Well....... It certainly has been an interesting year since I last posted. As to why I have been avoiding this blog...... That is simple, I have been fighting with injury after injury since the Houston Half. This is the past 9 months in nutshell...
It all started about a week after Houston when I wiped out on some ice and landed on my right hip. For the next month, I dealt with a bunch of doctors trying to find the cause. I eventually got an MRI and they said bursitis was the MAIN issue. I got a cortisone shot, good to go, or not ........
The MRI also showed some labral tear issues in my right hip that were not yet causing me pain. So we decided to persevere through the spring track season. Although missed most of January and some of February due to the bursitis. I finally got back on track (ok, bad pun, I know) with only about 3 weeks to Payton Jordan. This went ENTIRELY to fast. I got in a couple of small workouts and one good hard effort then I was on a plane to Stanford. We went from looking for the Olympic A standard after Houston, to just hoping to sneak into the trials. Of course at Stanford it was just not my night, the second I started I felt off and ran as hard as I could to get a PR but just missed the trials A standard. (I ran 28:26, and the Trials A was 28:15)
About that time is when my right hip started acting up enough to be a problem. Coach Barker and I did our best to continue working out, and keeping things positive, but after Payton Jordan my body slowly betrayed me. We decided to make a last ditch effort out in Portland but that night my hip pretty much gave up on me. I ended up also being one of the first guys out of the trials again for the second year in a row. This time though, I at least went out and had some fun. Heck, I ended up driving out to the trials with my old housemate, Paul Giannobile, so I could try and make the race. I helped with some recruiting as well and even got a new teammate, John Peterson, out of it!
As soon as I got back it was to finally rid myself of these miserable hip problems. I got under the knife and had surgery to repair my right hip. We figured once we took care of that, I would finally start running without any pain for the first time in almost 3 years. I even managed to win an RRCA Roads Scholar Award in recognition of how well I ran throughout the winter and fall. Things were looking pretty good.
But things were not good. After surgery I have been having what were initially slight issues, that have gradually gotten worse.
I had my 11 week checkup or so just yesterday, and the depressing thing is .......in that meeting instead of celebrating the fact that I would be a mere week or two before running again. We looked over the results from my recent MRI, X-rays, and my own pain to determine that I need a
"left hip revision"
I had already scheduled surgery for Oct. 9 as a tentative date, because otherwise I would have had to wait another couple of months. ........But until yesterday it was not happening, I did not want to think about it, accept it, believe it.......... This is my third hip surgery in two years
This is a really tough pill to swallow...... This summer when I got the right hip done my twin brother Mathew, flew in for a week to help me out, but this time..... Ironically he leaves the morning of my surgery for running the TC 10 mile (along with the rest of my Team USA MN athletes who are all crushing it right now). This one is on me.
If anyone really does read all of this, you probably wonder why I would go back for a third surgery....... Because I love the sport, and it is who I am. At least through this surgery, I want to know that I did everything I could, to be the best that I could be with zero regrets.
I have started looking at going back to school and getting my masters, the University of Minnesota has a program that could really fit my needs if I can get in. It is only a year long program and I could do it while recovering. School is always there though, and I am not done being a runner yet....
There will be a light at the end of tunnel, and I won't take it for granted.
-Two final notes and thank you
To Team USA Minnesota who has agreed to stick with me through this year despite all the downs that have happened.....because you didn't have to, and you don't have to, but are anyway.
This deserves some space, please sign the petition below in support of Richmond University as their Indoor/Outdoor Track and Field teams were just cut for absolutely terrible reasoning by their board of directors......As an athlete that was lucky enough to run against, and be teammates with members of their team, this is a big loss to the T and F community
SAVE RICHMOND TRACK
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