A thankful runner's reflection

When I was reflecting back on the things I was most thankful for this year as a runner, I surprised myself. Because I realized the things that I was truly MOST thankful for is actually my injury.

As crazy as it sounds (and it’s taken me a while to get there), the very thing which, at the time, was the most utterly devastating outcome, because the thing that improved me the most. Even though this brought some of the darkest times, now I can appreciate how much it truly benefited me.

The stress fracture I sustained back in February forced me to take time off (2 full months!) from running completely. I thought it had just destroyed my race season. In a very stressful time in my life, it did prove to be an extraordinary mental challenge. But that fortitude has served me well and made me more resilient.

Ultimately, this is where I ended up…

I became a better coach- It made me think more about the mental aspects of running and training, especially for athletes returning from injury. It also crystalized my desire to work with athletes returning from injury. Although I had come back from injury before, this gave me a new perspective and a deeper understanding of how to do it in a way that fosters a stronger and faster racer long term. It also gave me perspective on how hard each and every step of injury and return to racing is. Especially that deep seated fear that you will never again be able to return to the runner you once were.

It made me a stronger runner - I actually took down time to recover and focus on building strength. Because I couldn’t run, I doubled down on becoming stronger. At the beginning of the year, I had fantastic fitness. I did what I could cross training to maintain my aerobic capacity and then focused on lifting heavier than I usually do because I wasn’t in a training block. When I was able to start running again, I focused on the fundamentals including nutrition, recovery, and strength to make sure that I stayed strong and healthy. This allowed me to reset my building blocks and actually reduce intensity of training for a better outcome (another story for another day).

It renewed my appreciation for running - Every step I take now, even on the hard days, makes me happy. I remembered the most important thing: running is supposed to be fun. That's why I do it. In some ways, I had gotten so caught up in the training, in trying to hit all my workouts and paces, and trying to be perfect, that there were times when it felt like a chore. This forced me to take a step back and realize how important running was to me. I found the joy. And I fell in love all over again.

This is just a reminder that sometimes it's the hard things, the dark times, the challenges before us that serve as the catalyst for something better. If you had told me in February that breaking my foot and being unable to run was something I would have been grateful for, it would not have gone well. I am certainly not interested in reliving that experience, but I do want to appreciate it for what it gave to me and ensure that I can carry on those lessons into the future.