Did one run or workout change the course of your running career forever?

Sorry about your situation. Though you might have only postponed that injury if you didn't do that zealous workout - maybe.

Although my story about the zealous workout is similar. I had an Achilles problem in my left ankle that took me out of running for the winter. I got disgusted with the inactivity and weight gain and started "zealous" workouts on cross country ski's and biking using 80% of my healthy right leg (I kinda skied mostly on one leg) Come early spring a did a brutal one leg workout including lifting, biking, and skiing and ended up tearing the meniscus throughout my knee (of my previously good leg) Lost a year of racing with surgery and rehab and after much work my knee is finally close to normal.

The Achilles still is problematic though.

true story wrote:

So I think back to December 2004 and wonder what would have happened if I never did that zealous hill workout.

Replaying about the consequences due to a workout from December of 2004 is wasted energy. But if you insist, from a fatalist point of view, won't you consider that your injury may have prevented you from being in another space and time where a drunk driver would run off the road and kill you in September of 2005?

Life isn't about what happens when everything goes right, it's about how you respond when it doesn't.

If having a sports related injury is the worst thing to happen to you, you'll have lived a charmed life.

malmo. you have a beautiful mind!

On a more positive note...

I saw someone's life change during a single run-- for the better.

One day n high school I was on a run with a group of four or five of my teammates, including this one guy who was really talented but a major slacker. Our coach had threatened him with all kinds of consequences if he didn't keep up with us, so he grudgingly came along with the pack. It was a really tough, long, hilly run in the hills, and some miles in we were going up this one particularly brutal hill and the guy suddenly starts talking about how wonderful running is. My teammates and I looked at each other like "is he messing with us?" but he just went on and on for the rest of the run. From that day on he trained hard and eventually he became the team captain and the best runner on our team. He even went on to run in college! It was crazy, but one of the coolest things I've ever seen happen on a run.

runamook, tell all the bad girls for me, please. ;-)

malmo wrote:

true story wrote:

So I think back to December 2004 and wonder what would have happened if I never did that zealous hill workout.

Replaying about the consequences due to a workout from December of 2004 is wasted energy. But if you insist, from a fatalist point of view, won't you consider that your injury may have prevented you from being in another space and time where a drunk driver would run off the road and kill you in September of 2005?

Life isn't about what happens when everything goes right, it's about how you respond when it doesn't.

If having a sports related injury is the worst thing to happen to you, you'll have lived a charmed life.

Agreed to a point. However, some reflection about the workout and what led to the injury is not al bad. I've gotten into trouble when I have tried to take a shortcut to fitness. Remembering that next time could help you keep from getting injured.

As for the last part, yeah, there are more severe things than running injuries. A friend of mine has liver cancer after struglling with Crohns for many years. The guy has never complained once. He's a very talented guy and I know that illness has kept him from reaching his potential professionally and otherwise. He'd never say it though.

when i was a senior in highschool, i went from running consistent 2:25's in the 800 to a 2:15 in just one week. This caught the attention of several coaches and earned me a scholarship. Totally changed my life. Since this was in late April, I had only a couple meets left.

KW wrote:

when i was a senior in highschool, i went from running consistent 2:25's in the 800 to a 2:15 in just one week. This caught the attention of several coaches and earned me a scholarship. Totally changed my life. Since this was in late April, I had only a couple meets left.

EPO... Just Kidding!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yes, I'm 37 I was about 12-13 when I missed my indoor 200m goofing off chasing the girls.... coach threw me in the 800m I got dead last (2:32) but I just loved that race and took track more serious and in 8 years I had a 1:49.9 PR

MLW wrote:

Yes, I'm 37 I was about 12-13 when I missed my indoor 200m goofing off chasing the girls.... coach threw me in the 800m I got dead last (2:32) but I just loved that race and took track more serious and in 8 years I had a 1:49.9 PR

Did you catch the girls?

Hmmm, here's one for the better:

We had a dual meet against our rival school in cross country my junior year of high school. I'd been an OK runner, third to fifth man on the varsity, all year. This meet was a big one - arch rival, guys on the teams knew each other, each school had one big gun and a bunch of us evenly matched also-rans.

Everyone was pretty keyed up, of course, so when one of the other team's supporting crew went out with the two leaders, I figured he was just too full of adrenaline. But about 3/4 mile in, he pulls ahead and then starts messing with our top guy. His guy starts pulling away and this dude won't let our boy past, even running him into a fence. Well, my own adrenaline started working then and I shot out of the chase pack and went after him. By the time I caught him our guy had gotten by and the enemy was fading badly. We threw a few elbows as I went by and I said "See ya at the finish, fvckhead." I was so keyed up I hammered the rest of the way in, finished just behind our top guy and helped us win the meet handily. (I don't think f-head even scored.) Friends who came out to watch only because we were racing the arch-rival were quite surprised. "Wow, I had no idea," was a common compliment that day. Right there I decided that maybe I could run in college (which I did).

I've had similar experiences with long-term injury (fortunately no surgery) at various times in a long career--and the important take home message (in addition to malmo's) is to remember not to push hard when you're in a downward training cycle. You have to remember to build into those hard workouts.

Dude, if it wasn't that day it would have been another...so don't work yourself up. Life is nothing more than a bunch of moments all strung together. Sure, if you never would have turned down that street you never would have had that car accident but a running injury is different. Usually it has origionated long before we feel the pain.

Same thing happened to me. I was on sub 30 min 10k pace and and snapped tore a tendon in my foot. Shoot at least you were out there kicking ass when you were.

I guess it was one race for me...

Junior year HS. 800 PR of 1:56, district meet. One week later...regional meet.

I had the top time coming in, but almost a dead tie with a runner from another district. In the final, we ran a perfectly paced race that same down to a lean at the finish, a win for me, a regional record...and a 3+ second PR! 1:52.88!

I was a completely different athlete after that race.

In May 2006 I attempted to resume training too quickly after a prolonged period of immobilization and unloading for my recalcitrant shin splints. My feet were extremely weak due the "disuse syndrome" and I did not give them enough time for rehab. So, when I attempted to run, I permanently injured my feet. I don't know whether I'll be able to run again.

I was 15 years old, I had been the no. 1 on a bad xc team the year before as a freshman. Late June I decided to go for a run since I'd heard that summer running was the key to being good. I figured I'd run a few times that summer and that'd be good enough. After 15 minutes I had to walk because I had a stitch. I was probably dehydrated and had probably already played a soccer game that day or something but I blamed the pathetic result of my attempt at a run on being out of shape. The whole way home I thought about how I was not going to accept being out of shape when the season started, I decided to train six days a week the rest of the summer, do longer runs and be in the best shape of my life by the start of the season. I set very specific goals for the rest of the summer and the season and decided to stop eating junkfood.

I did everything I planned to do and had a great season and high school career, went on to run in college and I'm still at it 5 years later. I've never had a day like that before or since.

One run did indeed change the course of my running and my life - the first running workout I did back in April when I started running again. :) I started with a one mile run 3 times a week and I have built up to where I ran an 8 miler this past Saturday! I have become faster, stronger, and more fit as a result of going that morning and running. It has become a habit I know I will have for years to come! A great benefit is that my resting HR has come down from 78-80 to 56. I feel so much better and I am so glad I went out for whatever reason for a run that morning!

Answer: Yes, in fact there was a run that changed the course of my running career. It was on the 2nd morning of a camp I attended between my junior and senior years of high school. The director was a runner and had invited any of the campers to join him in the morning for a run. 2 campers showed up: me and a girl from a rival high school. Almost 20 years later and that girl and I are happily married - and still running! Did our first Boston last spring.

My junior year of high school XC, my team and I (individually) were ranked #1 in the State (I was undefeated through 36 straight mile, 2 mile, and XC races). 3 weeks before State, I broke my foot at the Pre-State Meet. My team ended up getting 2nd at State. I spent the next 6 years with injuries, including a total of 7 stress fractures! I never gave up on my running ability and have consequently made a comeback the past 2-3 years with the goal of qualifying for the '08 Olympic Marathon Trials. Don't give up.