It’s Marathon Month, a time when we get to spotlight our patients running this year’s TCS New York City Marathon! In this entry we we check in with a SPEARunner Maxx Frost who’s being treated at our Midtown 44th Street location by SPEAR physical therapist Brendan Vint, DPT. Maxx is now stronger than he was prior to his injury and is excited about running his very first marathon!
Why do you run? I never used to be much of a runner; it’s only in the last two years that I’ve really taken it up. But I’m glad that I did, because it’s a great stress reliever and an awesome way to challenge yourself. Plus, I really enjoy spending the time outside, because it’s so easy to get cooped up indoors in NYC. To me, there’s nothing better than clearing your head, running out your stress and pushing your limits on a weekend run in Central Park.
How long have you been running marathons? This year’s New York City Marathon will be my first! Running the New York City Marathon is something that I’ve always wanted to do and I’m so exited to do it this year.
Which physical therapist do you see at SPEAR and what treatments have you been doing for training? Brendan is my physical therapist at SPEAR. I started coming to Brendan last year after a right knee injury. He helped me heal from the injury and come back stronger, faster and more fit than ever. This year, he’s been helping me stay injury-free during my marathon training and has also helped me continue to strength train. The most important thing I’ve learned from Brendan is that running is so much more than good cardio fitness. We’ve worked on a lot of hip and leg flexibility, proper stretching and foam rolling, and building muscle to support my hip and knee joints. Flexible joints and strong muscles to support them can really propel you to the next level once you start hitting your very long runs.
Do you have any words of wisdom or training tips for anyone thinking about doing their first marathon? Go for it! But know that training for your first marathon is a big commitment, since the amount of conditioning your body goes through is truly remarkable. There are early morning runs and late night gym sessions, aches and pains. Training can at times be a struggle. But you need to embrace that struggle, and push yourself through it, because that’s the real accomplishment of training. Knowing you can push yourself through physical and mental adversity and come out of it successfully brings a huge sense of pride. That sense of pride and accomplish makes it all worth it.
Why do you run? I never used to be much of a runner; it’s only in the last two years that I’ve really taken it up. But I’m glad that I did, because it’s a great stress reliever and an awesome way to challenge yourself. Plus, I really enjoy spending the time outside, because it’s so easy to get cooped up indoors in NYC. To me, there’s nothing better than clearing your head, running out your stress and pushing your limits on a weekend run in Central Park.
