You are such an inspiration!! I’ve been a runner since I was 10-years-old and had my first severe injury when I was running in college. I had to take 2 years completely off to give my body a break and let my bone mineral density increase. It was the hardest thing I have ever done but worth it because I can now run pain free. And yes, the first run back was painfully slow and I was disappointed that I felt so out of shape. I look back on that first run back now and am proud of how far I have come. I’m so glad you are back able to run and I know you will have an amazing come back. If anything, know that you are a huge inspiration to so many runners out there (including myself!). You go girl!

Thanks Kara! I needed to read and believe this for myself after my first race last night since April 2013. It wasn’t where I wanted it to be but like you write, the realist in me was satisfied. And I could hear what Mark would say to me – be patient, have faith. Looking forward to seeing you reach your own Mt. Olympus.

Thank you for this great post, Kara. I’m coming back from a kneecap fracture and trying to race my final college cross country season, and your thoughts and understanding was exactly what I needed to see/read. Thank you, and good luck to you!!

Kara– your honesty about your journey back is inspiring. I can’t wait to continue to follow your return and make history along the way!

Kara, thanks for being so human. For those of us who do this to the best of our limited abilities, who struggle every day to put one foot in front of the other, who get injured and have to get back on the saddle, knowing that even the elite runners go through the same struggles and that 3 miles sometimes is a lot for them too makes us feel that, perhaps, we’re not so different after all. And that if you can do it, so can we.

Thanks for the inspiration!
Gabe

Great to see you racing again! Thanks for the inspiration! 🙂

You are amazing and such an inspiration to so many! I was almost in tears when I saw how awesome you did in Philly. I can’t wait for NYC and to follow your comeback! “Run with perseverance the race marked out for you…”

Kara great first race back. Good luck on your journey to 2016. You are an inspiration especially as I look to qualify for my first Boston in 10 days.

I am so inspired by your commentary. I have been so down with injuries after my third baby fir two years. It is a struggle to realize my approach to training has to change or I will ride the injury train forevor. Thank you for being real! Xx

Patience when we know we can better is extremely difficult. Many well wishes to 2016.

Your positive attitude as well as your dedication are inspiring!! Good luck in NYC!!

It was amazing to see you run past me as I was waiting to start Philly. I’m sure you didn’t hear me but I was cheering you on! You are always an inspiration!

Thank You Kara! I’ve been off for 3 months with ankle ligament tears and just starting back. I needed to read this today!

You have a lot of great races left in you. Best of luck to you Kara. You will definitely finish in the top 3 in 2016.

At 61 I am just completing my first year of running. I am also recovering from a pulled hamstring. I too wonder if I will make the next run without hurting myself again. I think the fear is the biggest thing. I hear you on my Nike running program offering cheers and congrats for runs. I almost feel like I know you. I’m glad you’re bat. Run like the wind. I’m cheering for you!!!

You are such an inspiration! Thank you for sharing your story about recovering from injuries, and refocusing your goals.

eventhough I am no where near an elite runner I am starting at church me back from a meniscal tear and your thoughts were just how I am feeling. It’s amazing to know that even a runner as accomplished as you can feel similiar fear and joy. Thanks for very being such a wonderful example. I will be praying for you and your success

Kara, this is just what I needed to hear! I’m struggling with a hamstring injury, worried about my upcoming first full marathon, and frustrated that I’ve had to adjust my goal pace; instead, you’ve reminded to be thankful for what I can do, right now. Thanks so much for sharing your experience; from one bird to another, head up & wings out!

Thank you Kara! I am just starting to walk again after a metatarsal stress fracture this summer, and your comeback inspires and motivates me each day.

Thank you for being so inspiring!

You are a true inspiration and role model, not only for athletes, but for all. You show us what hard work means through kindness, smiles and genuine words. We are honored that you represent us and I thank you for your positive outlook, your real stories and sharing your journey with us. I know it is a drive for me to lace up my running shoes in the morning. Cheering you on always.

Kara,

I have been searching for an article like this to inspire myself for awhile. I was a state championship college athlete before I fell to injury…I let it get the best of me and gained 55 pounds. Here I am 6 years later and I have finally had the courage to start back to running and have been for a year. When I started I couldn’t even finish 2 miles. I am now registered for my first half marathon since then and a year since I started my new life. Keep your mind strong and let’s do this together. Ever since I started running again I have read about you for inspiration and now that we are along the same comeback journey, I feel amazing and that much more motivated! Don’t let me down!

Steve

Thanks Kara for that heartfelt post. I am just two weeks back to a very conservative walk/run program after four months off from pelvis stress fracture and hip ace tabular stress fracture . Also a double whammy! I am still running scared but building so gradually. I felt I needed to step away from being a competitive triathlete for a while as it was not healthy for me and I could not train and race and stay healthy. For now the focus is also on my health and staying injury free ( or as injury free as a 46 yo who has 25 yrs of racing mileage on her body!) as I can be . And to take the proper mental attitude to continue to heal and build back to what I am capable of if that is what I want when I am back to full running again.
Best of luck to you and at this stage i also can’t imagine running or racing even a 5-10km let alone a half marathon again but I am sure with patience and perhaps some better guidance I will be back too!
Cheering for you!

Thank you for this. I’ve been dealing with tendinitis for what feels like forever and having patience in coming back as well as confidence I will ever run more than 5 miles. I so relate to you! (minus the pro part… Haha)

I really needed to read this. I’m coming off of a major meniscus injury. My long journey back to running starts with a getting my stitches out tomorrow and hopefully being cleared for activity other than running. The bike! I’m wildly out of shape. In fact between transitioning out of the Marine Corps and two long summers dealing with foot and knee injures I maybe heavier than I’ve ever been. This article truly inspired me. It’s a long journey and with a little inspiration I’m ready for the challenges that await! Thank You!!!

Congratulations on your return to running! You have always been an inspiration to female runners (especially those of us from Portland). Your story here just further proves what an incredible role model and class act you are. I have not been injured, but I have lost some love of the sport. You are helping reignite my passion to run. I love watching your comeback. Thank you and go kick butt (carefully)!

Kara, I’ve always been a big fan and loved watching you race and cheering you on. Being injured is not fun. I spend my entire college running career (not that I was any good, but I did it for fun!) injured and no what it is like. You will come back stronger than ever I’m sure. I would love to help you make a injury free comeback and help you learn how to stay injury free. I am an Egoscue certified Postural Alignment Specialist and Advanced Exercise Therapist and work with runners (and other people suffering pain and injuries) and help them restore postural alignment, muscle function, and balance to their bodies allowing them to minimize risk of injury and improve efficiency. Egoscue is the only thing that helped me get back to running pain free 13 years ago and avoid surgery and I have been helping others do the same ever since. I would love to offer you a free evaluation and consultation over Skype (or in my Portland clinic) anytime. You can learn more by going to my website and contact me with any questions. I look forward to seeing you run your best races in the coming months and years! -Matt

Thank you Kara for being such an inspiration! I am recouping after a plantar fascia detachment and its so hard to start back with babysteps when you are used to taking on the world. Your words are so meaningful to us mere mortals…I’ll be ecstatic when I’m back racing at a pace that’s double yours! You go girl…you are running for all of us…

Hi Kara, you are my biggest inspiration. I didn’t start running until vi was almost 48. It was a battle with cancer that almost cost me my life and gave me a wake up call. My daughter bought me some running shoes and signed me up for the Ogden utah half marathon, so that I was forced to run or fail if I didn’t. I chose to run. After crossing the finish line I realized what a great accomplment I had just done. I was hooked and decided right there and then that I would start a group called ASPIRE TO INSPIRE, I RUN FOR THOSE WHO CAN’T. Since that first race two years ago, I have run 14 more half’s 12 ten ks countless 5 ks and formed a Ragnar team and ran 3 tough legs. I have my first full marathon on this Saturday the 27 th and I am a bit nervous. Although I have run many races the last two years, I don’t think anything will compare to a full. All of my races are all dedicated to those who suffer or have died from cancer or any other awful disease. I am lucky to be able to do this and it’s my way of paying it forward. If even one person sees me in my ASPIRE TO INSPIRE shirt at a race and thinks to them selves that maybe they can run a race someday to, then it will be worth every mile that I have ever run. Thankyou so much for inspiring me and countless others. Whether you know it or not, you are a part of ASPIRE TO INSPIRE because you have inspired so many people. May the wind be at your back on your next race. Take care and thanks for letting me take some of your precious time.

I love you! I love the perseverance. I too, encountered a metatarsal stress fracture this year. Not fun. As runners, we find a way. We push through it. We are in it for the long haul…akin to the marathon. You go girl!!

THANK YOU. Thank you for reminding us that elite athletes are human, too. That they have their bad days, weeks, months as well. But like any other human being, we all have a starting point and must work from there, and be grateful for the progress and not bitter about remembering where you were before. To take it one step at a time – that’s what life is all about.

I can’t believe you can express the same things I feel! It is why I love you as a role model and athlete. You are strong enough to share your weakness and that gives the rest of us regular runners hope to move forward!! Thank you! I will be in New York too running my first marathon in 10 years!!

I needed this today. I am registered for my first 50K next Sunday and hurt my groin on my last 24 mile training run. I’m resting until race day, but not running and resting my legs is incredibly hard. If you can do it, I’m sure I can hang in there. Your posts always inspire me!

We seem to forget how bless we are for what we have and get ourselves concern of wanting more; I am experiencing the same situation with my training; I feel like I am so behind of where I once was, but yet, my times and mileage are slowly improving and I have to constantly remind myself to be patience. After all, I am 62 years old.

Thanks for this post Kara, and your honesty. I’ve been plagued by tendonitis in my calf all summer, that came after a huge marathon PR. It’s been tough to go from feeling at the top of your game to not being able to run three miles without pain. I’ve gone through al stages of denial, but have finally settled on the fact that I need to have the long term goals in mind and focus on healing. Thanks for sharing your perspective and your journey!

Dear Kara,
You are doing a great job and I am very proud of you for all of your hard work that you have been doing. I want to wish you well in the New York Marathon on November 2nd and I hope that you can run a great race that day just do your best that day! I also want to wish you a great 2015 year coming up next year.

The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams!! Your is a beautiful dream, thanks for sharing it with all of us.

Dear Kara,
Thank you for this post and for your inspiring words! I have been struggling with a frustrating hamstring injury for the past 6 months, so your words resonated deeply with me as I eagerly anticipate my own return. I wish you all the best in your continued progress! Thanks for sharing your story and helping people like me keep things in perspective.

I wanted to give you a shout out.
No I was never injured. I was never injured ever in my life.
When you speak about “inspiration”- um. You opened a HUGE can of worms.

You and every last athlete out there. Every last athlete needs to hear this.

I swam and ran through high school and never pursued it but went along my life, got myself through college, job- anything I got right I credit the guidance of my track and swim coaches. The coaches were the ones that impounded the concept of “confidence’ where the ‘overachieving” multicultural mish mash that was my world failed to do.
I think any girl who wants to go into business needs to pick up a sport, it’s one of the best ways to train for life.

Later on in life, I was laid off, then sick. Very sick.

I am not the type who ever got sick. I was NEVER not in control of my body’s condition. And yes athletic played a huge part in that. I’m very grateful, anyone who has had their health needs to count our lucky stars, for we are blessed.

The very inkling of my mortality just screwed with my head, I knew I didn’t get sick out of nowhere. Well, fast forward a year and I figured out my problem without the doctors, etc.

Here’s where the athletes come in.

When I was dealing with the “uncurable” incredibly painful situation, my gut instinct told me that this didn’t come out of nowhere.
The funk wasn’t just frustration with the pain.
Unlike an injury, it wasn’t something I could figure the cause out or the cure. It was very scary when you don’t know if there’s a cure.
A SAFE cure. I did know that the doctors were off because despite my illness, I still ran. They thought my glucose levels caused my condition when running kept my glucose in very health range.
Looking back, I did the right thing.

The best thing for me to do at that point was to keep my head in a good place. Which is hard to do when you’re dealing with people who are angry with you for being sick?
Then fear. Then the panic. Then the pain, disappointment, etc. My dad had tried to throw me away in a war for “medical insurance” (even though the doctors in my opinion were not doing the most ethical thing for women to help with this condition). I didn’t get into the military due to my illness. Okay I didn’t weigh enough, but it was the right choice even though I was screamed at by MEPS and given a very hard time by my dad while I was dealing with this pain. The egos, agendas …. all of that is useless garbage. And the one way I was able to escape that? Was by running! 🙂 It’s where I do my best thinking to figure things out, it de-stresses me. People who run are less likely to be jerks because jerks don’t put the effort in, and runners absolutely have to put the effort in. Well except for my would be running buddy the ferrel pit bull sweetheart who dissed me to chase cars- I guess that was her way of telling me that I’m slow.

But running saved me on a sanity level already.

So fast forward, I was still struggling with the pain so I tried paragliding. On 9/11. Again, to combat that anxiety? 🙂 A healthy distraction?

Then. I couldn’t compete so I signed up for the Teddy Bear Care Foundation trialothon volunteer. Which was probably the best thing I could have done. As a matter of fact, anyone who is ill or injured should at least physically attend or volunteer. Mind you, they were so up beat and cheerful that it was a good time free of charge anyways and a great social activity on the weekend. Without heavy drinking or problems. IT was really nice for that reason alone.

BUT.

Human beings are a social animal. We have this way of feeding off of each other. And we find role models. Because nobody already knows everything and it’s a form of support believe it or not.

People didn’t understand why I couldn’t be all healthy. I needed to be around constructive energy. My life needed me… and I was in the company of so many great athletes who were OVERCOMING PHYSICAL OBSTACLES to demonstrate and celebrate the power of the human body. The beautiful thing about running is that almost anyone can do it, all you need is a pair of shoes and somewhere to run. You can be any race, any size, any nationality, any social class, parental status, age, hair color— it’s there for you. Always.

There was nothing better than to find like minds who had to overcome these obstacles. Why? Because I had to get my head in the game because my life needed me, and it needed me to be at my best.
And it felt as if all of these athletes were angels who were there with you to overcome this beast with you. It’s easier to do the hard stuff when other people are doing it.

So of course, on this gorgeous afternoon in beautiful Santa Barbara, I ended up working for these frenzied athletes crossing the finish line with either their babies in their arms or children on their shoulders.

Its a CAN DO miracle we like have to experience, the game is called “life” and winning isn’t an option. 🙂
I’m still recovering but i hope I can do this for others. It’s going well, think of the impact that you have already made on people by doing what’s right for you.

Oh btw, Desi Linden is a beast! I’m short like her, when she wins I ways cheer, “power to the little people!” with my fist in the air.