Accelerated physical therapist Kelley Newsad ran the Boston Marathon this spring in record time. She completed the course in 3hrs, 17 min & 29 seconds- a 7:31 pace. Kelley also completed two physical therapy certifications while training for the marathon. She completed her Orthopedic Clinical Specialist (OCS) certification and is currently prepping to take the exam that will give her the distinguished McKenzie spine specialist certification. Below you will find Kelley’s thoughts her experience getting involved in marathon racing as a physical therapist:
I played soccer in college and needed a new sport once I finished my senior season. I started running and quickly fell in love with the sport. I discovered that if I put in the mileage and trained hard, I could continue to get faster.
During the winter of 2006, I was introduced to the owners of the Columbus Running Company and they convinced me to run the Columbus Marathon. I trained with other runners from the store and had a very successful first marathon. I was immediately hooked and ran the Boston and NYC Marathons in 2007. Training for three marathons the first year without much rest resulted in an over use injury that prevented me from running for over a year. As a result, I developed an interest in the prevention and rehabilitation of running injuries.
Many runners at some point develop overuse injuries but are unsure how to treat them. Dayne Conley, PT, MPT, MS, SCS, NASM-PES and I have partnered with the Columbus Running Company to offer injury prevention and treatment information. Over the past 2 years, we have spoken at several store events, provided sports medicine coverage at races, and have been active on their online social networking site to market our services.
Last October, I ran the Columbus Marathon which was my first marathon in three years. It was a special experience because I ran it with my sister and a patient. I recently treated the patient for an acute hamstring strain suffered just a few weeks before the marathon. Our goal was to qualify for the Boston Marathon and we were able to achieve it.
I started a 16 week training program at the end of December and averaged 50-60 miles a week. Over the 16 weeks, I completed five long runs over 20 miles. Due to the snow and ice, I was forced to do many of the weekday runs on the treadmill. I took advantage of the treadmill to simulate Boston’s hilly course. Many of these runs were done with a local primary care physician. We developed a great relationship and decided to run the marathon together. We stuck together through most of the marathon and were able to push each to personal bests. It was a memorable experience!
