Have you ever tried to run a marathon?
If so, you’ll know how taxing and strenuous the race can be on your body.
Now, consider this:
What if you had to run a marathon while living with dystonia?
Dystonia is a movement disorder that causes involuntary contractions of your muscles. These contractions result in twisting and repetitive movements. Sometimes they are extremely painful.
Nothing like “upping the ante” on a challenge I guess.
Tim Landis, the man whose story of living with cervical dystonia is enough to shame any “healthy” couch-to-5K slacker, decided that it was time to take “going out of one’s comfort zone” to the next level.
Back in February, Tim, the assistant football coach at Lycoming College, headed off on a 26.2-mile trek to raise money for the Dystonia Medical Research Foundation (DMRF).
Hoo, boy! That’s a lot of miles! And running? My school of thought on the matter: “That awkward moment you’re wearing Nike, and you can’t do it.”
Often, people say they can run if they’re chasing a ball, but to just run? Nothing else? Just one foot in front of the other? Well, they find something like that too boring.
Then, there’s the other side of the continuum—Die hard runners for life. You know the type.
How do you know when running is taking over your life?
You sound like this:
I was sitting in my office one day. The Personnel Director stuck her head in the door and asked, “Are you in the 401K?”
Without missing a beat, my crack speed math mind calculated the distance, and I replied, “Are you kidding? That’s over 200 miles!?”
Light bulb moment. I am a Capital R – Runner!
And then, of course, you have your running mantras:
- “I run to burn off the crazy.”
- “Gonna run until I don’t jiggle.”
- “If I keep running, I’ve got to come across a taco stand eventually.”
There’s a lesson to be learned from Tim Landis, his journey of living with dystonia, and how he uses running to regain some control over his health.
Read the full story here!
