From a Broken Leg to a Broken PR
Riding down the mountain on a ski patrol stretcher is really the only way to do it, if you ask me. There is time for mental reflection and the moment really puts things into perspective. A quick backstory is I had just executed a maneuver that involved crossing one ski over another, tripping, and breaking my leg in Park City, Utah. And that was the start to a very long trip back to DC, and an even longer recovery as you might imagine.
My orthopedic surgeon (uh, he’s a “knee guy”) told me I was “really lucky.” So lucky in fact, that with every Tibial Plateau fracture repair my doctor sees, he throws in a titanium plate and nine screws – no coupon necessary! Nagging at me during this whole ordeal was whether I would ever be able to run again. My dad got me into running when I was 13, and by this time, I had run a lot of races, but still had a long list of many others I hoped to complete. Like a lot of people, I was addicted to the runner’s high and a setback like this was something out of an athlete’s fever dream. The doctor said it would be nine months before I was maybe ready for full on running and racing, assuming everything went okay.
What my orthopedic didn’t know was that I had a Marine Corps Marathon (MCM) registration burning a hole in my pocket. With seven months to heal and get ready to run the first in-person MCM in three years, I set my sights on that. Runners are always trying to beat the odds. Stronger, faster, better. The following months were a blur of pain, a bruised ego, rehabilitation, self-doubt, and sheer determination. I started with a 17-yard hobble down my parent’s driveway, holding my crutches and before too long, I surprisingly worked up to a 17-mile training run. It wasn’t my strongest performance, but I thought I had enough gas in the tank to get to the start line of the MCM and give it my best shot. Around mile nine, though, my hopes were dashed by some aggravating hip pain. And by mile 16, I was convinced this hip pain was worse than the pain of actually breaking my leg! When I finally saw my family and boyfriend in Crystal City, I had tears streaming down my face. I told them I couldn’t go on and my dad offered to walk some of the race with me. I finished the race exhausted in a little over six hours. It was my lowest low and a defeated feeling. I started contemplating throwing in the towel, but running is my drug and it’s hard to let it go.
Several weeks later I saw a post by Northeast Track Club (NETC) on my Instagram feed that made me think about going back to the track. I hadn’t done a speed workout since before the pandemic. I committed to going to NETC’s track workout the next Tuesday, which made me excited and hopeful. It’s weird how a runner’s brain works; like that commercial used to say, the only thing worse than getting out of a comfy, warm bed on a dark, cold, rainy morning and going outside for a run is NOT getting up and doing it. What I found at my first track workout blew me away. Even on a cold, rainy, and dark winter night, I found so many runners with the same addiction as me! It was like a 10-step self-help support group only full of enablers and supporters. The one thing that had me in awe was the level at which some of the runners performed. Running from Los Angeles to Las Vegas. A Sunday fun run from Reagan National to Dulles. Ironman and Ultra finishers, first timers, Boston Qualifiers, three milers who just had babies, and Marathon winners all mingling and training…together. I made some friends, and we pushed ourselves to keep going on the long runs on Saturdays and to keep joining faster groups on the track on Tuesdays. Following the MCM, I never thought I’d get back to my pre-injury level of performance, let alone take it to another level. Encouraged by friends I’d met, I applied for the Chicago Marathon and GOT IN! Joining NETC gave me the confidence and the training support to make Chicago my comeback race.
Many Tuesday nights, Saturday mornings and a lot of solo runs later, I attribute my race success this year to NETC. I managed a personal record in the San Francisco half marathon this summer, which gave me a lot of confidence going to Chicago. In Chicago I ran a 3:51:28 race, an improvement of over two-hours from last year’s MCM. I’ve gained so much more from joining NETC than just personal records. I can confidently say that in NETC, I found a group of people passionate about being athletes (and friends), who forge on when things are physically tough, and take being called “crazy” as a compliment. Every member you talk to is an ambassador for this club by choice and I somehow serendipitously discovered this group of motivating and inspiring individuals at the perfect crossroads of my own career as an athlete. As Suzy Kassen said, “doubt kills more dreams than failure ever will." I was faced with a decision where I could let the marathon break me or I could try again and, thanks to NETC, I have no doubt I’ll train for another marathon or beyond. See you on Tuesday.
