Active Man in his Late 30s: Learning to Live with Pain

Side Note: I'm finishing up my long blog post about our wedding day. It should be complete soon. As I type out this latest blog post, I'm experiencing pains that I never encountered before. Sure, I just ran a sub-30 minute 5k before 4:45am the day after Labor Day, but I'm in pain. There's just no way to say otherwise. The knuckle on my right middle finger has been "clicking" and feeling like something is "floating around" in the joint. My right great toe feels like a needle has been pushed through the toe starting with the tip, going all the way through the actual toe, and settling in the toe joint itself. I don't believe that it's gout as I have had that far too many times to count and I have been taking apple cider vinegar pills multiple times each day. I also have this lingering pain in my left shoulder that started when I was putting together our cots when were camping in Teanaway with my family. I felt a searing pain and it hasn't really gone away. The pain comes and goes, but all of these pains really came to a head a week after I completed my very first official marathon. By the way, that also happened. I started and finished my very first marathon a few weeks ago and the feeling of accomplishment still resonates with me. I believe that I completed it and I never really doubted myself, but, during the race, I began to truly doubt my abilities and my overall health. I was nearly defeated during that race. It included four loops of 6.55 miles each. I was struggling very hard just to complete my second lap. As I finished that, I was surrounded by people that had just finished all four of their laps and were standing around laughing, stretching, and saying how easy it was. I was sitting there, dripping with sweat, in pain, and trying to change my socks and bandaging my right heal as that was developing into a major blister. As I write this nearly three weeks later, the skin finally just came off and I fan finally run and walk without pain. As I sat there before starting my third lap, I seriously considered and almost decided to take a DNF "Did Not Finish". A DNF has a big stigma attached to it as it is something that no athlete or runner wants, but can be the biggest lesson of an athlete's or runner's career. It teaches you so much. However, as much as I wanted to quit, I just couldn't. As I started my third lap, I developed a little "light jog" on the flat areas and downhill spots and walked up the inclines. However, as I ran, my body began to breakdown. I had pains in my chest and stomach that I never had before. I saw "stars", I lost my balance, and I came to the point of crying a number of times. I didn't cry because I was in pain or that I was disappointed in myself (okay, I was a little disappointed in myself, but that wasn't the main reason), but I cried because I kept talking to my son, Kasen, and telling him that his Daddy wasn't going to quit. I would have been with him every single minute while he was in the NICU and I sure as hell would't give up on a silly little trail-run marathon. I was going to finish whether I was walking, running, or crawling past the finish line. As I came up to the aid station half-way through the third lap, I told the guy to tell the race coordinator that I wasn't going to quit and that I was going to finish the race. "Please tell him/her that they can begin to take down the race materials, but I'm going to finish. You have my word." I was finishing my third lap, Clay had come up to me and said that he was going to throw in the towel and wanted to see how I was doing. He seriously thought that I was going to quit, but I told him that I was finishing. I didn't care if I was the last one to cross that finish line (I actually was the last one...ha!), I was going to keep going. I'm not a quitter. He saw the look in my eyes and he decided to start and finish his fourth lap as well. Chrissy was waiting for me at the finish line as I completed my third lap and she saw how defeated I looked. I told her that I loved her, I appreciated her being there, and that I wasn't quitting. She said that she would wait there for me and that she loved me. I'm the luckiest guy in the world to have a woman like that on my side. Chrissy is amazing. I walked and jogged that final lap and found myself staggering a lot on the final two miles. As I crossed the line, I was ecstatic. I had completed my first marathon and I was the last one to finish. They offered me a beer (last thing on my mind), but I graciously declined. I just wanted lots of water and something to eat and sit down. I ate two vegan burritos and about 10 glasses of water. I have come to the conclusion that I shouldn't eat before or during a race of that length. I need to drink more water and pay attention to my body more than I did. Those are the lessons that I learned that day. I will race another marathon, but I need to continue training and getting my body right and ready. So, as I type this, I'm in pain and dreading what I will do if those aforementioned parts of my body do not heal (finger, toe, and shoulder). My knee no longer gives me issues as I believe that my vitamins and daily pills have helped a lot (Turmeric, Osteo Bi-Flex joint pill, and apple cider vinegar pills). Taking all of those and icing my knee for 20-30 minutes after each run has helped me avoid bursitis and other painful swelling incidents in my knee. If you're getting older and are somewhat active, I highly suggest learning about eating the right foods, avoiding alcohol, avoiding junk food and garbage, and drinking a lot of water and paying attention to your body. The better you learn alternatives and adapt, the better and longer you can remain active. Happy Trails!