Are Marathons Healthy

Around nine months ago I wrote a post questioning whether or not Marathons are healthy. I wrote the post a few days after I had completed the ING Georgia Marathon. In the half a year since that has passed I have trained for and ran the New York City Marathon and I am currently a few weeks away from running in the Disney Marathon.

The good news for anyone interested in running a Marathon is that I am still running with no real problems. I have reduced my mile pace by close to a minute and I have also lost close to fifteen pounds. I have been taking a vitamin supplement as well as glucosamine. I still can feel an old hip injury during the first couple of miles but otherwise I have not noticed any changes in my body.

The scary news is that during the past few months there have been multiple cases of sudden death during marathons. Chad Schieber collapsed during the Chicago Marathon this summer. His death has been attributed to a pre-existing heart condition. In April, 22 year old David Rogers collapsed after completing the London Marathon. His death has been attributed to hyponatraemia. Finally, there was the highly publicized death of Ryan Shay, the elite runner who perished while attempting to qualify for the Beijing 2008 Olympics. His death has also been linked to a pre-existing heart condition.

It should be noted that these young men who died while running made up a very small percentage of those who ran in Marathons and finished without a problem. Most of these men had pre-existing conditions and the stress of the marathon was too much for their bodies to take. These unfortunate events highlight the need to get a proper medical exam before attempting to run long distances. Marathons place a enormous amount of stress on the human body and you need to be sure that you are not putting yourself in danger.

Pretty much the hardest thing I have ever done

3 months ago i decided that i would attempt to run a marathon. As a virile young man, i thought to myself, "how hard could it possibly be?" Well, as it turns out, it was pretty darn hard. I was fortunate to have the opportunity to train with a co-worker of mine who is a veteran marathon runner. She is disciplined enough to make sure that we followed through with our training, including grueling 15, 18 and 22 mile long weekend runs.

Besides enduring torture treatment from Jack Bower, running 26.2 miles could possibly be the most painful thing to do to your body. I was prepared for the chaffing and the pounding that results in blisters and bloody nipples. I was ready to be dehydrated. What i was not ready for was the mental and emotional exhaustion that slammed into me around mile 23. The thought of going 3.2 more miles became emotionally devastating. During our training runs, a 3 miler would be completed in 25 minutes with barely a sweat broken. Now it seemed an impossible distance.

Somehow Jess and I were able to finish. For her account of the race check out her blog (Jess Blog). At the finish line, a wave of emotion flooded through me. It was amazing to me that i was able to complete something that less than .1% of Americans have ever done. I quickly moved on to help Jess into the medical tent and then to the food tent to guzzle down delicious bagels and oreos.

In the hotel after it was all over, i laid on the bed barely able to move. In between complaining about soreness and pain, we discussed the high and low points of the race. Within a few minutes our conversation turned to discussions of upcoming races. I am proud to admit that i have already signed up for the Disney Marathon and am in the pool for the New York Marathon. Thanks Jess for getting me hooked.