Back in early August, I ran my first half marathon of the summer. I wasn't happy with my time on the first one, so I wanted a second crack at it. Have I mentioned I'm incredibly stubborn, and I NEVER settle? What I didn't realize is that I was scheduled to do my Humira shot the night before the race. I decided to turn to all of my wonderful IBD followers, and pose a critical question to them. Should I still proceed with my scheduled dose, or wait and do it after my event? The overwhelming response was, "save the shot." Another comment that stuck out was, "unless you want to sabotage your run, go for it." As the famed Beastie Boys song goes, "listen all y'all, it's a sabotage," and sabotage it was.
You guys! I should've listened to you. Such sage advice from the IBD family. I think because I am such a person of routine, and I had done 5 miles after taking my shot before, and felt fine, so why
would this be any different? Well, I was wrong.........so wrong! I knew within the first 5 miles I was in BIG trouble. My pace was slower than normal, I had a hard time catching my breath and I felt heat stroke creeping in. Normally I love running in extreme heat (because I love to sweat, weird, I know), and I'm not affected, but not on this particular day my friends. I started getting goose bumps and stopped sweating. Instead of heading to the medical tent like a normal person would do, I proceeded to struggle, mile after mile, pound after pound. My body felt like I was twice my body weight, and I was fatigued beyond measure. I never stop during my races unless I have to use the porta potty. I stopped and walked 5 times. Ahhhhhh, that's like my worst nightmare! One thing I've always said is why walk when you can run. I ended up finishing with a lousy and incredibly painful 2 hours and 18 minutes. This was the absolute worst, and slowest half marathon I ever run by far. I am used to getting sub 1:50, so this was tough for me to swallow. Especially with all of the training that goes into a half marathon.
It took me awhile to want to share my experience, because running has always been my safe place. It's my time. Running is something I excel at and gives me such pleasure both physically and mentally. When I couldn't control the outcome of my run, I felt completely defeated. I know it might sound strange, but think of your favorite hobby or activity. Imagine that something out of your control caused you to self destruct, and you were unable to perform to your capacity. Loss of control is a scary feeling. I am constantly learning about Crohn's disease, and the medication I have to administer. If I am being honest with you, I hate the fact I have to be on a biologic, but in the same vein, that shot saves my life. I had a tough lesson to learn this time around, but feel I am better for it because I will know what to do the next time I'm faced with that decision. I also followed up with my GI doctor, and he said it's absolutely ok to save your shot until after an athletic event such as a half marathon. It gave me some comfort to read other's stories about how their shot has also affected their performance. Thank you IBD warriors for sharing your journey's with me, and giving me counsel. Now, it's time to go on a run!
- Strength grows in the moments when you think you can't go on, but you keep going anyway
