I am Kelia Dubas, mother of two young girls and professional working in the insurance industry.
Two years ago, I aspired to achieve a goal of meeting the gold standard of “Qualifying for Boston.”
I threw the idea out to my triathlon coach who right away said, “you WILL qualify.” So, training began while balancing schedules, managing family, juggling travel, dealing with weather challenges, and caring for a mother who was in a horrible car accident.
My running got sidelined multiple times, but I considered the deal breaker to be when I got shin splints that caused so much pain, I COULDN’T run or train at all. With the support and guidance of Coach and Functional Medicine Physician Sandy Ziya, I followed a holistic recovery protocol that included rest, chiropractic care, acupuncture, and specific nutrition.
I trusted her advice implicitly. I then began to train again; cautiously and slowly my confidence came back. I showed up nervous but capable to the 2019 Phoenix Marathon. I ran as scripted not really certain who was occupying my body, but I surpassed my goal by 11 minutes and indeed “qualified for Boston.”
I am grateful that Sandy showed me a better way and not let me over train NOR use NSAIDS or cortisone, as part of my convalescence. Sandy demonstrated that there are absolutely safe alternatives to living AND racing (you can too, learn more!). The best news of all? I didn't wreck my body getting to my goal and now I can train most confidently for Boston 2020!
