You Can't Run!!

I was told to stop running when I was in my early twenties. My dream of running The Boston Marathon was shattered in that small doctor's office. I’ll never forget it...

The doctor said, "You can't run. It's your iliotibial band. You have to stop running. Do something else." I bit my lip and stared at the hard linoleum floor. My stomach clenched as the words, "you can't run" registered in my brain. 

My mind raced, I'm running The Boston Marathon in four months! This can't be happening. Are you serious? Now, what am I supposed to do? My mind was desperate to figure this out. My dream of running Boston was now being taken away from me. I couldn't believe it. 

I sat alone in the small, cold office, my face in my hands. My stomach ached. My chest tightened as tears welled up in my eyes. My inner critic showed up. She didn’t say what you would say to a friend. She was was mean, loud, and convincing. You aren’t good at running anyway. You need to lose weight; you’re disgusting. Forget about Boston, it’s too hard. 

Of course, I felt defeated, frustrated, and alone—look at my thoughts. But as I sat in that doctor’s office, I had no clue that my thoughts even mattered. I didn’t know that my thoughts were a choice. The one thing that I had complete control over! 

I wish I knew that in 2003. All I knew was I would have to wait on my dream. 

—An excerpt from My Road: A Runner’s Journey Through Persistent Pain to Healing

It took me years to regain confidence in my body, improve my self-talk, and find the right team to heal but I found a way and I kept going. It was a process yet I embraced the long run ahead.  

If you’re on the sidelines due to an injury or fear of one reoccurring, my hope is that you don’t give up. Keep your chin up and trust the process. Your body is adaptable, robust, and resilient. Keep pushing courage and curiosity. Keep going!   

You can run.

Did they tell you to stop? 

Me too. 

Did they say it was bad 

for your knees? Or your

back? I don’t believe any

of that. It took me a while

But I’m back! 

What do you hear? 

Is it based on fear?

It was for me and it 

made me question my 

authority. Should I keep 

running? Am I doing 

something wrong? 

Yet I love to run and 

that feeling was strong. 

You can run.

No more doom and gloom.

I’m here to say yes—

Lace up those sneakers

If you want to.  

Running is great for

your body and mind. 

They can keep pushing

the nonsense yet all they’ll

see is my behind.

I hope this gives you a laugh. Keep on running my friends. Oh! I’ll have a booth with copies of my books at the Syracuse Half Marathon and The Good Samaritan Run. Please stop over to say hi, introduce yourself, and grab some goodies. 

See you then! 

You can also find me here to keep connected.