So my injury/injuries began back in April, the 19th to be exact … how fortuitous… when I was doing a basic hurdle workout (5 x (300m flat, 300m over hurdles)).   I felt a pull in my groin going over one of the hurdles but there was no pain so I went ahead without worrying about it.  The next day on my run the muscles felt strange, like I had pulled something.  But I kept training and didn’t want to take time off since the end of the season was approaching and I wanted to be in top shape for Heps (Ivy League Championships, the most exciting and important track meet of the season).  I also had not made a good enough time to qualify for regionals in steeple chase so I still had to get a good race out of the season.  I went to the trainer and found out I had pulled my groin and hamstring, so immediately started with stim and ice for ultimate short term rehab.  

Once Penn Relays grew closer, and the conflict began to build as whether to race or not, I left the decision open up until the very last second after I had warmed up that evening before the race.  My legs and the injury felt good once I had warmed up and started moving.  I even took a few run-throughs over hurdles and everything seemed fine.  Racing started out well, in a relaxed not too far off the front position… and then with about 3-4 laps to go I remember landing a water jump on my right foot (where I had mild plantar fascitis) and things started breaking down.  I started compensating to my left side and the jumping made my pulled muscles (or so I thought it was) worse, and by the end of the race I was in excruciating pain.  I could barely walk after the race, and for the next two weeks leading up to Heps I treated frantically what I thought was just a couple pulled muscles.  (Now almost 5 months after the whole ordeal an MRI shows I had a stress fracture in my pelvis, inferior remus to be exact, caused by over running and extending my stride)  

I attempted to jog a couple times with nothing more then 5 minutes and enough distance to reach the bottom of riverside hill.  I knew I couldn’t do steeple chase so thought 10K was my next best attempt at having an alright last race.  So that went amazing, I beat everyone, won Heps and set a new Ivy League record shattering the legendary time of Caroline Bierbaum… haha, yeah right….

I started out saying I was going to tough it out, but my body obviously got the best of me and Coach Clemens pulled me out after what I think was 13 or so laps.  It was awful, I have never dropped out of a race in my life, and never want to again.  The only reason I ran was try to do something for my team and make something happen in my last college race.  

I still can’t believe after Penn Relays I and everyone else still thought it was just pulled muscles.  After my race, I supported my team and everyone did an amazing job that weekend.  Graduation was soon upon me and the other seniors of Columbia so that soon lifted my spirit.  Not having a good senior track season was still on my mind, but just not front and center.  I did not do any running or physical activity for the next 6 weeks, and in this time I enjoyed some much needed rest, relaxation and celebration for graduating college.

Looking back I know I should not have run Penn Relays, I should have used the time to recover and rest and then do everything I could to have a good race at Heps.  The Dr. says that the stress fracture was there the whole time and maybe racing or that hurdle workout was the last straw… you never know.  Personally I think the hurdle workout was still just pulled muscles that was putting extra stress on the bone and Penn Relays really caused it to be a fracture.  And Heps was just extra torture that I couldn’t help but put myself through.