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My First Marathon

As a chiropractor, I’ve spent years helping runners prepare for races, manage injuries, and recover smarter. But this year, I stepped onto the course myself and ran my very first marathon.
Crossing that finish line was an incredible feeling—and one I won’t forget. But the experience also taught me some valuable lessons I didn’t expect, even with my background in movement and recovery. Whether you’re a fellow runner, thinking about training for your first race, or just curious about how I’m recovering, here’s what I learned and how I’m taking care of my body now.

Training and Marathon Preparation

1. Strength Training Shouldn’t Be Optional

I focused heavily on logging miles—but I underestimated how important strength work is. Around mile 18, I realized my glutes and hips weren’t holding up the way I expected. That led to extra work for my calves and knees, and even led to a complete stop to stretch out a cramping calf.
Takeaway: Incorporate strength training 1–2 times a week, especially for the core, hips, and lower legs. It helps build the stability and power you need to stay strong throughout the race.

2. Recovery Starts Long Before Race Day

Takeaway: Recovery isn’t just for after the race. Regular sleep, mobility work, and body maintenance during training are essential if you want to show up feeling your best.

How I’m Recovering After the Marathon

As a chiropractor and now a marathon finisher, I can confidently say: recovery is just as important as the training itself.
In the days following the race, I felt everything—from muscle soreness and tight calves to lingering tension in my hips and lower back. That’s why one of the first things I did post-race was book an appointment… with my own chiropractor!

Chiropractic Adjustments

After 26.2 miles of repetitive impact, subtle restrictions can build up in your spine and lower extremities—hips, knees, ankles. Getting adjusted helped restore normal joint motion, reduce stiffness, and take pressure off areas that had been compensating during the race. I noticed immediate relief in my stride and less post-run tightness after just one visit.

Myofascial Release

This is a game-changer for recovery. Deep myofascial work helped release tension in my calves, hamstrings, IT bands, and hip flexors—exactly where marathoners tend to tighten up the most. It sped up my recovery and helped prevent that “tight and locked up” feeling that can linger for days or even weeks.

Let’s Get YOU Back on Track

Whether you’re recovering from your last race or getting ready for your next one, we’re here to help. Book an appointment with us and let’s build a recovery and performance plan that works for you.
Dr. Norgaard’s first exposure to chiropractic was when he was a high school football player at Neuqua Valley in Naperville, Illinois. Nagging injuries led him to Action Chiropractic and Dr. Durnas. He was amazed with the results he got and knew that the treatments provided at Action Chiropractic were the best way to address his ailments.
After high school, Dr. Norgaard left Naperville and attended Central College in Pella, Iowa. While at Central, he majored in biology and played football, further piquing his interest in sports injuries and how to treat them. When he wasn’t in the classroom or on the football field, Dr. Norgaard spent his time volunteering at hospitals, and at various clinics. This is when he really developed a passion for helping people get better.
His experiences as an athlete, chiropractic patient, and volunteer shaped his decision to become a chiropractor.
After graduating from Central, Dr. Norgaard continued his education at Palmer College of Chiropractic.
While at Palmer, Dr. Norgaard took several extracurricular courses focusing on spinal diagnosis and therapy, soft tissue care, and diagnosis and treatment of the extremities. He completed a 4-month internship with Dr. Durnas at Action Chiropractic and Sports Injury Center and further developed his skills as a physician.
He graduated Magna Cum Laude from Palmer in October of 2021 and received the Academic Excellence Award.
After graduation, Dr. Norgaard joined the team at Action Chiropractic and Sports Injury Center. He currently resides in the Naperville area with his wife, Shannon, son, Parker, and dog, Alby.
“I chose to become a chiropractor because I was helped by chiropractic. I was in such discomfort it took me over 3 minutes to put on my socks. After seeing a chiropractor, and regaining the ability to tie my shoes, I realized that taking loads of NSAIDs did not address the fact that there was something causing the pain. The more I learned about it, I found that Chiropractic doesn’t just hide symptoms, like I was trying to do with pills, it fixes the origin of the problem.”
Dr. Durnas graduated from the University of Illinois with a Bachelors of Science Degree in Biology and Bachelors of Arts degree in Chemistry. After graduation he worked in research and development for 3 years and dabbled in powerlifting and professional wrestling. That’s what lead him to chiropractic school. While at Palmer College of Chiropractic, he focused on learning how to best help the athlete. He took several extracurricular courses on how to address soft tissue injuries, how to adjust extremities, and how to better manage sports injuries. He graduated in June of 2012, where we were the Palmer Clinical Excellence Award winner and a keynote speaker at commencement.
In 2019, Dr. Durnas earned his Diplomate from the American Chiropractic Board of Sports Physicians (DACBSP)®. He is only the 427th chiropractor in history to earn this designation, and only the 6th recipient in the history of Illinois. He completed over 300 hours of classroom and online courses focusing on in depth on the diagnosis and treatment of sports injuries, concussions, and emergency procedures, and had over 100 on the field hours with athletes that ranged from cross fitters, professional and high school football players, professional BMX and Motocross riders, triathletes, and runners. Dr. Durnas passed a 6-part practical exam and a 250 question Board exam and contributed a case study involving nerve damage in a professional athlete following a hit to the shoulder.