How A Simple Injury Changed My View On My Own Health

Dear Coaches of Female Distance Runners,

I was 5 feet, 5 inches and 103 pounds at the lowest point of my freshman year of college. I was 20 years old and had not gotten a period in almost three years.

But I didn't care because I was running well.

I trained hard, ate extremely 'healthy,' and was as lean and skinny as my body could possibly be. I thought I was on my way to achieve big things, but I had no idea what was coming for me.

In April of my freshman year, I got a stress fracture in my foot. Six months later, I had another stress fracture in my sacrum. And six months after that, I am still working my way back into running from multiple subsequent injuries. 

I lost running for an entire year.

It breaks my heart to know that I needed to be injured and out of running for this long for me to finally learn the importance of my health as a female distance runner. I learned the hard way. But I realize now that I put my health in jeopardy for short-term achievements and did not set myself up for long term success.

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I also realize that my experience is not unique; it is actually extremely common throughout female distance running. 

So many runners have opened up and shared their heartbreaking stories about disordered eating and how mistreating their body almost ruined -- or did ruin -- their running career and future. 

I want to change this. 

This is a call to action to all coaches of women's distance running teams. Coaches play a huge role in educating their athletes and creating an environment on their team where their female athletes are empowered to reach their goals in a healthy, sustainable manner. 

I wish I understood what it meant to lose my period, how to properly fuel, and how to not obsess over how my appearance dictated my performance before I was severely injured. We need to open up the discussion about these topics on women's distance running teams so that we all fully understand how to prioritize our health and how we actually need to treat our bodies in order to be successful. 

I want to see female runners learn how to reach their potential without sacrificing their health to get there. 

Right before I got injured, my coach -- who is a 32 year old male -- sat our team down and talked to us about our health as females and runners for over an hour instead of having practice.

He approached this conversation from a place of love and concern. He wanted to openly talk about the consequences of losing our periods, the pressure to look and eat a certain way as a runner, and the importance of addressing our mental health. 

He wanted us to understand the harmful effects that result from not taking proper care of ourselves. His message was extremely impactful; it was a wake up call for me. 

But sadly my body was already in a deep energy deficit and it was too late for me to reverse the damage I had done to myself before I got injured. 

So that's why I'm here, writing this. I want coaches to know that although this conversation is understandably difficult to have with your team of women, it is very likely that one of your athletes needs to hear it. 

For me, having it earlier in my running career would have saved my health before I couldn't run for a whole year.