Author Archives: Chronic Triathlete

It’s been a really, really… really long time since I’ve posted anything here. I do check the emails and respond to people, but I just haven’t had the time (or much interest) to keep the blog going. I’m not “well”, but like I’ve said previously in other posts, I’m getting on with things and just not focusing so much on Lyme Disease.

Anyway… I know that people are inspired by my running so I thought I’d mention that I did a marathon 2 weeks ago — the 2011 Brooklyn Marathon. Surprisingly, it was my first. I’ve previously done many, many half marathons (both pre and post Lyme), but never a full. You can read a complete race report on my coaching blog here, but I ran it in 03:22:38; about a 7:43 pace. This put me in 24th overall and 2nd in my age.

On my other blog I don’t really mention my Lyme. It’s not a secret, but I just kinda keep the two things separate. In training for the race, Lyme was a moderate challenge. My fatigue is minimal, but the muscle stiffness I have and the overall speed of my recovery from hard or long runs makes things difficult. I’m constantly stiff and sore from the knees down. Not in the joints, but in the muscles, like I’m always on he verge of pulling something. I battle with foot pain too, which I think is a Bart symptom.

But all of that stuff is manageable with stretching and a good warm up. The part that I really can’t do anything about are the neurological issues. My right side is “slower” than my left and it often feels that it ran twice as far. It doesn’t effect my stride, but I can feel it as I run.

Also, two weeks post race, I’m still a little sore on my right side. I took most of the week after the race off completely, but have been running moderately this week both alone and with clients. At first I was stiff and sore all over, but now it’s just my right side that’s lagging behind everything else. It’s weird and concerning and frustrating all at the same time.

What else? Oh yeah… brain fog. I have it 24/7, but it’s manageable (I guess). When I run it gets a lot better – I think it’s the increased blood flow to my brain. In the race I was mentally fine until about mile 18 or so and the brain fog came back with a vengeance. I had a really hard time concentrating and maintaining my cool. I kept wanting to panic. One minute I wanted to run faster and the next I wanted to quit. I think everyone gets this at some point in a marathon, but I kinda went a little crazy for about 6 miles. Finishing was like being freed from prison in a way.

So… that’s the story. I’m very happy I did it and I’ll probably do it again next year. I had serious reservations about whether or not doing a marathon with Lyme was a good idea. I’m sure for many people it’s not, but I would say that you shouldn’t let the disease limit your dreams. It might put up some roadblocks, but if you commit yourself and focus, you can get around them.