran back down Commercial Street toward the Eastern Promenade and a loop around the Back Cove, the sun was really starting to pound down.  The views of the ocean were absolutely stunning, but the lack of shade along the ocean-side paths made the heat stifling.  As I reached the Back Cove, I could feel myself getting more and more dehydrated as the miles passed by.

Too hot to appreciate the beautiful views

I knew the trail around the Back Cove would be 3.5 miles before the course turned back toward the finish line, and trail had mile markers every quarter-mile.  I counted down each one of those mile markers, which seemed to get increasingly further apart as I circled the bay.  Luckily, after the Back Cove loop, there were 3 water stops over the last few miles of the course.  I stopped at every table, drinking in as much water and Gatorade as my parched throat could swallow.  Finally, I reached the finish line - my legs feeling remarkably good, but the rest of me feeling unbelievably awful.

The awards were actually buoys - so cool!

After finishing, I managed to make it all the way to the line of Port-a-Potties before throwing up every last drop of water and Gatorade I had drank over the past three miles.  If there is anything more miserable than being hot, sore, tired, and violently ill in a 3x3 Port-a-Potty used by hundreds of other sweaty runners, I have yet to discover it.  

On the drive back up north, I had to pull over twice, throwing up things I didn't even remember eating on the side of I-95.  It was pretty fantastic.  Not.  By the time I got back, I was so dehydrated and dizzy that all I could do was pass out on my bed, still in my gross running clothes, that had acquired white streaks stained with salt from sweat dried by the hot sun.  After a long nap, I alternated between chair and bed for the entire afternoon, slowly drinking glass after glass of water, and trying to help my pounding head and churning stomach recover from their ordeal.  It wasn't until dinnertime that I started to feel somewhat human again.

A well-earned victory photo!

Finally, around 7 pm, I was able to get some solid food down, and muster a half-smiling attempt at a victory photo with my medal and race shirt.  At least the medal and the shirt were good-looking, because I certainly was not!!

All in all, not my best race.  Dehydrating then over-hydrating and getting violently ill really detracted from the beautiful ocean views and seamless organization of a race in one of my favorite cities.  But would I do it again next year, for my third consecutive Old Port race?  Without a doubt.  Hopefully next year, I will be smarter about my fluid intake... lesson learned!!

Have you ever over-hydrated during a race?  What are your hydration tips for marathons?  

My BHAG

One of my favorite work-related books, Built to Last, coined the term BHAG - a Big, Hairy, Audacious Goal - a long-term goal that has the potential to change the very existence of a business. The author, James Collins, describes a BHAG as nearly impossible to achieve, without consistently working outside one's comfort zone and displaying commitment, confidence, and even a bit of arrogance.  

My BHAG is to finish a 50-mile ultramarathon.  I have wanted to run an ultra ever since I started running marathons, because it always seemed like the natural next step.  When I first started running full marathons, I was captivated by the duality of excitement and sheer terror experienced at the start line.  Could I possibly push my body to finish the 26.2 mile course?  What would it feel like to hit the "wall", and could I push past it?  After running more marathons than I can count over the past nearly ten years, I am far from being able to say that running a marathon is easy, but at the same time, the marathon has lost that sense of terrifying, thrilling uncertainty for me.  I no longer wonder "what if".  I know there will be moments (or miles) of excruciating pain, but I also know that I will find a way to push past my body's physical limits, to the finish line.  

But an ultramarathon?  I have no idea if I can do it.  And that's exactly why I want to do it.

 

 I want to push myself further than I have pushed before.  I want to experience the feeling of giving everything I have to give.  Every last ounce of me.  And conquering something that at this point seems totally out of reach.  

There is a documentary about ultramarathons called "The Distance of Truth", and I think the title couldn't be more fitting.  Pushing the body's physical and mental limits as a marathoner is ultimately about truth.  It's about finding and knowing your true self - who you are, after everything else has been stripped away, and there's nothing left but sheer determination to finish what you started.  As one of my favorite running quotes from Marc Parent says...

"Running is a kind of truth serum. It brutally strips away everything you put on and leaves you with only yourself. The runner on the road, hunched over or otherwise, knows something that the passenger in the car doesn't. Down to the core, the runner knows who he is. The runner has to. He's so tired, who he is is all that's left... The farther he runs, the more he knows, the more that shows."

Can I finish an ultramarathon?  I'm not sure.  But I do know that the journey to achieve my BHAG will change me.  And I look forward to the challenge! 

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