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The Injured Athletes Club


Feb 19, 2019

Amelia Boone is an ultrarunner, four-time world champion obstacle course racer, and full-time attorney. She was dominating the OCR scene and training for the Western States Endurance Run—a 100-mile race she describes as “the superbowl of ultramarathons—when she developed a stress fracture in her femur.

That was challenging enough, but not long after recovering from that injury, Amelia had a second setback—a sacral stress fracture. In the end, she was sidelined from running for nearly a year, and didn’t race for 18 months.

Amelia joined us today to discuss:

-How she’s come to view her injuries as useful experiences and how they changed her relationship with running

-The stages of grief she went through when she learned about her initial fracture, including denial, anger, and finally, acceptance

-The loss of identity that occurred when she couldn’t run, and how she coped

-Why writing has been so important to her throughout the recovery process

-How she overcame some internal resistance and began actively volunteering and participating in the community while injured: “staying involved in the sport and seeing other people's’ joy and learning to hold that as my own”

-Her resistance to the phrase “comeback,” and why she thinks it’s important not to try to recreate the past

-What it felt like to have a second serious diagnosis so soon after her return to running

-The shame and “self-flagellation” that go along with overuse injuries, and how vulnerability has powered her through those difficult emotions

-Why being upset about injury is really just a sign of how dedicated an athlete you are and how much you love your sport

-The top pieces of advice she gives injured athletes, including giving yourself time to grieve, knowing when cross-training is detrimental instead of helpful, and being your own advocate with doctors and other health care providers

 

Resources/links we mention:

-Amelia’s blog

=Her social media pages: Instagram and Twitter


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DISCLAIMER: This content is for educational & informational use only and & does not constitute medical advice. Do not disregard, avoid or delay obtaining medical or health related advice from your health-care professional because of something you may have heard in an episode of this podcast. You should not rely on this information as a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Please consult with a qualified medical professional for proper evaluation & treatment. Guests who speak on this podcast express their own opinions, experiences, and conclusions, and The Injured Athletes Club podcast hosts nor any company providing financial support endorses or opposes any particular treatment option discussed in the episodes of this podcast and are not responsible for any actions or inactions of listeners based on the information presented. The use of any information provided is solely at your own risk.