Bob Reflects on Running 50 Marathons

Completing 50 marathons was a goal I set three years ago. I thought this kind of commitment and effort would demonstrate my strong desire to raise money for treatments and a cure for NF. I wanted “to be the change I wish to see in the world.” I have been raising money as a member of the NF Endurance team since 2000. (This was back when we were wearing green running singlets instead of the sporty, sleek, neon yellow ones we have now.) I needed to raise the bar higher to keep my donors attention and interest. I took a cue from Shakespeare, who wrote:

Then marvel not, thou great and complete man,
That all the Greeks begin to worship Ajax;
Since things in motion sooner catch the eye
Than what not stirs

I decided that I would set a goal of running 50 marathons and raising $50,000 to catch the eye of my donors. I do RUNFOR A REASON. Go to: www.504NF.com (smile here) and you will see several of my reasons.

For every marathon, I paced myself, finished strong, and never forgot that it’s not the speed but the purpose of the journey. This really kept me motivated and helped me to avoid a running injury. I also want to say that for every single marathon I picked up the pace at mile 20 or 22 , felt the warmth of God’s smile, experienced an almost overwhelming sense of freedom and joy, and an intense emotion of feeling alive. I thought I was the happiest person in the world! Yet there were some times during the run when the lives of my NF heroes came to mind. I thought of their struggles and pain living with NF, and I literally cried. If someone asked me my finish time, I would have to say, ”Well, it could have been better, but I stopped a few times to shed some tears.”

Having now achieved my goal, I will candidly say that I’m elated, or let’s say relieved and grateful for the gift of running and the gift of my health. I also find myself thinking, “What’s next?” I certainly want to keep running until a cure is found, and after that will want to raise money to make NF treatments affordable. The answer? My running never ends!

Well, marathon 51 was last weekend at the Surf City Marathon so only 49 to go for 100. Woo Hoo!

Bob Skold
Team Development

Caring Run: Sarah Johnson

All of us here at the NF Endurance office would like to ask you to keep NFE team member Sarah Johnson in your thoughts this week. Sarah is preparing to undergo emergency surgery to remove a tumor at the base of her skull at 1 PM today. Her family says her spirits remain high. Sarah ran the Long Beach Marathon and the San Diego Marathon with us last year and raised over $10,000 for NF research.  Her neurosurgeon is optimistic expects Sarah to make a full recovery and be able to run marathons again.

Sarah’s family is collecting stories, jokes, and well wishes to read out loud to her at the beginning of her recovery that she can reread later. If you would like to contribute, please email us (Enable Javascript to see the email address) and we will be sure share them with her.

Tapering 101

Photo by Andrew Scott

Emily Brown is preparing to run the NYC Marathon this weekend. She took some time to share with us her approach to tapering for the race:

“If you don’t know it by now,” my professor rattled off, “You don’t know it – so put up your damn note cards and show me what you got.” His words crushing the looks of stressed students cramming, quieting voices of last minute questions all hoping to secure fragments of knowledge before an exam.

Preparing for a successful marathon is much like preparing for a test. There will be many factors you cannot control – the course, the variables, the day-of jitters. The point is, however, the day and even week before the race are not the times to cram in what you haven’t done already; doing too much prior to your race can cause more damage than not doing anything at all.

Here’s a “cheat sheet” to crafting an effective tapering plan:

T-rim down your mileage. Run less. Rest more. It can be harder than it seems. You will notice every runner outside, and you will covet their run. Instead of running more often in the last three weeks, schedule fewer runs that pack higher quality. Shave off overall miles, but tack on strides and intervals, and add more tempo runs. Each week you will see your total mileage wane, but this overall rest period stabilizes glycogen, hormones, antioxidants and enzymes high-mileage has slowly depleted.

Anticipate crossing the finish.

A-nticipate crossing the finish line. What are your challenges ahead? Build a mental plan about how you will handle them. It could be rain. It could snow in a place that you would never think breaks freezing (i.e. Orlando at Disney in January).  Rehearse in your brain how you will respond to these challenges.

P-lan ahead. The week before may not be the best time to plan your child’s birthday party or start playing pick-up games of basketball. Minimize your chance of stress and injury by resting as much as possible. For practical matters, check the race course map. Know what course nutrition will be served. If you can’t stomach a certain brand of gel, you may need to carry your own. Mentally knowing the locations of water stations and bathrooms can help you while on the course. Running with NFE makes race preparations much easier, and the staff will make sure to help allay any concerns you have before race day.

E-at well. Many people worry about carb-loading the night before. While browsing in a Boston running store a week before my first marathon, I asked the owner, “What one piece of advice do you have to a first-time marathon runner?” His words stuck with me: “Eat well, now, not just the day before.” Build up your glycogen stores and drink lots of water. Keep your sodium in balance by snacking on pretzels and salty foods. Tip: Just as important as eating carbs, added protein helps aid in muscle recovery and tissue repair.

R-uNFor a reason. Forget the time, the course, the medal – who do you ruNFor? Thinking of what your NF Hero endures on a daily basis makes any challenge seem trite. Need inspiration? Check out our NF Heroes. http://www.ctf.org/RUN-FOR-A-REASON-NF-Heroes/ Before race day, I dedicate each mile for the NF Heroes I have met, their stories of resilience, faith and hope recalled by names scrawled on paper, tucked in a Ziplock. Carrying the bag of their names helps me to remember my reasoNFor running, even when I feel like I want to stop. NF Heroes have to keep pressing on even through MRIs, doctor appointments, feeding tubes and other complications of NF. Remember what NF Endurance is all about – pushing passed self-imposed limits and finding possibilities within obstacles.

NFE Cheer Zone

At the end of the day, as a wise friend once told me, it’s just another run, but in a new neighborhood with a lot of friends in neon waiting to cheer you on home.

And so, instead of cramming for a taper, try this: Trim mileage, Anticipate success, Plan ahead, Eat well. RuNFor a reason.