Reflections on a Chronic Injury for My Friends at GLCR

Jay Elliott – 2017

Back in my high school days, when I showed aptitude as a long-distance runner, my sister Jen gave me a book called, “Once a Runner,” by John L. Parker. The basic idea of the story is this: Those who have a true runner’s heart NEVER really stop running. I can remember feeling so excited about my training regimen during the summer before my freshman cross-country season. Building my base mileage and preparing myself for our team’s time trial at Stone Mountain Park filled me with a reason for being.

I ran 20:45 for the three-miles over rolling terrain and on concrete, which qualified me for a ranking somewhere in the middle of the freshman pack.

I devoted myself to the craft. The next year, on the same course, I ran 17:06. I improved that much with group training and regular racing. My coach was impressed, and my teammates were amazed. I had high hopes. Everyone expected a big season from me. In short, I lost a step, running around 19:30 on average over grass. But that is another story. Here’s what you need to know: I got discouraged and stopped running. Many years would pass before the gene was reactivated in me. That’s where you come in.

My wife Laura and I moved to Albany in September of 2014. She completed her online Master’s in Library Science Degree from Valdosta State University. We looked everywhere in Atlanta for a job for Laura. On a whim, she interviewed at the Dougherty County Library, and three months later, the Director called her and asked her to move here to take a full-time job in the central branch downtown.

Laura works long hours, and I work from home. I needed something to do in the afternoons and early evenings. I had picked up a copy of Albany magazine somewhere, and the feature story was about Chris Phillips’ vision for a community of local runners, training, racing, and enjoying friendships with one another. Being an adventurous type, I came out to the group run on Tuesday evenings at Wild Side. The first time I ran the loop (December of 2014), Chris was kind enough to show me the course. Unfortunately, I had gained a lot of weight during 20 years of inactivity, and I was heaving and gasping by the time I reached the first mile marker. I walked the rest of the way.

But with practice, I steadily improved my times. I ran 25:07 at the Gnat Run in Camilla about a year and a third after I began training. I remember trying to catch up with Budd Bramblett, but I could not quite do it. Then it was 24:04 in a 5K in Chattanooga in cool weather, 22:55 at the Back the Blue the same year, 47:06 at the 10K in Macon, and 21:25 in November of 2016 at a small race in Covington, Georgia. I could not believe I was nearly back to my original high-school freshman race time.

I think it was at this point that I engaged my foolish pride. I will tell you what happened, and you can judge for yourself.

Jen Perkins and I had several coaching sessions. She showed me the dynamic warm up routine, reminded me to focus carefully on my form and to follow the advice of my Physical Therapist at MSA. We did static stretching after each session. Jen emphasized the importance of setting flexible goals, taking recovery time, eating well, having fun, and developing overall athletic prowess. To my credit, I took a lot of her advice. I was basically coachable, and with a commitment to training, I achieved the times that you read earlier. I built my base mileage to about 7 miles over the road by participating in the Sunday morning long run at Darton. I trained at Chehaw and enjoyed running over the trails. I had the 10-mile night run in my sights. I bought a nice headlamp and was rearing to go.

It was the beginning of my demise. I had a sinking feeling very early in the race and knew that I would not make it to the end. I got really sick after about two miles, had to stop, and walked a short cut back to the starting line, where I told Arnoldo to check my name off the list. He saw my face and body language, and looked a little concerned. “Are you all right?” he asked. “Yeah, I am ok,” was my reply. Well, not really. I was mad at myself, at my failure to achieve what I thought was an important goal. I decided right then and there that it would not happen again.

The Monday after the night race, I went to the Chehaw training early and set out on my own to make things right. I ran the entire 10-mile course, plus an extra mile. I got a little lost out there.

I did it again sometime later that same week. This time, I was in a small group. Nothing really hurt that I recall.

But not long after that, it became clear that injuries to several body parts had backed up on me. My Physical Therapist strongly advised me to stop running long distances, and this time, I felt that this was the right decision.



I have run very little since then. I would be lying to you if I said that I did not miss it. Someday, with careful preventative training, perhaps I can run again. Somehow I doubt it, though.

Looking back, what did I do wrong? I have isolated several things. Perhaps you see some of these same tendencies in yourself and your own approach to running. It is my hope that sharing my experience with you will help you check your own behavior and formulate smarter habits than I did. It is good to start down the path of accurate self-assessment as early in your life as possible. It is like saving to a retirement account, starting when you are 15. One day, though you cannot perceive it yet, you will be a wealthy man or woman.

Mistakes

1. I let the esteem of the group pull me along in an unhealthy way. It is great to be with other runners, but I got a little too used to the “way to go” statements. 
2. At the same time, I isolated myself from the group. Case in point: I did the 10-mile course while I was alone, possibly in part because I did not feel like receiving the counsel of more experienced runners to take it easy and improve more slowly. 
3. I tried to revisit the past – myself at 18 or 19 years old – while in a 39-year old body. The youngsters will not understand this now. Some others will know exactly what I mean by this. It’s just not always possible to do what we used to do back in the glory days. 
4. I got too focused on and psychologically dependent upon running itself. I dropped off my weight training, proper warm-up, and cross training. 

I wish you all the best in your development as a runner. If you ever want to sit down and talk more, I would be glad to do so. We can also communicate by e-mail or text. Just ask me for my contact information.

For now, I suggest that you listen carefully to more seasoned runners like Jenn, Arnoldo, Chris, and Patrick. Learn from them. Be coachable.



Jay Elliott


GLCR Treasurer