The sound of the cannon blasting sent vibrations through the ground and all the way into my heart. Boom! And off we went. The NYC Marathon was happening and it was grandiose. The coolest race in the coolest city on this planet. Ok I’m biased. I’m a New Yorker. But still, it was quite amazing looking at the Verrazano bridge up ahead. As the race began, the excitement all around was so palpable that it made you forget you just ran a mile already. Uphill. Steep uphill. How incredibly exciting!
Now let’s back up a few days. My taper was going quite well as I finished my last run on Wednesday with three days of rest ahead of my race. Everything was going according to plan but I then I got hit by a curve ball. Thursday morning while on my way to work, I took one step down the stairs and screamed in pain as it felt like a knife just went into my knee. I was so confused by this that I didn’t even know how to react. At first I thought it was just a bone misalignment and I attempted to pop this thing back in. I couldn’t do it, so on my lunch break I went to the physical therapy office and asked them to do it. They examined my knee and found no misalignment but an ultra sound revealed some inflammation (the technical term is knee bursitis).
Wait, what? I have a race in three days? Now what do I do? This was frightening, confusing and new. I’ve never had any issues with my knees. They told me to ice it and take ibuprofen. Ok, I thought, but how long does it take for this to clear up? Nobody knows. It’s very individual apparently. So I started researching what foods decrease inflammation since ibuprofen doesn’t heal, only masks the pain (actually it may even stall it). Armed with as much information on anti inflammatory foods, I started consuming them as much as possible and once I got home I began to ice the knee. As I would sit there, eating my pineapple and icing, thoughts would be rushing into my head. Like, “Are you kidding me here? You can’t run like this. You better not. Opt out now or it will be a horrible and miserable experience”. I still dragged myself to the expo on Friday morning but feeling completely demoralized and defeated, I just wanted to get my bib and my shirt and get out as quickly as possible. What’s the point? I couldn’t enjoy it and be shopping if I can’t run this.
On my way out I got a text from a friend. She said that I was on her mind today and she will be praying for my race to go well. I was stunned. She didn’t know I was injured. Tears started rolling down my face as I realized something bigger was happening here and now I just couldn’t throw in the towel. I decided to stay at the expo and enjoy it. I got a bunch of cool stuff and learned about the wonders of Biofreeze! Oh yeah this thing is for real folks. The good people at the KT station taped my knee. A little later that day I get a text from another friend who said I was on her mind these past few days and she too offered to pray for me. I was so encouraged by all this that I became determined to go through with it, pain be damned.
Here’s my knee bursitis survival kit: KT tape, ice pack, Biofreeze and dark chocolate.
By Saturday night I was beginning to feel better but I haven’t tested it going down the stairs and I wasn’t about to. I slept well despite all this and got ready in the morning like nothing happened. Everything was going well until I was stepping down from the bus that took us to the start line. There was that pain again. It wasn’t severe and it was manageable but it was there and its presence frightened me. Knots started turning in my stomach and I thought “What are you doing here? How are you going to run a marathon with this?” Oh boy it was hard to push that aside. The nerves were definitely causing me stomach issues and I just couldn’t get it together.
Somehow I managed to get into my corral and wait patiently to begin running, not knowing what awaited me. As I slathered a third coat of Biofreeze, I said a quick prayer. “God, it’s all you now and all for you. Don’t let me fail”. When I took those first steps cautiously I was distracted by all excitement and that was a good thing. When the second mile began and I felt no pain, I stepped on the gas and picked up pace. Before I knew it I was at third mile and still no pain. It was going to be ok after all. Thank you Jesus! And I pressed on. I was trying to still be cautious as it was so crowded, and any wrong move could cause a possible issue. All the water stations didn’t help since it created so much activity and all the thrown cups on the ground a potential hazard for slipping. Seriously people, why do we need a drink station at EVERY mile? Anyway, trying to be careful I decided to run a cautious race and be in-tune with my body, not pushing too hard. I waited for something to go wrong but it didn’t. Sure the course was harder than some of other ones I’ve ran but it was my self doubt and nerves that held me back more than anything else.
At some point during the race when things got hard, I remembered all the people who are praying for me. God was there. He was with me and I had nothing to worry about. My legs were throbbing towards the end but my spirit was flying high. The sight of Central Park was overwhelming. I tried to hold back my emotions as I knew I was almost done. The end was near and I persevered. I crossed the finish line feeling unbelievably accomplished. The worst part? That horribly long walk AFTER the finish. Oh man it took what seemed like forever to exit the park. Like really race organizers, can we do something about that? It’s awful to have to walk for another 30 minutes. Yeah, and please don’t tell me it’s good for me to walk. You know what’s good? Beer! Or wine, coffee or whatever else just as long as I can finally sit down and relax damn it! Had to be said. I know we ALL felt it. No doubt.
Regardless of any of this, the whole experience was absolutely incredible. I am humbled and honored to have friends and family who care about me and support me in the best way possible. And most importantly, my faith was strengthened today. Not in myself but in the God who gives me all I need to succeed.
“But those who wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles, they shall run and not be weary, and they shall walk and not faint.” Isaiah 40:31