Tammy Massie has loved running since she was in junior high, back when she started long-distance running as a family activity because it was something everyone could do together.
“You don’t have to be graceful,” Massie said.
Going the distance
Tammy Massie has competed in plenty of races since she began running again in 2003:
» 72 long-distance races
» Six Marine Corps Marathons
» Five 100-mile endurance races
Massie, now 37, ran competitively in college and has completed 72 long-distance races; that includes six times finishing the Marine Corps Marathon and five times competing in 100-mile endurance races. Yet she hasn’t always been able to do what she loves.
In 1995, the year she graduated from Stockton State College in New Jersey, a car hit her as it backed out of a parking space. Her right leg was left a mess of broken bones and mangled tendons.
It would be eight years before Massie could even jog again.
“You don’t really know if there’s a light at the end of the tunnel,” Massie said. “I got very depressed about it.”
In the years it took to recover, Massie had four surgeries, each more invasive than the last. She went under the knife and recovered with therapy, all to have another procedure. The damage done to her leg was far too extensive to completely repair.
It helped to have a surgeon who understood Massie’s love of running. The doctor who operated on her was a Boston Marathon runner and helped Massie with the long recovery plan that was designed to allow her to run again.
That long-awaited moment came in 2003, a year after Massie and her husband, Tristan, moved to Germantown, after she earned her master’s degree at the University of Virginia. Massie went for a jog for the first time since college. She wasn’t without pain; the first time she ran, she couldn’t jog again for days. But eventually, she learned how to cope with the pain and was soon able to run on a regular basis, with approval from her doctor.
“I may never be completely pain-free, but as long as it’s manageable, I’ve got to move forward in life,” Massie said.
She became comfortable enough running that she could finally complete in the long-distance races she missed so much. She subscribes to the philosophy of marathon runner and writer Jeff Galloway, who tells runners to stay positive and complete marathons by any means necessary. Even walking.
It’s a method that has helped Massie finish every race she has started. When she’s in a lot of pain, she simply walks.She is happy to enjoy the camaraderie of running that she missed for so long. In Germantown, Massie is a part of Kick Runners, an online runners group. On race day, it’s easy to make friends.
“You’re banded together by this crazy goal,” Massie said. “And you run with folks at your own pace.”
Pain is always a concern when she runs, but Massie doesn’t let that stop her. Even with her disadvantage, she’s still in better condition than other runners who run long-distance races. Massie said she was more in tune with her body now than ever. If it’s a bad day to run, she knows it and won’t race.
She has become so comfortable running that she no longer experiences any pain after a long run or marathon.
There is one exception: the 100-miler.
On Halloween weekend, Massie flew to Fountain Hills, Ariz., to compete in the Javelina Jundred, a 100-mile race through desert trails that Massie hoped to complete in under the 30-hour time limit.
Under the rules of the race, Massie eventually backed out after running 64 miles in 18 hours. Too exhausted to go on, Massie wanted to make sure she saved energy for three other races she planned to compete in this fall.
“Sometimes you gotta know when to say when,” Massie said.
There was no stopping to sleep. She had to prepare drop bags along the racecourse with food, clothing and spare shoes. The mere fact that she could compete had Massie saying that she was “one of the lucky ones.”
She may not have the best times, but for her, finishing is reward enough.
