As many of you already know, I injured myself in a skydiving accident on June 5th. 🪂

I shattered my left wrist / distal radius with significant damage to the nerves and one particularly important carpal bone. I’ve also suffered compression injuries to my spine at T-10, T-11, a full compression fracture to T-12, as well as damage to my sacrum and coccyx.

I had surgery to repair my wrist using a plate and several screws. I am now 6 weeks post-op, heavy into physical therapy, and reality is sinking in.

There is no surgery or magic treatment to repair my spinal injuries. There are a few strengthening exercises that I can do for my back, which I have been doing. A month ago, I could barely walk 1/4 of a mile at a very slow pace and could only work a half shift (6 hours) at work. Today, I can walk a full 3 miles without stopping and am able to stand at work for my full 12 hour shift. That being said, it is still quite likely that my marathon racing days are over. (Skydiving might also be over, considering one more significant impact to my thoracic vertebrae would, most likely, result in paralysis.)

I have already cancelled all of my planned events for the year, with the exception of one: Boston Virtual.

Everybody has their own feelings about this event, but I was ecstatic when they opened it up in an effort – obviously, to make more money – but also to celebrate the return of Live race events, as well as, encourage and inspire the rest of us to keep moving forward!

Running is a phenomenal teacher in this great life lesson.

I have NO IDEA how I am going to go from where I am now (walking 3 miles per day) to running 26.2 miles in less than 3 months… but, believe me when I say, I most certainly will! It will most likely be a mixture of run, walk, crawl…but I will get it done.

Boston has been a dream of mine ever since I re-discovered running/racing as an adult. It’s what drove me to get my ass out of bed at WTF O’Clock to go to the gym, or push me to run at all hours of the day or night despite how much I’d worked or how little I’d slept! It’s what kept me moving throughout my darkest emotional days while carrying the heaviest burdens of grief and during the 3 long years it took to take my parents wrongful death case to trial. It’s what pushed me to improve physically – going from a 38 minute 5K race time in 2010 to a 3:57 PB marathon time in 2019!

It’s sad to think that it might be over for me now, when I was finally within reach of my 3:40 BQ time. This not to say that it is over yet…but I would honestly be ECSTATIC to simply be able to RUN (any pace!) for a full hour a day and return to Bootcamp workouts 3x a week. These are now my only solid fitness goals… anything more is just a bonus.

That being said, the 125th Boston Marathon is set to take place on October 11th. The terms of the Boston Virtual event are that the full 26.2 mile distance be covered in one single, consecutive activity, no matter the time it takes to complete it. Run, walk, or crawl – start to finish – at any point in time between Oct.8th – Oct.10th.

Not only do I plan to complete this epic event opportunity, I have already booked my flight and secured my accommodations to travel to Boston and will be running the actual marathon course from Hopkinton to Boston on Oct.10th – the Sunday before the race.

I feel like this is the perfect way to end my marathoning pursuits, considering I’ve never actually been able to earn my own Boston Marathon invite.

So, for all of out there struggling, I just want to say:

The road is open, my friends. Don’t ever let anyone tell you that you aren’t “good enough, strong enough, fast enough” …and don’t ever let anyone or anything stop you from realizing your dreams, even if it is not 💯 the way you’d hoped or imagined that it would be.💙💛

#ChasingBoston #ForTheLoveOfTheRun