Tag Archives: running

Discovery, Flux, Running

Carly the Runner 4.0 – Injury. Coping. Comeback.

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Meet Carly the Runner 4.0. Why 4.0 you ask? Let me explain: I have had three major injuries since I became a runner in August 2004. In order: a stress fracture in October 2006, a calf strain in February 2010, and sesamoid inflammation in January 2013. Each episode reduced my running to zero for several weeks and initiated the cycle: Injury. Coping. Comeback. Therefore, if I started as Carly the Runner 1.0, I am now 4.0. Let’s look at the cycle:

Injury.

It happens to the best of us. Mine have usually been the result of overuse. Accepting being injured is the first step, and it’s a toughie, but more use on top of overuse does not lead to faster recovery or quicker times.

Coping.

Pool Belt
Pool Belt

Through my forced transitions, I have gained considerable skill in coping with injury and anxiety while remaining a pleasant human being.** The injury causes pure frustration, arising from an inability to do an activity I love. The anxiety is a nagging foe reminding me I am getting slower everyday, and I had better put down the ice cream spoon. These internal struggles become a serious hinderance in pursuit of being my best self, but I do think I am improving on this front by finding alternatives to running such as pool running and by reminding myself that I will recover, after all, I have before.

Comeback.

Comeback Shoes
Comeback Shoes

What has made me better at coping, is likewise what has made me better at recovering: confidence that my running ability will return. In transition from 3.0 to 4.0, I trusted more fully in the ability of my body to remember running: eight years and 10,000+ miles are too much to forget over a few weeks. Thankfully, this has proven true. In week one of 4.0, I have run five times for a total of 25 miles – that’s a good memory! I also take 4.0 as an opportunity to hit reset on certain metrics – like longest and fastest runs for general training purposes. This helps me avoid unfair comparisons to how I was then with where I am now. Therefore I would like to celebrate with you the longest run of 4.0: 7.25 miles on April 6. Take that comeback!

For my real comeback challenge: the Palmetto 200 April 12-13 with the Old Guns, Young Ones, and Banditos. Next post will be a follow up on the race. Ole!

OGYOB

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**I will confess that during my most recent injury, “pleasant human being” status faltered seriously one day in early March. The weather was beautiful: sunny and warmer than it had been, and I was driving to the post office when a song I usually listen to while running began to play on the radio (“Trouble” by TSwift, if you were wondering). The pangs of being unable to run tore me apart. Worse yet, I had not gone to the doctor yet, so I had no clear idea when I would be on the road again. My parents gamely took my phone call. I think if they had known how I was going to whine, they might have let it go to voicemail.^

There was also some serious pouting when my mom came to visit for a weekend. Clearly there is still room for improvement in the “Coping” phase, but I would like to think I weathered the storm better than I had in previous transitions.

^They wouldn’t actually do that, I was being dramatic.

Flux, Goals, Running

Resolutions

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2013

Happy New Year’s Day!

No time to waste: it is time to start making good on your New Year’s Resolution. Was it to exercise more? Spend more time with family? Get outside more? Spend less on coffee? Finally start that home improvement or crafting project? Eat healthier? Floss? No matter what you selected, I hope it has an element of fun and the pursuit is rewarding.

I would like to take this opportunity to reflect on two past resolutions of my own: flossing and running 2000 miles in a year. Flossing first.

I came home from my first semester of college and was shocked to learn that I had eight cavities! Not just shocked, but viscerally upset: I cried (a little) in the car. I brush my teeth twice daily and eat a mostly balanced diet. I did not understand how this happened. No individual culprit was identified, but suspects included gum, gatorade, and diet changes. After a long procedure, I was deemed cavity cured and was encouraged to moderate and alter consumption patterns. I also took this as a personal wake-up to start flossing. Thus, my 2009 resolution was to floss daily, and I estimate I achieved a 90% success rate. I maintain this rate presently and am proud to be a regular flosser.

Riding on the success of my 2009 resolution, I committed to a 2010 goal of running 2000 miles in the calendar year. The idea for this goal came in my senior year of high school when I was only 50 miles shy of the 2000 mark. Forty miles per week over fifty weeks? Roughly seven miles per day six days a week? Reasonable enough for a long time runner, or so I thought January 1.

Finished!
Finished! On Christmas day (I ran 11 miles the next week)

My plan did not play out quite so simply. I was sidelined by injuries and other commitments, and by August, I was only halfway to my goal. Thankfully, a mentor encouraged me to continue my pursuit as I was questioning my resolve. Through the fall, I ran 50-70 miles per week to stay on pace. I completed another running goal en route: 100 miles in a single week. I loved it, but it also limited me. I forwent socializing to log miles. My friends and family did not seem to quite understand why 2000 was so important, which made it harder to celebrate my progress and the sacrifice it demanded. I reached my goal on December 25 following a five mile run, my Christmas present to myself. In total, I ran 2011 miles – one for every year and one for good luck. In reflection, I am glad I did it, but if I never do it again, that will be okay too.

What about this year? I don’t have a resolution, not yet anyway. There are some things I plan to experimentally change, for instance adding more dancing to my social calendar. This is the first full year I will not be formally enrolled in school, and I am in pursuit of a new job in a new city. These facts are guaranteed to shake things up, so I am hesitant to plan too much. I would like to resolve to keep blogging, and I think that meets my suggested criteria of fun and rewarding.

Here’s to 2013!

Adventure, Discovery, Friends, Goals, Home, Running, Unicorn

On Mistletoe and A Community

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Sometimes a girl just wants to write her blog. My sincere apologies for the long delay between posts, but I am learning to accept there are only so many hours in a day, and sleeping less is not a viable option. Now on to the post:

Two weekends ago, I traveled to Winston-Salem to run the Mistletoe Half Marathon. It was a beautiful weekend for a race, and I am happy to report that I placed third in my age group, 98/1100+ overall, and ran a PR (personal record/best). But what has me smiling most is remembering the sense of belonging and connection I felt while spending time with friends. In fact, the opportunity to reconnect is what convinced me to run the race.

I signed up shortly after the Old Guns and Young Ones (OGYO) were victorious at the Southern Odyssey Relay. I knew several of my teammates would participate in the Mistletoe, and I already missed their round-the-clock company. I must also give credit to OGYO Captain and All Around Superstar Paige, who sent me her Mistletoe training schedule and inspired me to create one of my own. But there is something more both the OGYO and Mistletoe participants share that holds an even greater gravity: our connection with Eagle’s Nest.

Before!
Before!

Whether they were campers, counselors, parents of campers, or camp staff, all had heard the mission “Experiential education for young people promoting the natural world and the betterment of human character” and had seen the transformative power of time on 43 Hart Road. My first summer there was as a counselor in 2010. I remember feeling uncertain where I would belong, but Eagle’s Nest-ers talk more about community than anyone else I know, and they are adept at creating a place for each individual to participate and to shine. With encouragement and friendship, they helped me to find my niche. Now two years later, I would like to report that my niche has become a second home. As a Nest-er, I share the values of connection, community, and leadership, and I believe the sense of home is universal for my teammates and racing compatriots. Our bond is exceptional and extends far beyond PRs and finish lines. Driving home from the Mistletoe, I smiled the whole way.

In the same way I have learned time limits us, I have also learned that as we walk (or run) down our respective paths, we look for the people and groups we can call “ours.” The Eagle’s Nest community is one of the most welcoming, supportive, and rewarding communities I have had the privilege to join, and if I am being deeply honest, the people of the community are more like extended family. So yes, the weekend was in part about a race, but in a much bigger sense, it was about a community I cherish.

Congratulations All Around
Congratulations All Around