since I fractured my pelvis and my hip (in laymen's terms)
When it 1st happened I had no idea just how serious my injury was and just how much I'd grow both physically and mentally from this injury. As I have posted before I did not exactly take the news well. To say I was depressed is quite accurate. This injury and coming back from it was a true test of my mental and physical strength.
The 1st few days after hearing the results of the MRI and the news I was officially out of the marathon were my hardest...literally internalizing the fact that I had been training for about 23 weeks and having it taken from me in the blink of an eye was insanely hard to comprehend. Many people were very quick to say things like, "well look at all the free time you have now" or "well just get better and you'll be back at it". If only things were that easy.
Training becomes a part of you. It's safe to say training runs (no pun intended) my life. So when I got injured it was like my life was turned upside down. In a sense, I lost my identity and direction.
Here's a quick view of what a conversation with me is like when I'm training:
Person: Hey Kelly, what's new?
Me: Same....training for ______ Marathon ____ days to go!
Person: Oh right. How far is that marathon?
Me: Same as all marathons, 26.2 miles.
Person: I don't know how you do it...
Me: A lot of training and determination, I guess.
Person: Well, if you ask me, you're crazy.
Me: Ok
Person: We should grab a drink sometime soon.
Me: Yeah, I'll look at my training schedule and see what I can do.
(Said drink never happens ha ha)
After my injury I found it hard to relate to people who didn't "get" running or who have never worked so hard for something and have it taken way when it was so close. I found some "real friends" who didn't understand exactly what I was going through were quick to say things like, "Ok. Kelly..I get it, you're upset you can't run...get over it"....but to me it wasn't that easy. So maybe the injury was a good way for me to weed out some friends I didn't need...ha ha.
My triumphant return to training for Philly started in May and it's been an uphill battle. Like any training program, I have good days and bad days, but I'm a smarter runner now. I take better care of my body in terms of warming up, cooling down, and stretching and I'm better at listening to my body and what it needs.
A few weeks ago I started to feel similar pain in my pelvis (tho not as acute). I immediately went to see the PT/Chiro who brought me back stronger than before my injury, Dr. Jan. We have been working on strengthening the muscles around my pelvis and are working on treating other injuries in my hip, knee, and foot that might be affecting the way I run-which is causing the pelivic pain. Dr. Jan gets athletes and I trust him fully...I know he'll keep me as healthy as possible and have me Philly ready!
Am I nervous for the next 38 days until the race? TOTALLY, but I'm not letting my nerves get in the way of my goal.
I'm looking forward to my 1/2 marathon next weekend and talking to my coaches about the rest of our game plan for Philly...it's getting close!
"Fear is gradually replaced by excitement and a simple desire to see what you can do on the day."
-Lauren Fleshman
