Ready to Run
by Jennifer Cannon
Training for a marathon requires perseverance and persistence; even more so
when you’re running with Dystonia.
Despite the pulling and tugging in my neck, and the spasms in my abdominals,
I pressed on all summer long and
am ready to run the Twin Cities Marathon on October 3rd.
But I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t scared.
It’s been six weeks since I last had Botox. This round they did my
abdominals, too. It was a trial, to see how I’d do. I’ve not been sure
whether it’s been helping. But I can tell now that it has been, because the
pain is coming back.
In recent weeks, I haven’t had to lie down with nearly as much frequency. I
also discovered that if I slowed my normal pace by about a minute a mile, it
kept the spasms from getting so intense that it forced me to stop. But I see
now that Botox clearly had something to do with the improvement, too.
It’s starting to wear off. And I’ll be near the end of my cycle when race
day rolls around.
I might not be able to run the pace I used to. But I can still keep moving
forward, despite this new challenge. I hope the Botox holds up. I hope I
line up on race day feeling refreshed and ready. But, I also have to keep in
my mind that my health is the most important thing here. Vigorous exercise
helps my muscles relax once I’m done. But, 26.2 miles is a long ways for
anyone to run; let alone someone with Dystonia.
I’ll give it my best effort. And every step of the way, I’ll be thinking of
my fellow Dystonia fighters who aren’t able to run the miles with me. I’ll
hold onto the thought as I keep inching towards that finish line.
Jennifer Cannon is a runner and writer. She recently completed her
memoir. To learn more about her,
check out her blog.
