With over 20 Tulane
medical students running the Mardi Gras Marathon, the shirts we made were a
huge hit. Proudly displaying the green Tulane School of Medicine Logo on the
front, we declared to the world our med school lifestyle with the simple
message on the back: “EAT. STUDY. RUN.” We heard
constant cheers and words of encouragement from both the crowd and other
runners. “Go Tulane!!” “Go Green Wave!” Our
classmates, families, and friends all thought we were crazy for training for a
marathon during medical school. But I was feeling strong with half
the marathon already behind me, and I knew it was all worth it.
“Yes”, I replied to the
man in the red shirt, “we’re both first years.”
“Well that’s just great!
Do y’all know what fields you want to go into?” he asked. My running
partner gave the typical first year response, “I’m still not really
sure”. But I immediately answered, “I want to go into Family
Medicine”.
Usually I go on to
explain that I’m passionate about primary care and preventative
medicine. That I want to work with and in my community to improve
the health and well-being of all. And that I’m interested in a wide
variety of fields and ages, so Family Medicine is the perfect option for
me.
But this time I didn’t
need to explain. The man in the red shirt running interrupted my
typical diatribe and exclaimed, “Really! That’s wonderful! I’ve been a family
physician for eight years!”
Just at that moment, we
came to a water station. After running for over two hours, those few
ounces are liquid gold, so everyone makes sure to grab a little paper cup from
the volunteers. Unfortunately by the time we made it through the
station, the family doc in the red shirt was already many paces
ahead. I didn’t get the chance to ask him all about his life as a family
physician, but I was instantly filled with joy and reassurance about my goals
in medicine. I can become a family physician, I can pursue my
interests outside medicine, and like our friend in the red shirt, I
can keep running.
My running partner and I
crossed the 26.2 mile finish line well under our goal of 4
hours. With over 17,000 other people running the marathon, I never
saw the Family Doc in the red shirt again. But I’m sure he finished
strong and I’m grateful for the few moments I was able to share with a future
colleague.
