I broke my leg in September. It’s a long story, I haven’t told it all yet; but I’m finally starting to come back from what has been one of the hardest experiences of my life. Second to trying to conceive our children.
I’ve always had hypothetical thoughts in the back of my mind, like what would I do if I had to have surgery and had to take an extended period off of running? Or what would happen to my mental health? What would happen to my running health? Would my body forget how to run and I will have to learn how to run all over again?
Well, I’m going through these exact questions now, and I can share my struggles and what I am doing to get back on my feet literally.
I’ve been running since July of 2012, and it has been a huge part of my life, from running local races to participating in countless runDisney races and five consecutive Dopey Challenges, to completing 14 marathons including the NYC marathon.
Then, in the past four years, I have had to put some plans for running races to the wayside because of the schedules my kids have with their color guard and softball tournaments. I still ran, but I didn’t travel to races anymore. It was just a part of my daily life and I would run two to three times per week.
During the summer of 2024, I added walking to my daily routine, in addition to my running. I was walking farther and for longer and getting my heart rate into a zone 2 range. I also increased my strength training to include two to three workouts per week. Over a few months, I noticed that my body was changing. It was getting a little leaner and I was feeling stronger.
The main reason for this shift was that I am now postmenopausal. I am concerned about my longevity and overall health and wellness during this big change in my life. As you can see by my absences in my blog posts, I have been quiet. I wasn’t sharing much because I didn’t feel I was significant enough to share anything that would be of value to my readers.
I was struggling with my mental health so that was why I added walking to my daily routine. I included hikes at the farm, and long walks on the farm roads. I enjoyed the challenge of the hills at the farm and the windy, and shady country roads while chasing thunderstorms in the late summer afternoons. One which became an unexpected hail storm and my husband and daughter had to rescue me from the quarter-inch hail stones!
My walks were a highlight of my day. I planned them for sunset to enjoy the quiet at the end of the day and the beautiful views as the sun dipped away for the night behind the farmlands.
I was getting into a zone and enjoying this new form of movement in my daily routine. Chalene Johnson hosted a walking challenge with daily podcasts that were entertaining and kept me walking.
I enjoyed listening to my favorite podcasts while having this time to myself. When I needed to hear something honest and from the heart about mental health and parenting, I had Meredith and TIffany from Take It Or Leave It, and Tiffany Jenkins and Flip Adam on the Tiff and Flip show. Talk about real. Yea, some tears came out when I was on some of those walks.
But enough about podcasts, let’s get back to getting back.
I’m sharing what I can remember off the top of my head to give you a little insight of what I have been going through.
I also have some steps for how to safely return to running after an injury. Follow along with me as I go through it all in real-time with my own experience. I will be honest with you so be warned if you are looking for real, you’ll get it.
I also have some quick advice on how to have a stronger comeback.
Get stronger
Lift weights, or wear a weighted vest as you do things around the house. Strength training is now! If you don’t do it, start. If you have been doing it, go heavier. I use the Bodi programs and Chalene Johnson’s membership (Phase It), but you can also get some amazing workouts from YouTube, or Healthy U for just $1.49 per year (affiliate link).
Lifting heavier was more important and interesting to me since I couldn’t walk or run outside. I wanted each transition from being in casts, to the boot, to my second surgery, to weight bearing to go smoothly. I want to be strong so I can successfully heal and eventually run again.
Get Moving
My second point about coming back from a running injury is to move your body. The moment I heard my leg break and I was laying on the ground, I knew my life had changed. Things were going to be difficult for a while. But I also knew I had a friend with a knee scooter and I was going to do whatever it took to stay mobile.
I did not want to miss any of the kids’ activities. This Fall was Kevin’s senior year marching band and color guard performances, and Adrienne was on a new softball team. So of course, I was going to be at everything. Luckily we had friends who had many different medical mobility devices for us to borrow. I attended a few softball games in a wheelchair, and the “Rover” knee scooter became my mascot for several months!
If you have crutches, find a scooter. Don’t lay around. For women, especially, there is a risk for blood clots when you have surgery, so that was another great reason why I didn’t want to lay around and watch TV all day. I made it a point to move as soon as I was cleared by my doctor, to progress to the next phase.
I was in a boot, splint, or cast, for 152 days. I counted every single one of them. It was hard for me mentally. So to stay strong, I had to do some hard work. I had to challenge myself in a different way.
I couldn’t go out and run off my stress. I couldn’t even do that with my knee scooter. I wasn’t hiking in the trails during the most beautiful Autumn we could ever ask for last year. I couldn’t go off and take beautiful photographs on Block Island with my mom. I had a lot of disappointments. But I tried to make the best of it and did what I could with where I was at the time.
My goal is to run by next September. The doctor said an injury like mine can take up to one year to tell the story of what I will be able to do again.
So, I’d like to reintroduce myself. I’m Pam, a wife, a mother, a runner. I’m coming back from a severe ankle fracture and dislocation and I am afraid that I am not going to be able to run again.
And I’m sharing how I’m feeling as I come back from this injury and face my reality of what I want and will be able to do going forward.
