Local Runner Refuses to Yield to Ulcerative Colitis

Diagnosed with ulcerative colitis in 2005 when she was in college, 26-year-old Lauren Kaminsky grew up watching her dad run marathons. She, however, always thought it was something she couldn’t do.

“You grow up thinking your dad is this big superhero and so I just thought that he was really strong and cool and he could do it, but I couldn’t,” she said.

After watching her husband’s brother run the Chicago Marathon in 2006 Lauren realized that it was something she really could achieve.

“And the next year I did. I never even took my ulcerative colitis into consideration. I just said I want to do this and so I am going to do it. I never thought there would be a deterrent at all,” Lauren said.

In 2007, officials canceled the marathon midrace because the heat was extreme so Lauren didn’t get to finish.

“I finished my first marathon in 2008 and then started training for a half Ironman. It was then I felt physically limited by my ulcerative colitis. I don’t know if it was the high volume of training, but I ended with really bad flare-ups,” she said. “It’s frustrating when I would go out for runs and bike rides the summer before and I felt physically strong, like my legs could go forever and I could breathe fine, but my body told me to quit.”

Team Challenge

Lauren first heard about Team Challenge, to support the Crohn's & Colitis Foundation of America, only a couple years ago, and she initially thought it would have been self-serving to run for a charity that would help her. After Lauren got sidelined because of her illness, it became more important for her to connect with other athletes who were dealing with the same limitations with Crohn’s and colitis. She then began feeling strongly about fundraising to help find a cure.

“If I have children in the future I don’t want them to have to deal with this disease,” she said.

Not everybody who has ulcerative colitis has the same complications.

“I have arthritis that is induced by the colitis, so I would get pain in my joints — all the joints that I am pounding on when I’m running would be in pain. Another aspect is that those with this illness have to go to the bathroom a lot. So planning routes around where I could find a bathroom became difficult,” she said.

In December, Lauren and her husband, Jon, will be running and fundraising for Team Challenge in the Rock & Roll Half Marathon in Las Vegas.

“It’s on the strip at night and it’s only one of two times during the year that they shut down the street,” she said.

When athletes train with a group they share training stories and help each other.

“When you’re with a group of triathletes you talk about how you made it through your last race and you learn tricks of the trade. But with the Team Challenge group, it’s like that but 10 times more supportive,” she said.

“My doctor is fabulous and understands that exercise is my outlet and keeps me sane. The endorphins keep me a happy person. There are some points where it just doesn’t feel OK to run. Luckily, with getting into triathlon training, I have some different avenues, like even if I am feeling pretty lousy I can usually ride a stationary bike and pedal for a little while or I can swim for a little bit,” she said.

Lauren mostly swims indoors, but in the summer she swam at , which, according to Lauren, “is just gorgeous and the lifeguards are great.”

Support From Family, Community

With Lauren’s family support it’s easier for her to make tough decisions about her health and training so she can reach her goals more easily.

“Since Crohn’s and colitis are silent diseases, I can look totally fine on the outside. Sometimes others don’t understand like if I am having trouble doing something. People think because you look OK that you are healthy,” she continued. 

Many people don’t like to talk about colitis because it’s a disease that deals with the digestive system and the symptoms are not very pleasant.

“Who knows how many people in our community have a disease they don’t want to talk about? And it may not even be Crohn’s or colitis. They need to tell somebody and talk about it,” Lauren said.

“When I have a flare-up there are many foods that I can’t eat. I have to avoid things with high fiber, nuts, seeds or anything that can be hard on the digestive tract. During a flare-up, people affected are on a limited diet. So when my disease is in remission I can have most foods,” she explained.

Training for racing is more difficult, since Lauren has to fine-tune her regimen differently than the average runner to make sure she is powered up enough to make it through her training runs and then, ultimately, the races.

“I have to drink a lot more water and take extra precautions when it is hot out, because many people with ulcerative colitis have a hard time regulating their body temperature. When it gets hot, my core will overheat very fast. I use custom-blended sports drinks called Infinite — it has changed the way that I feel when I run,” she said.

Being a resident, Lauren has garnered support from friends and businesses in the community, , , Crystal Lake Jaycees and the , to name a few.

“When I got sick I was getting emails from the Jaycees and phone calls asking how I was doing,” she said. “Crystal Lake feels like a small community to me. People are friendly, kind and supportive.”

Find Lauren’s blog online at www.forwardisapace.com.

To help raise money for the Crohn's & Colitis Foundation of America, those interested can make a tax-deductible donation by visiting www.active.com/donate/illinoiswinter11/kaminsky. Every 81 cents for each dollar that is donated to the Crohn's & Colitis Foundation of America goes directly to fund research and patient support.

Nick's Pizza & Pub will be joining the fight against Crohn's and Colitis Thursday, Sept. 22, from 4 to 10 p.m. For more information, click here.