As you can tell from the label, this photo proves I ran the marathon.

As luck would have it, the . . . → Read More: What do you mean there are no results?]]> It’s so exciting that all my family, friends, and tons of people I didn’t even know were signed up and watching my marathon status as I ran. It almost makes me wish that any of it worked.

As you can tell from the label, this photo proves I ran the marathon.

As luck would have it, the chip on my bib was defective and therefore didn’t record my time as I crossed the start, finish line, or any of the checkpoints. No one got text updates, the B.A.A. website doesn’t have my time, and I wasn’t listed in any results. As far as anything official is concerned right now, I didn’t run the marathon. Good thing someone took a picture and labelled it as proof! (see right)

All hope is not lost. I was recording the time with my watch, and I’m happy to call 3:51:24 my official time until I hear otherwise. I’ve already called up the Boston Athletic Association. They say that this “only happened to a few of you this year” and “nine times out of ten” they can recover it by looking through the videos of the start and finish lines. So hopefully updates will follow.

Here are some highlights for those of you that like that kind of stuff:

• Starting Line: All of the Dana-Farber runners are in the same starting wave and corral, so it’s looks pretty cool as we’re walking up together. As we get close and we see the huge crowds of people (runners and fans), it starts to set in just how cool this is. We can hear the announcer over the crowds, keeping us updated with how much time is left until we start. The last wave wasn’t given much time to get into place, so people start running around like crazy trying to get into place. When the clock hits 10:40, we start going, but we can only walk because of how many people are packed into the starting corrals. I start my music player with “I Gotta Feeling” by the Black Eyed Peas, and just as I cross the starting line it reaches the climax of the song.
• Minutes later: I didn’t get a text update that I had crossed the finishing line, so I suspect that my chip is defective.
• Miles 2-8: Really, really cool. This goes by like nothing because of how much I’m enjoying it. The field is still really dense, so the only bad part is having to dodge people to maintain a good pace. By mile 5 I’ve maintained a sub-8:30 pace on average.
• Mile 9: I start to feel that I’ve been running for a while, but the excitement of the half coming up keeps me going.
• Mile 14: I run past all my friends volunteering at the Mile 14 water station. The uproar that they make seems to confuse the hell out of the other runners around me, but the adrenaline of it all makes me about double my pace. Later they’d say I was looking good, and more happy than they’d ever seen me before.
• Mile 17: Really starting to feel it now, but I’m encouraged by the fact that every step I take is now the furthest I’ve ever run.
• Mile 18: The hills start, and there are three of them. The first one is pretty rough, but I make myself promise that I’m not allowed to stop until I reach the top of the third one, the infamous Heartbreak Hill.
• Mile 20: Just as I start on Heartbreak Hill, my music player starts playing “Misery” by Maroon 5. The chorus repeats I am in misery. I couldn’t help but laugh, despite the pain I was in.
• Mile 21: As I reach the top of Heartbreak, all the fans are more than happy to shout and let everyone know that they’ve made it to the top. I stop to walk for a minute or two along with some other runners, and we joke that the marathon is pretty much done now.
• Miles 22-24: I try to run again, but I have to stop every so often to walk. My feet and legs are in a lot of pain, and it’s hard to keep them moving.
• Mile 24: With around two miles left, I’m determined to run the rest. So no matter how much it hurts or how much I don’t want to, I don’t walk for the rest of the race.
• Mie 24.5: I see a guy with a pitcher of beer offering it to the runners. Of course I take him up on it, and they snap a picture of me as I drink. As I run off, the crowds of people behind him give me high fives.
• Mile 26: As I turn onto Boylston Street for the last stretch, I see the finish line after three traffic lights. I count the traffic lights as they pass by so that I know how far I have to go, as I speed up into a sprint with every last bit of energy. As I cross the finish line, I’ve gotten into that delirium caused by exertion, so it takes me a few minutes to figure out why I’ve stopped running. I keep repeating to myself “I did it” over and over so that it sinks in that I’m finally done.

After I recovered a little bit, I was fine besides the pain in my feet and legs. I’ve been taking care of both of those, and I’m happy to say that now I’m just a little stiff. I expect that next week I should be good to go for a run.

Overall, this was a fantastic experience and I’m incredibly grateful for everyone’s support. Immediately after I ran I didn’t think I would ever want to do it again, but I’m already thinking about running another one. I’d be excited to see what I could do when I’m not injured and can train fully. Who knows… maybe one day I’ll be back in Boston as a qualified runner.

The most common question that I’ve been getting asked recently is “Are you still running?” I don’t know whether to be offended that people think I’m going to back out or relieved that they wouldn’t be . . . → Read More: One Week Left!]]> With just seven days left until Marathon Monday, I thought it would be good to post some updates. Starting with…

The Marathon

The most common question that I’ve been getting asked recently is “Are you still running?” I don’t know whether to be offended that people think I’m going to back out or relieved that they wouldn’t be surprised if I did. But the answer is yes: I’m running the marathon.

My knee injury back in December robbed me of months of training, and it’s still not completely better. The furthest I’ve run since then is 10 miles – not because of the pain, but because if I worked up my mileage too fast I would have just injured myself again. But that doesn’t matter to me come Marathon Monday. I don’t care what kind of pain I have to push through; I’m crossing the finish line. I’ve come to accept the fact that the Marathon will be nearly 4 hours of misery, doubt, regret, pain, lightheadedness, probable vomiting, and that it will be one of the greatest experiences and achievements of my life so far.

That said, let’s move onto concrete goals. Mainly, I’d just like to cross that finish line and get a finisher’s medal. I also really, really want to break 4 hours (9:09 pace), and I think that’s completely reasonable. My ambitious reach goal is 3:45 (8:34 pace), and if I hit that I think I did the best anyone could have expected given my situation.

Tracking my Progress on Monday

I’ve added a new page to the website devoted to Marathon Monday. It includes full details on where to be when in order to see the Marathon, and also how to get real-time text updates about my progress for free. Sign up now, and let me know once you’ve signed up!

The Boston Marathon website also offers tips and strategies for watching the Marathon, so be sure to check that out.

Fundraising

As you can see from the thermometer to right, I’m incredibly close to reaching my goal. Thank you to everyone who has contributed so far!

My current number is $4,751 and I’m confident that with your help I can reach my goal of $5,000 by Marathon Monday. Donate today!

Final Thoughts

Thank you for all of your support so far. Last week I was incredibly nervous about the Marathon, but as we get closer my anxiety is turning into excitement. I could barely fall asleep last night because I couldn’t stop thinking about the race. It’s good to know that the hard part is over… all I have to do now is eat right, manage to get some sleep… and run the Marathon.

“Brookhaven native Ryan Schoen has always been good with math, but the only numbers he’ll . . . → Read More: Profile in the Media Town Talk]]> Reporter Kenn Stark interviewed me and ran a profile in the Media Town Talk, a newspaper local to my hometown. The article seems to cover everything from childhood through my future plans, but it especially focuses on the marathon and my fundraising.

“Brookhaven native Ryan Schoen has always been good with math, but the only numbers he’ll be concerned about on April 18 will be his finishing time in the 115th running of the Boston Marathon.”

Check out the full article here:

Ryan Schoen: Delco M.I.T. Student Takes on the Boston Marathon

If you’re interested, you can also check out a scan of the physical article.

The reason I haven’t yet made a post proclaiming that I’m cured is because those times are a little bit . . . → Read More: Oh… I get it.]]> If you’ve been monitoring my training runs over the past few weeks, you’ll see that I’ve slowly been working up my speed and distance. It’s nothing like a marathon yet – but progress is better than nothing.

The reason I haven’t yet made a post proclaiming that I’m cured is because those times are a little bit of a lie. When I’ve been running, I have to stop and stretch every time that I have pain in my knees – typically once or twice per run, but sometimes much more than that. And the CardioTrainer app on my phone pauses every time that I stop moving, so the reported times don’t include those little breaks. So yeah, they’re lies.

As you can see from this clearly labelled figure, this patient has junk in the trunk.

A few weeks back my physical therapist began instructing me in a way that I need to fix my running form… basically, that I needed to be using my buttocks more when I run. The ever-famous, always-underappreciated gluteus maximus (which, as it were, is connected to the iliotibial tract band – another one of my body parts that’s screwed up) is actually a critical muscle while running. And the way I was running wasn’t use my fanny enough, putting more stress on the legs and knees when I push off the ground.

Have you ever tried to consciously flex your butt when you run? My guess is no, because it feels freaking weird. For the weeks after my PT told me to do it, that’s what I was doing with little success. I’m just pretty sure I’ve never even used my bum before for anything besides sitting. And the other activity that rhymes with that.

But today, I had possibly the biggest breakthrough since I was first injured. All at once it made sense to me – the movement, what it felt like, how it was helping. And even as a skeptic, I’m amazed at the results. Today I ran 5.5 miles, at a sub-8-minute pace, without stopping to stretch once. And my knees felt fantastic during the run and continue to feel great.

So that’s why I’m posting this now – finally one of my runs isn’t a total lie. I’m back to training like I should be. It’s just too bad that the marathon is so close now…

It doesn’t mean that I’ll be running the marathon without pain. My precious little booty still gets tired, especially since I’m not sure I’ve ever used it before. But it does mean that I have a very powerful tool in my toolbox now that’s going to help me cross that finish line… and walk the next day.

P.S. Bonus puzzle! Do you know how many different terms for bandonkadonk I used in this article? If you guessed 8, you’re right!

The Cambridge Chronicle is a physical newspaper, right? Does anyone know . . . → Read More: Cambridge Chronicle Features Dana-Farber Runners]]> The Cambridge Chronicle today published an article featuring all of those who are running in “the 115th Boston Marathon to help conquer cancer as members of the Dana-Farber Marathon Challenge team” …including yours truly. It isn’t much, but recognition is always appreciated: Cambridge residents run Boston Marathon.

The Cambridge Chronicle is a physical newspaper, right? Does anyone know where I can get a copy?

I’ve spent the month and a half since my last post making regular visits to MIT Sports Medicine and the fantastic guys over at Sports and Physical Therapy Associates, and doing all sorts of creative and embarrassing stretches. It turns out that what I thought would be an injury for a week or maybe two… . . . → Read More: Back to the grind]]> Well, almost.

I’ve spent the month and a half since my last post making regular visits to MIT Sports Medicine and the fantastic guys over at Sports and Physical Therapy Associates, and doing all sorts of creative and embarrassing stretches. It turns out that what I thought would be an injury for a week or maybe two… was actually going to be quite a long ordeal.

But I’m at least back to running a little bit. I can do about a mile a day right now – not because it hurts too much, but because I’ve been advised by my physical therapists to keep it limited to that. We’re working back up slowly, with the goal in mind of running those 26.2 miles on April 18. I think it’s fair to say that my new goal is to complete the marathon; I don’t think I’m going to be aiming for any specific time (except I need to beat 6 hours to get that sweet finisher’s medal.

But if long-distance running is something I’m going to keep doing for the rest of my life, it’s good that this happened to me now. It’s going to allow me to correct all the things I’ve been doing wrong, and really turn this into a lifetime sport. Some lessons learned:

• If it hurts, STOP. There’s no point in “pushing through the pain” unless you’re in the competition and everything depends on that last little bit.
• Don’t always run on the right side of the road. As it turns out, roads are banked and they destroy your legs if you always run on a surface sloped to one side.
• Stretching exercises are nearly as important as running. Really.

On an unrelated note, fundraising is going fantastic. Expect a post about that real soon.

Although I haven’t been officially diagnosed (yet), it’s pretty clear that I have . . . → Read More: Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome: “Runner’s Knee”]]>
For those of you who have been watching my training runs (read: no one), you might have noticed that I haven’t been doing much of anything over the past week or so. That’s because I’ve already had my first learning experience – don’t overtrain.

Although I haven’t been officially diagnosed (yet), it’s pretty clear that I have a case of Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome. It’s one of the most common injuries from running, which is why it’s also called “Runner’s Knee”. It causes lots of pain in the knee while running, jumping, standing, walking, sitting, eating, breathing, or thinking too hard. Most of the time it’s just a dull ache, but when running it gets really painful.

Fortunately or unfortunately, the only way to heal is to stop running for a week or two. I’ve still been swimming to try to stay active, but my distance runs will be nonexistent for a little while. While I’m very frustrated that I can’t train for the marathon right now, I’m glad I learned my lesson 15 weeks out, instead of the week before the marathon.

So yeah: don’t overtrain.

Thank you to the many of you who have already ordered t-shirts! It looks like we’ll be able to get the shirts cheaper than expected since I’ll be buying in bulk, which is fantastic.

I will be placing the order early next week, so this is your last chance to order one. Just fill out the form . . . → Read More: Last chance to order t-shirts!]]>

Thank you to the many of you who have already ordered t-shirts! It looks like we’ll be able to get the shirts cheaper than expected since I’ll be buying in bulk, which is fantastic.

I will be placing the order early next week, so this is your last chance to order one. Just fill out the form below or fill it out here. I’ll collect the money over the next few weeks, and the shirts should be here around the end of January.