There were four consecutive years when I could not run.
In this time I saw every variation of health professional and entertained every treatment option you’ve ever heard of - physical therapists, foot specialists, podiatrists, acupuncturists, massage therapists, yoga instructors, Eastern medicine doctors, chiropractors, naturopaths .... you name it. We tried massage, strength and rehab exercises, Grastin, stim, PRP, wearing a boot, X-Rays, MRIs, dietary changes, shoe changes, cross training, prolotherapy, cortisone, herbal supplements, Gua Sha, ice/heat, cupping, myofascial release ... How was I still injured?
This all started one year after graduating from college, where I had been a DI cross country and track athlete, and brought with it not only daily physical pain but the emotional challenges of frustration, confusion, and losing what felt like the most integral part of my identity. For anyone who’s ever been injured, you know.
The Full Story
I grew up in what was once called “The Fastest Square Mile of Track and Field in the Nation.” My town - Bronxville, NY - was literally one square mile. And our women's XC/Track Coach - Jim Mitchell - is a High School Hall of Fame coach and phenomenal leader and mentor who has supported so many runners in being healthy and competitive 3-season runners. I am so grateful for falling into that program and being trained by such a thoughtful, skilled coach.
After running mostly 800s and 1500s in high school, in college I ran the 1500 in track and 6k in xc. I was almost always healthy, except for in my junior year when I broke my second metatarsal in a freak snowstorm in a XC race.
I recovered from that injury, and immediately after college I had the unforgettable opportunity to train for the NYC Marathon as part of Fred’s Team - the charity team for Memorial Sloan Kettering Hospital. I kept nagging pains in my plantar fascia and hamstring at bay throughout my training. There were days after long runs where walking was painful every step, but I ignored these pains and kept a laser focus on racing. It was such an honor to be a part of the Fred’s Team community and the whole marathon was a spectacular event.
I had so much fun in that race that I thought why not train for another?! So I signed up for the San Francisco Marathon the following June. In hindsight, I should have taken this time to care for the injuries that were coming up during my NYC Marathon training. Unsurprisingly, my plantar pain crept up into my achilles and I started to see a variety of PTs, massage therapists, and yoga teachers. I considered my last "real" run to have been in June 2014.
The achilles pain went away fairly quickly once I stopped running, but the pain in my right heel and arch stayed. While not running I dabbled in triathlon training (minus the running - which then doesn't really make it a triathlon), had short bouts of attempted returns to running, pulled a muscle along the PF of my other (left) foot, had X-rays and MRIs, spent a month in a boot, and kept going to all kinds of treatment.
My inability to run begrudgingly led me to other activities, that I have now come to love and I believe I am stronger for this new movement variety in my life. I came to enjoy biking, swimming, yoga, and strength training - for real. I completed a 200-hour Yoga Teacher Training and I now have the joy of sharing the benefits of yoga for athletes with others. On the recommendation of a running friend (Hi Sophie!) I even started Crossfit, which I never thought I’d do. I found it was not a bunch of meat heads, and instead a group of normal and relatable people capitalizing on the benefits of strength training.
Slowly ... so slowly, I started to feel the pain in my feet fading. I started to wonder, “could I try to run?” I had such a deeply ingrained new identity as an “injured runner” and as “fragile” - the thought of running scared me. In February of 2018 I made myself a “return to running” plan that I’d like to share with you here. I had to balance my excitement at the possibilities ahead with my fears and doubts - and most importantly, remind myself I had nothing to lose by trying.
I can’t pinpoint one magic solution to my recovery - I think recovery rarely has one answer. What I do know for sure is I evolved from being just a runner to being an athlete. I believe there are a few key factors that helped me most, and these have become the core principles of my training beliefs:
My New Tenets for Healthy Running
1. Don’t Run (sometimes): Know the difference between soreness and pain - this takes a lot of trial and error. Once you know - don’t run on something that hurts! You may "lose" a few days or even weeks of running, but there are a lot of ways to become a better runner that don’t involve running. Which brings us to #2 ...
2. Vary Movement: I used to be a "run only" kind of runner, and I am now a big believer in being a well rounded athlete. I think the greatest benefits to variety are in minimizing your risk of injury and gaining an edge on your competition who may not have the complementary skills and strengths you gain from a varied movement diet. There have been countless Olympic runners who’ve had a great season off of lots of swimming or weight training or other forms of “cross-training.”
3. Strength Training: I always resisted anything but cardio, and I think this left my body underprepared for the work I was asking it to do. Runners need weight-bearing strength training - and this can come in many forms - such as Crossfit, Barre, boot camp, pilates, TRX, or working out at home ... it’s a non-negotiable!
4. A New Approach to “Rolling Out”: I have greatly evolved in my rolling practices. I used to looove grinding my foot into a golf ball. What I learned is that I was actually reigniting my injuries every time I did this. Self massage is an incredible tool for an athlete but must be executed with caution. Rolling an injured area on hard surfaces like golf or lacrosse balls damages those tissues more and activates our sympathetic nervous system - our “fight or flight” response. In this state, our bodies experience stress and cannot recover. When we roll on softer, squishier surfaces like tennis balls, soft foam rollers, or Yoga Tune Up balls, we activate our parasympathetic nervous system - entering our “rest and digest” state that supports recovery, builds muscle tissue, restores our hormone balance, and boosts immunity and digestion.
5. Foot Health: The most important thing about a shoe is that YOU feel good in it. There is no universal shoe knowledge that everyone can use. It’s more important to have a strong body than to have the “right” shoe. I have worn a variety of shoes the past few years, both running and in daily life. I think orthotics were the right choice when my injuries were acute and extremely tender. I then spent multiple years strengthening my feet and transitioning to shoes with a wide toe box and zero drop. I rotate through multiple pairs of shoes at a time to avoid an overuse issue from any one shoe style. If you want to learn more about wide toe box/zero drop footwear and strengthening your feet, I recommend the work of Dr. Ray McClanahan at NW Foot and Ankle and Katy Bowman, the author of "Whole Body Barefoot.”
My Return to Running Plan
I can say with total happiness that it is now January 2019 and I am running strong and grateful. Here you can see my 3-month return to running plan, and this document shares more tips I followed for things like warming up and practicing drills.
