Beth McCurdy
Injured
I remember a time not so long ago when I didn’t get injured from running. Even though I have never been a super fast runner, I have been able to run extreme distances without any problems; I guess I thought that I was gifted in that respect.
But, here I am 41 years old, done countless races including a 100 mile road run in Key West on asphalt and concrete, and had no problems as a result except for a few (or so) lost toenails. But a few months ago, I bought the wrong shoes. Who would have thought that buying the wrong shoes would cause so many problems-but it did and now I’m struggling.
After I read “Born to Run”, I thought, wow, I would love to run effortlessly with little on my feet. So, I went for a run on the beach without any shoes and felt what it’s supposed to feel like. It felt good. But, could I run a marathon barefoot like Matt Jenkins on the pavement day after day? I’m not sure.
But the day that my injury took a turn for the worse was when I ran with barefoot Matt in the Tupelo Marathon. I really wished I was him on that day. Running barefeet and feeling the Earth with every step looked so appealing. But, instead I was running with a bad foot and feeling pain with every step. I could have DNF’d the marathon and in fact, should have. It’s not like I really cared about the race or my time. But, something kept me running. I don’t know what it was but something kept me running.
Was it the shoes, my stubborness that wouldn’t let me slow down, or my age that caused this injury? Or is 5 years too long to go without an injury. Was I due? These are all questions that I want answered. But regardless, the reality is that I have a problem that is keeping me from doing what I love to do.
For now, I can’t run the way I used to run. My foot injury is a distraction from what I love. Unless you are a runner or athlete, you cannot truly understand how devasting this can be to a person.
My passion is running outside short and long distances. Right now, I’m lucky if I can run short. Meanwhile, I need to figure out what the lesson is that I am supposed to be learning as a result of this injury. Maybe I am a fool for thinking that I am indestructable. Maybe I care too much about running. Maybe I need to think about other things in my life right now besides when I’m going to run my next ultra. Maybe I need to be grateful that even with this nagging injury, I am still a runner and am blessed to be able to do what I love.
Finishing Tupelo on my bad wheel
