Training for the NY marathon as an amputee. Have you ever thought of training for a marathon? For those who run and love the sport, a marathon which consists of 26 miles, months of training and pushing your body to its limits sounds like a daunting task. As a healthcare provider, I have helped many athletes make it through their first marathon. Some have done them yearly, while others are one and done. Now, imagine training for a marathon as an amputee, wearing a prosthesis for 26.2 miles. Recently, the NY Times published a story of an athlete from NY, Krysten Chambrot who is running this years marathon. She lost her lower leg while in college several years ago in a motor vehicle accident and began running with a sports blade, similar to what Oscar Pistorius ran within the Olympics a few years ago. She began running when she joined the challenged athletes association in NYC. Read about her in this recent NY Times article Training for the Marathon on 1.3 Legs By KRYSTEN CHAMBROTOCT. 12, 2017 I run for the church ladies who tell me to “Go, girl!” in their Sunday best, Bibles in one hand and free hands reaching toward the sky. For the bus driver who honks as I pass and gives me a thumbs-up when I look over. For the steady flow of strangers whose subtle smiles remind me of the depths of kindness. New Yorkers aren’t usually such enthusiastic cheerleaders for the average runner, but I’m not the average runner. I have 1.3 legs and run with a hot pink and black sports blade in place of my left leg, which was amputated above the knee after a traffic accident. Sometimes, the attention pushes me to go a bit farther. Other times, I wonder what narratives are being projected onto me. That I’m a veteran who lost a leg in battle, rather than during my junior year of college? Do they think I’m a Paralympian, when, really, I’m not very fast, and I’m definitely going to walk those next few blocks? Read More