EAT. STUDY. RUN.

As we passed through the French Quarter around mile 14, a man in a plain red t-shirt running alongside inquired about our matching shirts.  “Are y’all still in school?”

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.