The Hardest Part is Putting on Your Shoes

Two brain surgeries, one spine surgery, four eye surgeries, one auditory brainstem implant, and he’s one of the lucky ones, he said.

Matt Hay has Neurofibromatosis, Type 2, but while NF makes some things in life a bit harder for him, Matt hasn’t found anything that has been impossible.

Following a spinal surgery to have one of these tumors removed, Matt was unable to stand or walk. “I remember asking the doctor if that function would return and he replied, ‘It should,’” said Matt. “Should? Uh thanks.”

Months of physical therapy took him from a wheelchair to a walker to a cane. “I then made up my mind that I was going to celebrate my progress by running a marathon on the one-year anniversary of that surgery while raising some money and awareness for NF at the same time.”

That was a few marathons, half marathons and triathlons ago, but since there isn’t a cure for NF, he keeps lacing up his shoes. When his daughter, Maddie, was two, she said, “Daddy, maybe I’ll fix your ears for you.” It has been two years now and Matt jokes that her neurosurgery skills haven’t improved and he still will run for a reason — curing NF. He and his wife, Nora, will be on the course at the Indy Mini Marathon wearing on May 8, 2010.

“I think what CTF is doing is amazing,” said Matt. “This increased presence at events is also evidence that what the CTF team is doing is really working in terms of raising interest, awareness, support and money.”

Matt first found about NF Endurance after meeting Steve Kendra one year during the Chicago Marathon. “His [Steve's] enthusiasm and support really raised the bar in the professionalism, organization overall team spirit of the event,” said Matt. As a result, he and his wife, Nora, have run as part of the NF Endurance Team in many more races including the Myrtle Beach Marathon and the Indy Mini Marathon. His goal for the 2010 Indy Mini is $7,500 and he has raised $6,988.79 to date.

Matt and Nora have helped the team as both runners and supporters and find both roles equally challenging. Navigating closed streets and the ‘L’ in Chicago, surrounded by close to one million people at 7:00 a.m. on race day, can be just as tiring as running 26.2 miles. “I want all of my friends and family to know that for the runner nothing about the race is as rewarding as seeing such great support cheering and holding signs up when the miles seems to get longer and legs get heavier.”

And even though he has multiple races logged, there are still days when he can’t find the time or energy to run. Matt champions the words,  “the hardest part is putting on your shoes.”  “Once I get my shoes on, everything else seems to fall into place…know that you aren’t alone and that most people crossing the finish line on race day started that way too.”

He has chosen to focus on the things that he can do. He has poor balance and can’t ride a bike; he finished his first triathlon on a recumbent trike. He has nerve damage from brain surgery that causes his left eye to  get dry; he bought sunglasses with foam lining. And, he jokes that his 4-year-old can almost read now because she has never seen a TV in their house without closed captioning.

A few years ago Matt was told that he could get a discounted train pass for his daily commute to work because of his hearing loss.  “I remember thinking, ‘Wow, these train people think I’m disabled,  but I bet they aren’t running marathons!”

“Having NF is just a part of who I am,” said Matt. “I don’t know if it is by choice or circumstance, but I ‘m fortunate to have a pretty positive outlook on my life.”

Cold Sweat: Don’t be fooled by the chilly weather!

Blasts of cold air are making for some record breaking temperatures across the country. Even though you might not feel dehydrated, unseen factors can siphon your energy and performance on the course. Steve found out the hard way.

By: Steve Kendra

I learned a lesson the hard way about a month ago as I was completing my last training run before the Tucson Marathon. I would like to share it with you in hopes that maybe I can save a few of you the problems that I encountered.

Four miles into the run I felt a mild pain between my shoulder blades. Then, around seven miles, during a short incline, I noticed my respiratory rate going up significantly more than normal. I could feel my heart rate climbing. And, I was moving so slow at the time that one of my running buddies was walking next to me as I jogged up the hill. It was snowing fairly hard and the temperature was about 34 degrees. My younger friend wore just a wicking long sleeve shirt and shorts. I was wearing running tights and gloves, a hat and sweatshirt, and my NF running jacket. I had not planned on running that day and had not eaten breakfast or lunch. I don’t remember drinking much of anything before or during the run either.

Anyway, after the run, we drove back to my house and I felt a little strange. I noticed in the shower that my heart still seemed to be racing. After a shower, I put my heart rate monitor on and found that my heart rate was fluctuating between 100 and 130 even one hour after my run, doubling my normal resting heart rate. I debated about going to the hospital, but because we were having our Endurance Team staff dinner, I decided to just take it easy. After dinner I started feeling a little more normal. My heart rate began returning to the normal range. The following day, however, I woke up to a memory I had not experienced in 25 years — what felt like an epic bachelor party hangover.

To make a long story short, I went to my doctor on Tuesday. On Wednesday I went to the cardiologist who put me through the complete workup for heart trouble. I passed with high marks with the exception of my blood pressure being a little high. Dr. Alderfer, my cardiologist, has run Boston ten times at about twice the speed I could run it. I explained the events of that day to him and he sort of smiled. With his tongue in his cheek, he asked me how long I had been doing my job directing the team.

He told me it was a classic case of winter dehydration. Read the rest of this entry »