Head Feet First Into Running Health

Marathon runners Anastasia Rolek-Andrychowski and Juan Juarez run outside Lifetime Fitness in Algonquin. They are part of the local running group named the Marathon Maniacs. Juarez plans on running eight marathons this year, and Rolek-Andrychowski is expected to finish nine. (Photo by Danielle Guerra)

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The human body was meant to run, experts say, but for how long, and how often?
Well, that depends on how well you take care of it.

“Humans can outrun any animal on earth — not faster, but longer — the way ancient man was able to catch his meat source,” says Dr. Ann Trauscht,MD, family practice physician.

Still, Trauscht says, everyone’s physique is different.

Your first stop if you’re going to train for a marathon or triathlon? Your family doctor.

Have your heart and lung function checked, as well as your bones, joints, muscles and tendons, Trauscht suggests. If everything’s functioning correctly, go for it.

“I believe the vast majority of adults can do either one as long as they find their best pace and put in the training time,” says Trauscht, who decided to run a marathon when she started her first regular exercise routine at the age of 30.

She has since done about half a dozen marathons and a couple of triathlons, which, she says, were kinder to her joints.

“It makes sense that the variety of activities both in training and the race are less likely to cause overuse of any one part of the body,” she says.

When she first started training, Trauscht couldn’t run a half-mile without stopping.

And less than one-tenth of the world’s population will ever run a marathon. And even fewer will do what running partners Anastasia Rolek-Andrychowski of Lake in the Hills and Juan Juarez of Carpentersville have done.

They’re official members of Marathon Maniacs, a nationwide club. Its basic criteria? Run three marathons within 90 days or two marathons within 16 days.

Both Rolek-Andrychowski and Juarez did that and more, running a marathon and two ultra-marathons within a few months. Ultra-marathons involve distances longer than the standard 26-mile marathon.

“We figured we would challenge ourselves a little bit more,” Juarez says.

That they did. So much so that Juarez had some knee trouble during and after the last ultra-marathon.
But, he says, he has learned how to nurse his body back to health. Next up? A 50-mile run in July, another 50-mile run in August and a three-day race covering about 45 miles in September.

Ultimately he and Rolek-Andrychowski are training to run a 100-mile race in October in Arizona.

“It’s just being smart and listening to your body and eating healthy,” says 39-year-old Juarez, who ran his first marathon at 17 years old.

He ran a marathon a year until age 24, stopped for about 12 years, and began running again a couple of years ago.

Rolek-Andrychowski has run at least 15 marathons since 2007. She runs, bikes and lifts weights anywhere from two to five days a week and says anyone can accomplish what she has done.

“I think anything after 15 miles is mental,” she says. “You just have to get in your zone and go.”

She and Juarez met through a boot camp at Life Time Fitness in Algonquin. They had already heard of one another through family members. Both running fanatics, the two were encouraged by family members to meet.

Rolek-Andrychowski, 30, averages about five marathons a year. Having just run her fourth marathon this year, she’s already ahead of her pace.

“It’s just something you can do for yourself,” she says. “You always want to do more.”

She has been injured, but she sees a chiropractor and takes ice baths every night.

“We do whatever we need to do, stretching to get ourselves ready,” she says. “You push through it . . . When they say you get a runner’s high, you get a runner’s high. It’s this feeling of accomplishment. It’s just awesome.”

Everyone’s physique is different, so it’s important to find the level of training that suits you, Trauscht says.

Though not traditionally a part of distance running training in years past, she’s glad to see strength training emphasized these days.

“Strength training is very important for joint stability, as well as overall conditioning,” she says.

Many athletes perform yoga regularly for that very reason, she says.

Mark Wachendorf of McHenry, who at age 44 does at least six triathlons a year, says strength training is a regular part of his routine.

“That’s good for staying strong and reducing the chance of injury,” he says.

The key is to work up gradually, says Karen Von Lanken, a personal trainer and founder of mchenrycountyfitness.com.

You have to start with the basics, she says. For instance, the quads have to be strong enough to bike if you’re competing in a triathlon.

“Especially people who have never run before and all of a sudden start running,” she says. “The older they are, the harder it is on their joints and the more chance they’re going to get injured.”

The more Juarez and Rolek-Andrychowski challenge themselves, the more money they raise for charities.

Their past few marathons supported the Algonquin Lake in the Hills Interfaith Food Pantry.

Juarez’s upcoming races will support the Boys & Girls Club of Dundee Township. He wants to collect money for winter jackets for children as part of Operation Warm with the Rotary Club of Carpentersville.

“I have a passion for running,” Juarez says. “And that’s really what triggers it all.”