I have had 3 stress fractures, multiple bouts of bad tendonitis, horrible shin splints, and other smaller injuries here and there. Right now I might have another stress fracture, which would be #4 if it is. And I only started running in late 2021 (8th grade).
I am a sophomore, so I have had 8 racing season chances (xc, indoor, outdoor) so far. But because of injuries, I’ve never raced a single outdoor race; I’ve never made it through a full indoor season; I’ve only made it through 2 full cross country seasons.
I am 16 and a girl. I run 25-35 mpw. I do my easy days easy: I go by heart rate and keep it at 140-155 (max is ~206). I have a running PT, I do weights 2x/week, I do band stuff (hips, butt) 4-5x/week, and core 3x/week. I eat healthy and a ton; I don’t have any dietary restrictions and eat meat, dairy, etc. I might not eat enough carbs tho. My sleep is meh. I get 6-7.5 hours on school nights and 8-9 on week nights. I go to bed as early as I can but take forever to fall asleep.
When I’m injured, I cross train like crazy. I do it by heart rate to make sure my effort is good. 8-10 hours per week of solid work. And I always build up super conservatively and slow, I swear. After sfxs I go on a run/walk plan, and after all injuries I do it painfully slowly and never increase volume and intensity at the same time.
My dream is to run at a specific school, which I need a 10:40 2 mile for. Current PRs are 11:38 indoor track 2 mile and 19:47 xc course 5k.
Can I do it??? That’s a minute of my 2 mile!!! Already a sophomore- when do I need the times by?
But I’m always injured. It’s so hard and I’m so confused, but I’m proud of my good attitude and good discipline. Will I ever be that fast?? How?? I’m 1000% willing to put in the work and do anything to make myself better.
And how do I stop getting INJURED!!!!