Injury Discoveries
It was an imbalance of emotions similar to when you have too much espresso on zero hours of sleep. Excitement and fear pulling me in opposite directions. I stand at the trailhead that I’ve ran at least a thousand times. Just being at the trailhead sends a circus of emotions through my body. It was where I ran my first “long” run, but also where I had most recently done some failed soft surface runs a few months ago. For months I have had so much to say but could not find words. While I still consider myself in the process of “coming back”, I knew it would take pain free solo miles on my feet to really synthesize my thoughts to put into writing.
Typically, Meteor content is done in third person for the sake of professionalism and branding. However, I wanted to share a personal experience with a recent chronic injury that occurred simultaneously with qualifying for U.S. Marathon Olympic Trials. Injuries are funny like that. They force us to realize that we are, in fact, human, but they also connect us and ground us. Also, as a spoiler alert – while I did pound some anti-inflammatory foods and collagen (finding no real conclusion of whether it was effective or not) this post has nothing to do with food itself.
Back to that first run after eight weeks off post-foot procedure on top of 25 weeks total off in 2019 (who is counting though?!). My coach and I had agreed on 10 x 1 minute jog with one minute walking in between. “Alright, this is easy,” I thought. “Just one foot infront of the other.” After a few steps of waiting for my foot to give me feedback, it didn’t. The old, insidious symptoms I had dealt with for all of 2019 seemed to be at bay for the moment. This was great news, there was potential to get back to the most freeing form of movement I know.
I promised myself I would not share my “come to Jesus” moments as an injured athlete. I’ve read and listened to the most influential runners I know of discuss their experiences with injuries and that is definitely where runners on the IR list should go for some inspiration when they are at their low point (Desi, Shalane’s, and Emily Infeld to name a few of my favorites). However, in working with my clients, I realized that a lot of people I work with struggle with rest and breaks from where they feel their identity resides. I am therefore compelled to write to speak to those that may not find themselves at the professional level, but do like to pretend for an hour a day that they are. In being injured, one of the take home messages I have been able to bring with me –is that you actually do not need to train like an elite athlete to maintain health and general empowerment. Shocking, I know. Some days it was a vigorous aqua jog where I pretended to be Jenny Simpson at 5th Avenue Mile, sometimes it was a 30 minute walk with my dog. Both were enough. Both gave me satisfaction, perspective, and inspiration.
While dealing with a bitch of an injury leading up to the months before the Olympic Trials is not ideal, nor is it any bit convenient, I have learned so much not only as an athlete, but as a healthcare provider. As Desi stated in her injury after the 2011 Boston Marathon, “Injuries are just a natural part of the sport. They're going to happen, and they can be opportunities – if we take them –to learn about ourselves.”
One of the specific areas I felt I grew during these challenging months was in my role as a business owner. While I struggled with people assuming I had more free time at my disposal because I was not running, I did find that my mental focus shifted to other things. It was not the result of having more physical time, but possibly a deeper capacity. Most of this attention went into developing my services and relationships within Meteor.
I dove deeper into they “why” behind Meteor Nutrition during this time. Developing clarity with my core Meteor mission and message while connecting on a deeper level with my clients has been a game changer. Possibly an unintentional coping method, but I felt newly invigorated to provide a higher level of care to my clients. I found that I was hungry to learn all that I could to improve my work. While I still have goals of expanding my knowledge and specialization as a sports dietitian, I really started to appreciate that people do not care how much you know until they know how much you care.
Speaking of those that care, I was surrounded by them every step ( or hobble) of the way. People would tell me that I was handling things well, but this was a reflection of the love and support from those around me. As many already know, I truly did try anything and everything possible, and while a lot of those attempts were not successful, I am truly grateful for every provider who invested their best work into healing me. They were not wrong; I just had a complex foot. I was surrounded by people in the local community who did everything from sending me encouraging messages to making phone calls to get me into doctors that did not accept my insurance. Seriously, BLESS. My coach took this time to remind me I had plenty of elements I could work on that would result in making me a better runner that did not require me to run at all. I was grateful to have intentions to help me keep my eye on the prize. Last but certainly not least, my boyfriend was actually my rock. Everything from physically helping me rehab back to being so compassionate with each hurdle that came. I have a much deeper understanding that we all need our village of people to thrive in both good times and not so good times.
As I get back to easy running just four months before the U.S. Marathon Trials, the most natural questions I get are about how I will be able to race there. I think at this point, I am just so elated to be back running in any form and my bigger goals extend far beyond the starting line that I will toe four months from now. I do not question my ability to get back into shape if my foot can remain healthy, nor do I fear the challenges I know will come. In so many indescribable ways, I am grateful for this challenge and know there’s more on the other side.