Torn ACL and Getting Through till Surgery
Posted in biking, brand champion, cycling, marathon, training on 05/15/2012 05:32 pm by BCC12OROSSThis wasn’t the way I wanted to spent 2012 as a Sugoi Brand Champion. I was so proud and honored to be selected for the 4th year. I was having a great training year, in January I got my 10k time (in the snow even) down to 44mins. My long runs seemed effortless, I was really doing well. For the first time in 10 years I believed I could get my 1/2 Marathon time under 1:29 (PB 1:32).
On February 10, I was devestated to learn that after a fall skiing I had completely torn my ACL. I’m not one to let injury get me down, and I persevered through physio, biking and back to running (treadmill first, now I’m able to hit the trails outdoors). I am a run coach, and I have been teaching a 12 week training program leading up to the North Face Whistler Half Marathon. I was starting to feel somewhat normal; minus the pink Breg Brace.
With every injury there are good days, and there are bad days, and some days you just wish you could turn back the clock to that frightful moment of impact with the ski hill. However, you can’t and you must go on. I’ve had my struggles and as I sit here writing this today, I can’t help but think of how much I can do, not how much I can’t do. While my ortho surgeon and I were hoping I would make it till September, through racing season, I have had to face the grim reality, surgery is the way to go, and sooner rather than later.
FYI … 30% of people who have torn their ACL can live without itL, 3% don’t know they don’t have an ACL. And while I fall into that 30% category, there are things I can’t do that I want to do, and racing marathons and half marathons is one of them; and I want to do it at 100%. So we have decided that on July 9 I am going to have my ACL reconstructed; and hopefully if all goes well I should be back up and running by mid October. Don’t worry … you’re going to see me spinning and road biking my way back to health.
I hope that all of you out there who have suffered an injury can provide some advice, tips n’ tricks. I’ve been reading everything in sight, have 3 friends who have had the same repair, I know this is going to be a long and grueling process, but I’m tough, strong and determined.
I will still wear my Brand Champion gear with pride, and know that soon I’ll be back out there with the rest of you showing off my ‘stuff’.

