(La Salle Academy junior SHERIDAN WILBUR works on strengthening exercises with owner MICHAEL SILVA of Foundation Performance in Pawtucket)
The winter months weren’t exactly easy for Sheridan Wilbur, and it had nothing to do with the daily dose of frigid days that we encountered.
While her teammates at La Salle Academy manufactured another stellar season, one that was highlighted by an exciting win over Classical for the indoor track & field state title, the talented junior was a spectator. A nagging hip injury suffered during cross country forced Wilbur, a multiple all-stater, to take some much-needed time off from the grueling practices and races that often come with being an elite runner.
“It was kind of tough,” she said. “I spent so much time cross-training, but it just wasn’t the same. Obviously you set a lot of goals for yourself and then you just can’t go out and try to get them. It’s hard to sit on the sidelines, but I was still happy cheering them on and celebrating wins with them.”
(Wilbur running the third leg of La Salle's 4x1 mile relay team at the Knights of Columbus Relays on April 7)
After a five-month hiatus, Wilbur was back in her element on April 7 at the Knights of Columbus Relays. For the first time since the New England Cross-Country Championships in mid-November, the La Salle runner was competing. She was part of the Rams’ 4x1 mile relay squad that finished second to Bishop Feehan.
“It was nice to run on the track again. It was relatively paced, just get myself back out there,” said Wilbur, who clocked a modest 5:30 for her leg. “I haven’t raced in a while. I didn’t even have spikes today. It was like a paced mile, just get out there.”
What has kept the La Salle standout sidelined during the winter months was a stress fracture around the growth plate of her hip bone, an injury that occurs from high impact activities such as running. Wilbur first experienced pain in her left hip during the summer and didn’t compete for most of the cross-country season. She came back just in time to help the Rams capture team titles at the Class A and the state championships, placing fifth in both meets with solid times of 18:42.1 and 18:49.50, respectively. She also competed at the New England Championships on Nov. 13 where she ran a season best of 18:37.30.
Wilbur’s return to the state championship was actually a last-minute decision that was done on race day. She ran all three season-ending meets despite some continued discomfort in her hip. She eventually paid the price of her brief comeback.
“I don’t think I took enough time off. I just really wanted to get back there for the end of the season, but it wasn’t enough time and it wasn’t fully healed,” Wilbur said. “It definitely made my injury worse. Obviously it was great to have a team championship, but because I didn’t take time off I had to take indoor off.”
La Salle cross-country coach Kelly Martin agreed that her star runner probably should have taken more rest for her injury.
“During cross country we knew she was hurt. We tried to take time off. I think we came back a little bit too early,” Martin said. “We decided that we were going to take the entire indoor season off, give her plenty of time to rest and heal so that she was good to go for outdoor. I think it paid off by taking the entire indoor season off and not coming back too early.”
(Despite some discomfort in her hip, Wilbur finished fifth at the state cross-country championship in November)
Wilbur has been getting her rehab done by owner Michael Silva and his staff at Foundation Performance in Pawtucket for the last nine months. Silva is one of the leading physical therapist for runners in the country. He has treated several top high school, collegiate and professional runners, including at least 10 Olympians.
Silva has been treating Wilbur since the summer months, focusing on the injury with deep muscle tissue massages, cold lasers treatments and through the Graston Technique, which utilizes a metal instrument that breaks downs the scar tissue around the tendon area to strengthen it.
“It’s been really good,” Wilbur said. “He has helped me a lot, told me all the stuff I need to do to get better. He mostly does deep tissue massages and he put me on a strength program to make me stronger. I think it has definitely made a huge difference in my recovery.”
Silva says that the La Salle runner has made huge strides since the first time he saw her back in August. One of the keys was to get her away from the often-hard impact of running.
“It took a while to heal,” he said. “She had to take a lot of time off which was tough because she’s a very motivated runner. We had to shut her down to nothing.”
While at Foundation, Wilbur was able to do some running but it was done on an anti-gravity treadmill known as the Alter-G. The treadmill is designed to reduce the amount of body weight on impact, helping athletes with injuries continue to run at a high level.
“It’s pretty cool because it takes away some of your body weight so it feels a lot easier,” Wilbur said. “It’s also good because you’re not putting a complete impact on your body.”
In late March, Wilbur hit the track for the first time. She continues to build up her mileage and has felt no affects from the injury.
“We are keeping her at light mileage, slowly building her up so that she is at full strength,” Martin said. “We are hoping by the end of the season she is running some good times.”
During her career at La Salle, Wilbur has recorded some impressive times in the middle and long-distance events. She owns a best of 4:35.21 for the 1,500-meter run and has run 10:31 for 3,200 meters.
Earlier this week, Wilbur clocked 2:18 for the 800m in a dual meet with Toll Gate and Central. That was further proof that everything is going as planned for a successful, injury-free season this spring, one that could equate to some top finishes at the state level and beyond.
“That’s my goal,” she said. “I’ll be working hard the whole season to get there.”
(One of Foundation Performance's prized possessions, an anti-gravity treadmill called the Alter-G)