Since returning to the land of the living, I’ve been asked several times “Was is worth it?” Sometimes the question is well intentioned, sometimes there’s a hint of sarcasm behind it, but at the base of the question, there is a genuine curiosity if running a marathon was worth the health problems that came with it.

My sweet friend Nicole from Masters2Marathons made this for me while I was sick. I LOVE IT!
A bit of background for context first. Three weeks ago (approximately a week before Rock-n-Roll New Orleans) I started to feel sick. I spent basically the entire week before the marathon trying to get rid of whatever bug I had picked up. By the Saturday before the marathon I felt about 85-90%. Sunday, race day, I woke up with a bit of a sore throat but otherwise felt fine; thankful I had dodged the bullet on being sick race day. Monday, after the marathon, I felt like I had been hit by a truck and then got progressively worse throughout the week. By that Thursday it hurt to breathe and I was coughing up green stuff. {TMI? Sorry.} I drug myself to the doctor, got a lecture, a shot in the butt and the diagnosis of bronchitis and sinusitis.
I was put on two medicines but the damage had already been done to my system. I spent the next four days (Friday-Monday) in my jammies, coughing so hard at times that it made me throw up. I had zero energy, couldn’t really talk (no voice) and didn’t have much of an appetite. I lost weight which is always a concern since my BMI is an underweight figure. Probably the funniest side effect of being sick is that I {still three weeks later} sound like a man.
My doctor confirmed that if I hadn’t run the marathon, I would not have gotten sick like this. Since I ran the marathon with a compromised immune system, it gave free range for whatever viruses I had in me take me down for the count.
When answering the question, “Was it worth it?”, I take into account the fact that these people don’t run; I have yet to be asked by another runner if it was worth it. Non-runners don’t understand the effort that goes into preparing for a marathon. To them, this is just like any other race I run. They don’t realize that I registered for it 9 months ago. Or that I dedicated 4 months of my life preparing for it. Four months of “I’m sorry I can’t {insert fun event}, I have to run”, 16 weeks of sore muscles & body aches, 112 days of mental battles and questioning my ability if I could actually do it. Not to mention the amount of money that went into shoes, clothes, fuel, etc. No to them, this is just a race.
To me, it’s much more. This marathon was a test of not only physical endurance but also overcoming that annoying voice in my head that still tells me “You’re not a real runner. You’re just putting on a good charade.” Running is so much more mental than physical. If I had decided not to run the race due to health reasons (which would have been the smart thing) I would have felt completely defeated. Like that little voice inside me won. “See I told you you’re not a real runner.” If I hadn’t ran that day, Rock-n-Roll New Orleans would have always been the race that got the best of me. I would have always wondered what if… I know myself and I know I would have a very hard time forgiving myself.
All of that is what flies through my head when they ask me if it was worth it. But I know they wouldn’t understand, so I just simply say, “Yes. Yes, it was worth it.”
The marathon was two weeks ago and I finally feel like I’m on the upside of this crud. I’m still coughing and having sinus issues but I was able last week for the first time in 10 days to do something physical. I went for a 2 mile run on Wednesday and then a 3 mile run on Thursday. Both runs were slower than normal and exhausting. Saturday I went for a 5 mile run with walk intervals and felt pretty good; although my pace (with the walk intervals figured into it) was 2.5 minutes slower than usual. It’s going to take me awhile to get back to where I was but I’m ok with that. All things considered, I would not hesitate to run the marathon again.
Don’t forget to enter my Huma Energy Gel giveaway – contest closes tomorrow at midnight!
Question: Have you ever ignored physical symptoms just to compete in an event? Was is worth it to you?
Just for the record, I don’t advocate running while sick or injured. It’s a personal decision and one that should be made with care.