MY MINI MARATHON:As a cystic fibrosis sufferer, training for the Flora Women's Mini Marathon requires a lot of discipline
ONE MONTH before the 2008 mini marathon I found myself levitating above a crowd at the UCD Ball, unwillingly wedged between a group of rugby-shirted boys. They fell splat on top of me and I was dragged out laughing in shock, oblivious to the stress fracture in my big toe.
The incident left my disgruntled friend to walk what was to be our first mini marathon alone, and I swore allegiance to mini marathon 2009.
Unfortunately recovering from a collapsed lung didn’t factor into the plan and running that year wasn’t possible. This year, with no concerts or lung collapses planned and only a few weeks left, I have no excuse.
My Canadian roommate in college got up at ungodly hours to tackle the gym, a sticky knife from her jar of maple syrup sometimes the only evidence she still existed. While she was studying she’d sit on an enormous pink ball that looked like a giant space hopper.
“It is amazing for your core,” she’d say, pumping her fist in the air at the excitement of the whole thing. She was nuts, I concluded, until a year later when I found myself staring into a pool of sweat magically holding my body across one such ball doing push-ups.
I personally blame the No 3 bus that forgot to come on its questionably regular route past Tesco one cold 2007 night. It was a lazy student’s nightmare, carrying those bags the whole 20 minutes back to UCD. My arms ached and I slumped over breathless. The realisation at 20 that I couldn’t carry my own shopping bags made me mentally commit. I wasn’t sick enough for this sort of lark yet, and I was the only one who could get my body in gear.
On the advice of my medical team I started off walking fast for 20 minutes five times a week and added in one-minute runs every few minutes to build up my tolerance. After three months I was running 40 minutes five times a week and weight training four times.
It turns out running with cystic fibrosis requires a lot of discipline, and accessories, dahling. I formed an unhealthy attachment to my foam roller (amazing foam tubular thingy that rolls out aching muscles), while a shiny blue heart rate monitor watch helps keep my heart rate at the correct level.
As with all great love affairs, in the beginning I was zooming around, electric with endorphins, cycling to college and marvelling at my new found energy. At a test in hospital I whizzed a distance from a line to an ID badge (the HSE substitute for cones) to the sound of beep noises that shortened in variation until I couldn’t keep up.
The test showed my oxygen levels were dropping and I was running too fast. The deal was I could run if I went slow and kept an eye on my heart rate. It was like telling the energizer bunny to hop in slow motion. I now run so slow I marvel when I pass the tree that I seem to have been jogging in front of for about 10 minutes, but it’s worth it.
I’ve been training for the mini marathon for three months. In that time, I got a chest infection, lost the exercise tolerance and had to start again. Every time I get sick it’s back to walking slow and easy to get the tolerance back.
In hospital getting better, I focus on weight training, squats, core training and stretches. The marathon-running boyfriend refers to this as pseudo-masochistic and refuses to do it. I take this to mean I’m on the right track.
I try to stick religiously to my five-day-a-week schedule. If I miss one part of it, exercise is impossible. I eat two hours before exercise and take an hour to do a nebuliser and airway clearance. This lessens the chances of leaving a trail of sticky sputum when I run and keeps my lungs healthy.
I also remember not to race the attractive person in front who has just passed me out, no matter how tempting it is, and keep an eye on my heart rate parameters.
For someone whose idea of organisation prior to this running lark was making sure someone brought the fruitcake to halls for Desperate Housewivesnight, I'm pretty proud of it. My plan for the mini marathon is to get to the starting line, and shuffle my way snail-like to the finish.
Orla is running the Flora Women’s Mini Marathon on June 7th with team 1 in 1000. See runningforcf.ie
