It's Global Running day and June, JUNE. It feels like we just started April here, but I guess that's what being stuck inside all the time does to you.
It's officially been that long since my initial round of Protein Rich Plasma to treat my labral tear and other issues which required me to do absolutely nothing these past two weeks apart from rest and taking copious amounts of Tylenol.
The first three days post-injection were by far the most uncomfortable. By the one week mark, I was over laying on my back most of the day. I was able to sit in chairs more comfortably without the soreness and shooting and crutch around to go grab a coffee on the days I couldn't stand being stuck in the apartment any longer. By day ten my bruises turned from purple to green to yellow and back to purple again, not sure if this is a positive sign or not but I'll take it as some kind of change toward growth at least.
With my two weeks under my belt, I'm officially able to start physical therapy this week and I'm not going to lie I'm a bit nervous about it. I'm worried that there is a chance my body didn't respond well to the PRP. I'm anxious to start back toward being able to do something other than feel like a potato all day, but I know that if there are more unforeseen issues it could mean a lot more time off. As much as I miss running, it's difficult to imagine having to hear more bad news in terms of my current state.
I did say it's Global Running Day, but since running isn't happening I decided to share the things that running has taught me over the years.
The only comparison you can make is to yourself
It's inevitable to compare yourself to others, especially in today's connected world. The track's no different, if anything it heightens comparison to others when the thing that matters most is the stat online down to the millisecond. It can become all-consuming to go down the rabbit hole of comparison, there will always be someone faster and someone slower than you. Put that energy into focusing on bettering yourself from year to year, race to race, not on others.
Small ripples turn into big waves
Every day you face hundreds of thousands of choices that can impact who you are, how you perform, and your future. The small decisions, those little changes add up and lead to larger changes. It's not the big workouts you do that make you great its the small decisions; choosing to go to the trainer regularly to get treatment, eating intuitively, doing that extra preventative work.
Prepare, but be flexible
Not everything is going to always work out the way you think it will, this is especially true in racing and training. When the gun goes off there are a million different scenarios that could happen and even if you have a set plan in place that doesn't mean you'll be able to execute, you have to be flexible and willing to change your plans in order to adapt to the situation at hand in order to succeed in the same way you have to be prepared to listen to your body if a workout is not going the way you expect it to. Have a plan and prepare for it, but be ready to change and be fluid with the way things roll out.
and remember sometimes you're going to fall, be prepared to get back up!
Lastly, it feels odd to not mention what's been going on here in DC and across the country for that matter. There is no reason that there continue to be these acts of violence in our country or any for that matter based on race. In February one of these acts hit closer to home when Ahmaud Arbery was gunned down while out for a jog by two strangers. I've always felt that the track doesn't discriminate, that running was something that transcended race, but as more and more cases like Ahmaud's come to light clearly I've been wrong. As Kamala Harris said "exercise while black should not be a death sentence".
I hope that by the next global running day more than one thing will change from this year.
How can I help?
Register to vote and take action
vote for representatives that are fighting for equality and engage in local elections where your vote is possibly even MORE important than presidential elections
Support local business
There are so many resources to find businesses owned by people of color
Learn about the issues
Check out the following books
The New Jim Crow: Mass incarceration in the age of colorblindness
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