{"id":198774,"date":"2022-01-24T19:31:04","date_gmt":"2022-01-24T19:31:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ultraspire.com\/?p=198774"},"modified":"2022-01-24T19:31:08","modified_gmt":"2022-01-24T19:31:08","slug":"fight-for-fifty-ultraspire-athlete-nolan-blancos-inspiring-story","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/de-stage.ultraspire.com\/en\/fight-for-fifty-ultraspire-athlete-nolan-blancos-inspiring-story\/","title":{"rendered":"Fight for Fifty: UltrAspire Athlete Nolan Blanco’s Inspiring Story"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Written by: Anja Hayes <\/p>\n\n\n\n

At UltrAspire, our close interaction with athletes in our community yield stunning and inspiring stories. We believe in the power of positivity and community support and as such we want to bring you these stories as we receive them as a means to promote and support these incredible athletes. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

At 4:30 in the morning, Nolan Blanco wakes up and runs. \u201cMy neighborhood block is just about 400 meters,\u201d Blanco explains. \u201cI can go out and do a quick 5k.\u201d Blanco runs at dawn several times throughout the week, while balancing his full-time job and spending time with his daughters when they stay with him. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

An aspiring ultrarunner, Blanco\u2019s first opportunity to compete in an ultramarathon was at the 2017 North Face Endurance Challenge. A little over 33 miles in, Blanco\u2019s body began working against him as his legs fought his movement. Despite Blanco\u2019s protest, a race official stopped him, marking him as \u2018DNF,\u2019 a racer that did not finish. The official did not realize that even though Blanco was in pain, he knew how to run with it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Blanco was diagnosed with generalized dystonia in 2014. Generalized dystonia is a neurological movement disorder that causes groups of muscles throughout the body to cramp and painfully contract. Its symptoms can manifest in different ways and range in intensity. When Blanco\u2019s symptoms began around 2008, he realized that he was losing control of his right hand. \u201cI noticed it first when I couldn\u2019t hold a drumstick the way I was taught to hold it,\u201d Blanco revealed. An accomplished percussion instructor, Blanco\u2019s beginning symptoms quickly impacted his hobbies and profession, leading him to a dark place in life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Blanco soon took action and sought medical treatment, but even neurologists struggled with diagnosing him. The lack of answers and solutions were weighing on him; Blanco wanted to know what was happening and how to fix it. \u201cI figured that if the doctors weren\u2019t able to find anything, I would try to find the answer myself.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dystonia is the third most common movement disorder in the United States, impacting an estimated 250,000 Americans. However, it is frequently misdiagnosed and under-researched. As he researched online, Blanco was met with dismal feedback: \u201cWhen you start going down the rabbit-hole of Google, it can be a pretty devastating thing,\u201d Blanco noted. \u201cI didn\u2019t necessarily know what I was looking for\u2013 all I knew was that I was searching my symptoms.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 2014, an occupational therapist Blanco had been seeing for his inability to write recommended a nearby neurologist. Upon visiting, Blanco underwent another round of physical tests he had taken before in past examinations, including a painful EMG test. After deliberation, the neurologist introduced Blanco to a colleague that was familiar with dystonia. Once she learned of the symptoms Blanco had been experiencing for six years, she was certain it was the disorder that other doctors had not recognized previously. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

You are welcome here,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But you will run beside me, <\/p>\n\n\n\n

You don\u2019t run my life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

-N.B.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The overwhelming majority of dystonia cases are not fatal. Though it can be incredibly debilitating and vary in severity from person to person, some dystonic individuals are able to adapt to their symptoms and carry on. Overtime, Blanco has endured leg spasms and temporary loss of control of them. Still, he has not lost his ability to run, something he does not take for granted: \u201cRunning took on a whole new meaning because as I started learning more about dystonia and seeing the other cases that are out there\u2026 I felt it [was] right that since my case is not as severe as many of them out there, I might as well use what I got. If it works, I\u2019m gonna run.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of Blanco\u2019s obstacles as a dystonic runner is the cramping pain that causes his legs to lock up. Describing his discomfort, he recounted that \u201cFor a couple of years, it was every day. I was just in constant pain.\u201d Blanco does not resent the pain though. \u201cI had to make friends with dystonia but even more so, I had to make friends with the pain.\u201d His relationship with dystonia has also allowed him to personify the pain as being separate from himself. \u201cThe pain can run with me: it can run in front of me or behind me, but it’s going to stay over there while I stay right here.\u201d While observing health-dictated limits, he does not let his diagnosis affect his mindset.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Movement is a friend,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Through highs and lows movement shines,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Trust belief, faith, hope.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

-N.B.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Blanco strives to one day run 50 miles. With the help and motivation of his coach, Joanna Harris, he has been able to develop a training plan accustomed to his dystonic symptoms. Using her experience as a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist, Harris aids Blanco in strengthening his legs and nullifying the pain he deals with. \u201c[We work on] a lot of isolations of the left and right leg.\u201d  Blanco also has recently acquired his Ultrarunning Coach certification from United Endurance Sports Coaching Academy. His certification has been a key role in developing a training plan that works for him and fits his goal. A few weeks prior to being interviewed, Blanco began focusing on his maximum oxygen rate used in exercising and incorporating running intervals, tempo runs, and recovery runs into his regime. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Blanco\u2019s adaptation to life with dystonia has been a long but redemptive journey. Apart from the ultra-endurance he has found that living with dystonia has made him a better parent to his two daughters, Lyra and Kyla. Teaching them to not give up has manifested in the ways they approach obstacles, like schoolwork. From enjoying sunrises he has witnessed during his morning runs, Blanco was also able to rediscover his passion for creative writing. The haikus featured in this article are all works he wrote about his love for running and progress with dystonia. As long as Blanco continues to find running fun, there are no signs of him stopping. \u201cI don\u2019t want to use dystonia as an excuse not to be able to run fifty miles. I can\u2019t live with myself for not trying.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Written by: Anja Hayes At UltrAspire, our close interaction with athletes in our community yield stunning and inspiring stories. We believe in the power of positivity and community support and as such we want to bring you these stories as we receive them as a means to promote and support these incredible athletes. At 4:30 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3800,"featured_media":198885,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"off","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-198774","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\nFight for Fifty: UltrAspire Athlete Nolan Blanco's Inspiring Story - UltrAspire<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Fight for Fifty: UltrAspire Athlete Nolan Blanco's Inspiring Story - UltrAspire\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Written by: Anja Hayes At UltrAspire, our close interaction with athletes in our community yield stunning and inspiring stories. 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