Kevin Rabineau Story

Just Another Runner’s Story                                                                                                                Kevin Rabineau                                                                                                                        Written by Gale Fischer        

Never Give Up On Running

  "Good things come to those who believe, better things come to those who are patient and the best things come to those who never give up."                                                                                                  

There are many ways in which running can provide for its participants. For some, competing at a high level can serve as a form of self-confidence that can spill into other areas of life. Others gain some of the most positive friendships they have ever had through running. Many latch on to the physical, mental, and emotional health benefits of running. Whatever one's motives for running, it can be easy to take for granted the opportunity to participate for weeks,  months, and years at a time without interruption. One of Battle Creek's most recognized runners, Kevin Rabineau, has been blessed as a runner for more than forty years, reaping the rewards that have come with it. He had been fortunate enough to run without an extended layoff for much of his lifetime. Thoughts of his passion being ripped away from him never entered his psyche. Not only did he identify himself as a runner but family members, friends, acquaintances, and colleagues have also labeled him as such for the last four decades. It's not that Kevin conveyed an attitude that nothing could take running away from him, but there was never a sense of urgency for him to savor every run as though it might be his last run. This would change however a few years ago. A medical diagnosis and an impending surgery quickly placed Kevin in a precarious position, one he had never experienced. In one brief conversation with his doctor, Kevin was knocked from a feeling of being invincible that had been deeply rooted into his soul for years, to a feeling of vulnerability. Not only was Kevin fearful of losing his go-to activity, but he also worried that the network of friendships he had created through running was at risk as well.

Kevin's journey into running began at the age of fifteen while sitting in front of his television watching Frank Shorter win the marathon at the 1972 Munich Olympic Games.  "This is what hooked me. The next day I went and ran around our big block in Sault Ste. Marie." This big block was only a half mile and by the time Kevin finished this loop, he was out of breath and red in the face. Kevin would build his endurance with a slow methodical approach. "I kept doing this until it became comfortable and then I would run twice around." Kevin kept building from there,  increasing his endurance and speed as he went.

Although Kevin was inspired by watching Frank Shorter win gold in the Olympic Marathon, he would try a distance of greater length before honing in on twenty-six miles. "In 1976 a friend of mine and I ran from Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan to Newberry, Michigan, a total of sixty-seven miles, as a fundraiser for Mulipel Scerosis. We had a support team in a pick-truck." 

Although racing a distance of 26.2 miles would seem like a no-brainer after completing sixty-plus miles, Kevin would wait another five years before competing at this coveted distance. "In 1981 I ran my first official marathon in Detroit, with a finishing time of two hours and forty-six minutes." Although the marathon distance had become popular at this time, the landscape of running was not what it is today. The number of runners for Kevin's first marathon in Detroit was south of two thousand. Not only were the numbers small but the competition was much more stiff back then. "In 1987 at the age of thirty  I ran a 2:43 at the Columbus marathon,  good enough for only a twelfth place finish in my age group."

 

Kevin ran his first Boston Marathon in 1998 with 6,758 registered runners, a far cry from today's standard with thousands of runners competing for one of 30,000 entries. Part of this growth in field size of the world's most historic marathon is due to the greater number of individuals running marathons today as compared to the 1980s but adding age-graded qualifying standards through the years has played a part as well.

Early on as a runner Kevin self-educated himself on the physiology and training methods of running by reading issues of Runner's World and Running Times from cover to cover. Access to information on running or any subject for that matter was not available on a computer screen or phone as it is today. Even with the time that Kevin devoted to reading about how to improve his craft, much of his growth as a runner came from trial and error. "In the first years of my running, I would run a little faster in every race that I ran because I learned from mistakes in each of these races. From 1983 to 1987 I was consistently running in the 16s for a 5K".  Kevin coached himself, learning from his successes and mistakes alike.

The landscape of running back in the 1970s and 1980s when Kevin was running some of his best times, looked different today not just in terms of the number of races, numbers of runners in these races, social connections of runners, and the availability of information related to the methodology of running. Options for running shoes and gear were limited thirty to forty years ago in comparison to today. "In 1972 when I started I was running in Converse All Stars because there were not many running shoes on the market. These made things very slippery while running in the UP in the dead of winter." Kevin would use a little creativity to try to solve this issue of traction on ice and snow-covered roads. "I found soccer shoes with studs to help with running in slippery conditions. Around 1977 and 1979 running shoes were becoming more varied and there were more options.  At that time, however, you couldn't order shoes online. Buying running shoes and running gear was much different back then. I put in many miles in the UP in the winter with cotton clothing."

Like many competitive runners, the aging process can be hard to deal with. One realizes that the speed of young legs will decrease through the years but accepting this is not always easy. "When I was forty years old I still felt like I had some speed. I could run in the low 17s for a 5K. When I turned fifty I was happy to run in the low 18s, and sometimes I could run under 18. When I turned sixty I realized the 17s were gone." Although slowing down has been an unavoidable process, the endurance has not faded. "Seeing speed decline has been difficult but I do feel that I can run as far now as I ever have. At a certain point, I realized I had to be satisfied with my ability to compete with others in my age group and to be the best I could be at any given time and not be competitive with younger people. Life is a marathon, not a sprint."

As Kevin began to experience success as a runner, his thirst for knowledge about how to perform at the highest level introduced him to a major transition in his life. He and his family packed up and moved from Michigan's Upper Peninsula to student housing in Mount Pleasant. "In 1984 my interest in running and exercise led me to Central Michigan University to obtain a degree in Exercise Science.  My wife Karen and I had been married for six years. We had two young children. We packed our bags and moved to Mount Pleasant. I finished my BA in 1985. I then got a position at CMU as a graduate assistant  in the health education department and continued  my education to get my Masters in Public Health."  Kevin spent the next thirty-three years working at the collegiate level as an administrator and coach. "I coached men's cross country at Lake Superior State in 1986 and 1987. Later I spent 12 years coaching cross country and five years coaching track at Olivet."

For forty-some years, running had been a huge part of Kevin's life. It had been his go-to activity, giving him a sense of belonging to a community of those who shared his passion. It gave him success and confidence as an athlete. His healthy disposition came because of running. Running even helped to shape his career in the area of exercise physiology. He had dealt with minor issues through the years but had never gone for more than a month without running. Kevin's resolve and identity as a runner would be shaken late in 2016. "I had been feeling some low back pain in late 2016. My medical doctor started doing adjustments and spinal manipulations. After every adjustment, it would feel better."

Kevin's back pain would take on a new level later that autumn. "In the fall of 2016, I took a fall while running, breaking a rib on my right side and landing hard on my hip. I feel that this was the final straw for my back. After this I started having burning in my leg that went down to my foot while running. I was also having some hamstring pain and lower back pain."

The new symptoms that Kevin was experiencing were too much to ignore. "I went back to my doctor. He prescribed an Electromyogram thinking that there was a nerve issue. I started having enough pain that it was hard to walk. My left foot kept dropping when I walked."

Kevin's pain became so intense that he could not walk.  "One night I had serious enough pain that I could not walk. I had to crawl to the car and my wife, Karen, took me to the hospital." An MRI was scheduled immediately and after looking at it his doctor wanted to meet with Kevin as soon as possible. "When I walked in the room he had a look of shock on his face. When he showed me the digital view of my lower back it looked like a log house had fallen".

The MRI showed that Kevin's L5 had collapsed onto his sacrum. The disk between the L5 and sacrum had been destroyed. "My doctor was amazed that I was still able to stand. He told me that I needed surgery and initially, I wanted to deny it. I found a surgeon at Bronson Kalamazoo, recommended by my doctor.  He had trained at the Mayo Clinic. He had worked on athletes. He had performed this procedure hundreds of times. When I met with the surgeon I was told that I needed spinal fusion. Immediately I thought my running days were gone."

The success that Kevin had gained as a runner over the years had always made him feel as though he could handle anything that was thrown his way. This feeling of invincibility would quickly change to vulnerability. "I remember praying, Jesus give me three miles a day three days a week so I don't go insane."

Kevin's future as a runner was not guaranteed, but it was not as bleak as he had initially thought. "The orthopedic doctor interviewed me before the procedure. He said that there was a possibility that I could run again, but it depended on what he saw when we went in and what my recovery was like."

Kevin's surgeon did not want to close the door on running for Kevin but he wanted him to live without pain as well. "He asked me what I wanted out of the surgery. I told him that I just wanted to be healthy. I wanted to run again even if it meant my racing days were over. I told him that I was not going to do what he recommended I not do."

Although the door to running was not shut tight, it was not wide open either. "This was a scary proposition. Over three-quarters of my life had been as a runner. I realized that this might end but could accept it if I had to."

Surgery had gone well and Kevin realized that the waiting game had now begun. He had to remain patient. "At three months post-surgery, I had to have an image of my back done and again at six months. At three months my surgeon said that I was at least a month ahead of schedule."

Like a child asking for the coveted birthday gift, Kevin desperately wanted to ask the question that he had longed for an answer to, but he would wait, afraid of what the answer might be.  "At this time I wanted to ask if I would be able to run but I was scared to ask."

Kevin had been keeping in shape while following the doctor's orders and for now, this worked for him. ''In talking to my physician before surgery I realized I needed to follow his orders during recovery in order to get back to the sport I loved. My sports medicine background helped me with this."

Kevin had never imagined being in this situation but here he was. "Never in my wildest dreams did I think that I would have to take six months off from running. My recovery was focused one day at a time and what I needed to do to get back to running.  I had dealt with fractured ribs, broken toes, hernia surgery, and heart arrhythmia but had not been off running for more than a month."

Kevin steadily fell into his new routine, making the best of his situation. "I had been keeping fit by walking and using the elliptical and felt this was good enough for now. When I was first cleared to start walking and using the elliptical,  I went twelve minutes on the elliptical. I was exhausted but would add three minutes each day. Once I was up to an hour I began increasing the resistance."

 Kevin's new routine was not as satisfying as running, but it was filling the void. "It wasn't the same as running but I was motivated because I was making progress.  A turning point for me occurred two months into recovery. I volunteered at the Battle Creek Half Marathon. I initially thought this would be difficult. All my running acquaintances were asking how I was doing without asking if I would run again. It was very gratifying.  It was so inspiring to watch everyone out there running. It was very spiritual and empowering to be around all of these positive people."

Kevin was happy to be back in the running community and he knew his time to be an active member would soon come. "At my six-month appointment, my surgeon and I were looking at the pictures of my spine on the screen. He said that this looks great. I had to ask him if he thought I would be able to run again at all. He looked at me with a puzzled look and said sure you can go out and do what you did before. Do what you're comfortable with. Your body will tell you when you are doing what you shouldn't do."

It was as if Kevin had been reunited with a long-lost friend. "I came home and was as nervous as I had been for any race. I started running from my house with little choppy old man strides probably going slower than I could speed walk but it felt great. My muscles were obviously sore because I had not run in over six months. After a few weeks of running, I was finally able to open my stride a little bit. I have gradually built up and have continued to increase distance and pace."

Kevin has learned to adjust his approach to running after going through back surgery and recovery.  "I must admit that before my surgery I was fearless as a runner but now I am more sensible about my approach to many things. Now I am thinking more about longevity as a runner and in being active."

Initially, Kevin just enjoyed running for what it was, but as his body adjusted to the pounding again he began to think about new goals. He recently achieved one of those goals, running the 2018 Battle Creek Half Marathon with a finishing time of 1:42, crossing the finish line as the thirteenth overall runner. He accomplished this on a record hot day with the heat index approaching one hundred degrees by the end of the race. Not bad for a sixty-one-year-old coming off a back fusion surgery.

Kevin's story is one of celebration and gratitude after being stuck in a period of uncertainty. Kevin, I'm sure, feels grateful that through patience and persistence on his part along with the grace of God and the healing hands of a gifted surgeon, he is able to enjoy his passion of running again. The local running community is lucky as well to once again be blessed with Kevin's expertise and infectious positive spirit. Kevin's story can show us that in a sense we are all vulnerable but at the same time we should not give up on what we are passionate about without a fight. When faced with a looming injury that looks as if it might end your running, educate yourself, work with a surgeon who has the same goals for you that you have for yourself and most importantly never give up on running until you explore every possible option to keep you in the game.

 

Everyone has a story.  Stay tuned next month for another runner’s story.