The Injury

Early during this 2019 outdoor track season Clay started having some pain in his lower back after running a race in Portland. He noticed that as he continued to train and run in practice that the pain in his lower back radiated down his hamstring. Clay consulted with his coach about what steps he needed to take in order to start recovering in a timely manner. This began the journey of a long test of patience and recovery.

Running culture is so fascinating and I have come to learn so much about the different groups, pressures, and struggles that these elite athletes face. The culture of elite running is often considered a no days off, consistent grind season kind of environment. It is so easy to lose momentum in the world of running and get passed by other runners. One day you can be at the top of your game and the next day the top elite runners can be an entirely different lineup. Like most sports, running is results oriented. When athletes aren’t able to train or compete they feel stuck.

Something I have come to learn while watching Clay endure this injury has been seeing how progress is measured differently. Clay got to the point where his injury was limiting him from running everyday consistently. He sought treatment in the form of physical therapy, massage therapy, and acupuncture. All of these forms of treatment helped him in different ways and targeted unique needs. But the road to recovery was loooooooooooooooooooong and is still ongoing.

For Clay progress was measured day by day, one run at a time, one physical therapy session at a time. He has had to be so patient about timing. When you are in a stagnant training period where you aren’t racing and seeing results it can be easy to get frustrated. It is so important to recognize the little victories and the small progression that occurs otherwise you can get easily discouraged.

I can’t say that Clay is 100% recovered from his injury. He still goes to physical therapy and acupuncture regularly. Success comes in many different forms. Progression isn’t determined by results. In track it can be easy to see that there’s a clear race, with competitors, and a clear winner. Sometimes the work that went into training and the process gets obscured in blurriness of winning and losing.

Injury is tough because it forces athletes to sit on the sidelines and painfully embrace recovery with patience. Slowing down, embracing the journey, and respecting the process is the true sign of an elite athlete. It has been game changing to see Clay in this new light. Holy Moses I wish, I wish, I could take away all of his pains and aches. I wish he could wake up and run, lift, and train like he normally does. I know how much joy his sport brings him. But I truly believe that time he takes to rest and recover will fuel the Clay to be a better athlete when he starts running again. For now the patience game continues and the road to recovery is on going.