The Anti-Running Runner

When An Injury Becomes a Part of Life Multitasking: how many ways can I work on my injuries at one time? Neck warmer in place. Check. Yoga ball. Check. Golf ball under foot. Check. Working on my novel. Check. How are all these things helping me? Writing is my life's passion, so I'm thrilled to be writing at any given moment. The heat on my neck helps ease the discomfort from the disc degeneration in my cervical spine--the root cause of my thoracic back pain. The yoga ball helps me work on my core (which is weak and possibly contributing to both injuries). The golf ball is for my heel pain. Is it a nerve? Is it plantar fasciitis? Is it some other tendon? A cyst? All of the above? It's difficult to say. I'm currently receiving treatment from CORA Physical Therapy. Slowly but surely, it's getting a little better. When dealing with multiple injuries, multitasking is not always an option. Sometimes the nature of the injuries force you to slow things dow...

My First Big Sports Injury Have you ever been injured? Me, too. Back in 6th Grade during gymnastics, one of my attempts at a full twist left me with a broken thumb after a bad landing. And it hurt. (I'm in the third row far right) With a cast and a promise of healing within six weeks (and learning to write left-handed in school), I discovered that I was ready to move on to other sports. Gymnastics was fun, but I wanted to do track and volleyball (which meant quitting gym), so the time of reflection helped firm up my decision. It's one I've never regretted. Centralia High School Track Freshman Year 4X100 Relay (Me, Molly Parker, Sarah Hahn, April Schilt) St. Pete High School Varsity Volleyball Senior Year (me front and center) I've had no major injuries since then. Little things here and there, but I've always bounced back pretty quickly. That time I ran into sliding glass door and most likely broke my nose stands out because it was really...

Is There a Right Way to Fall? Raise your hand if you've ever fallen during a run. Yep, hands everywhere, just like I expected. Doesn't it make you feel better to look around and know you're not alone? It's been a while since I've fallen. Can't quite remember the last incident, so it must not have been too bad. Tripping is a regular occurrence for me. Comes with the running territory. Last Saturday, St. Pete Running Company hosted a free group run at Weedon Island Preserve. A trail run! My favorite! Of course, coworker Chris warned everybody before we got started that, statistically, at least one of us would fall during the run, so to be extra careful. The Ground Getting Nearer and Nearer Chris was right, and I was the statistic. Post-fall. Note the dirty hands and knees. Notice my right wrist in the above photo? That's my emergency medical ID. Don't go on your run without one! No, I don't have any medical issue...