02/12/2026
In honor of it being marathon training season, we want to highlight some of the amazing marathoners that we worked with last year, helping them reach their goals. 👟 🏅
Our first runner is Ashlie, and here is her story:
"I started running cross country in high school and ran on and off in college, mostly just for fun. After I moved to Boston, I kept running casually, and in 2023 I signed up for my first half marathon. I followed a training plan I found online and honestly didn’t really know much about pacing, different types of runs, or nutrition. When I finished the race, I said I was never running another one again because it was so hard and miserable.
Clearly that didn’t stick, because since then I’ve run three more half marathons and one full marathon. Running also became more meaningful to me when I applied to run with the Finish MS team at the Chicago Marathon to raise money for multiple sclerosis. I didn’t think I’d get accepted, but I did. I chose Finish MS because when I originally signed up for my first half marathon, I was supposed to run it with my brother. Halfway through our training, he was diagnosed with MS and couldn’t run the race. He continues to deal with MS every day, so being able to run and raise money for a cause that directly affects my family means a lot to me. I’ll be running Chicago 2026 and fundraising for MS again.
I don’t have many friends who run, so most of my training advice came from Google. My knees had always bothered me after races, but once I started training consistently for Chicago, the pain got worse. During one long run, around mile 11 of 14, I had to stop short for a car and ended up jamming my knee so badly that I couldn’t finish the run. That’s when I finally made an appointment at Elliott [Physical Therapy] in Southie.
I started working with Matt Watson, who then connected me with Eric [Cardin]. Working with Eric completely changed how I approach running. He helped me redo my training plan, taught me how to pace properly, and helped me understand nutrition and hydration. I honestly don’t think I would have run nearly as well without his help.
I continued seeing Matt throughout my training, and he made a huge difference with my knees and hips. After a few weeks, I had little to no pain. He also helped a lot with recovery, especially after long runs. I’d usually come straight to PT after a long run, and the techniques he used helped me recover so much faster. I went from barely being able to walk for days to just feeling a little sore.
Matt and Eric completely changed my experience with running. I’m training for Chicago 2026 and plan to keep working with them throughout the process."
We hope you find her story as inspirational as we do.
If you'd like to help Ashlie reach her fundraising goals for Finish MS, here is the link to donate: https://bit.ly/4tuVc7A 🧡
If you are a runner and looking for some support with training, recovery or injury prevention, click this link to schedule an appointment with our team today https://bit.ly/4r9LGFs !
