Before I was diagnosed with RA, I was a novice, recreational runner. My father was a runner and he somehow got the whole family into running/walking. We participated in many races together, including the Shelter Island 10k and the Long Island State Parks Summer Run series. As I was increasing my running chops (I somehow got down to a 9 minute mile - a major coup for a total non-athlete like me!), a crazy thought entered my little brain......maybe I will run a marathon...
Once RA took over my body, though, that thought quickly vanished, along with a lot of the other things I enjoyed (dancing, yoga, exercising, going out for a few drinks with friends). It took time to adjust to my new life, my medication, and my prednisone 20 (oh what a joy!).
It's three and a half years later, and I've truly learned to live and thrive with RA. My medication is working great and I am on a very low dose to boot. I generally feel pretty good and I have a good understanding of what my body can handle. This winter I started to get back into running and I am loving it yet again.
Last weekend, while I was with my family on Long Island, my sister mentioned that a bunch of her friends are running the NYC Marathon this year, and she was thinking about doing it. I encouraged her to do so - it's an accomplishment of a lifetime, and one that is even better if you can do it with a support system.
Then she asked me the question: Do you want to do it too?
So, now I am considering running a marathon - something I wasn't even sure if I wanted to do BEFORE I was diagnosed with RA. But now that I have it, I want to prove to the disease that the disease doesn't control my body: I control my body.
What do you think, Sick Chicks (and dudes): To run or not to run the NYC Marathon?
xoxo,
Kat
