Scary, but Honest Conversations I’ve Had with Myself Since Becoming Injured by Max Martins

Will I be able to run again?

Truthfully, I do not know, and that unknown sucks but it is my reality. My injury is not unique to me, and people have far worse happen to them in their lives, but that being said it is still MY INJURY. Fortunately I am not dealing with something far worse, and I appreciate that, deeply. Running again would be ideal, it would make me so very happy to lace up any of my running shoes and jaunt out the door, but I have to be okay with never doing that again. It hurts to consider this option, but if it is my reality, I know I am resilient enough to move on without pounding the pavement.

Who am I without running?

This conversation felt incredibly frightening until I took a pause to look back over the past three months, during which I have not run. Guess what? Without running, I am still me, I am still driven to succeed, I am still fit, and I still have the love & support of my friends and family. Without running I am far less tired from waking up at 4:30 a.m. to be out the door by 5:00 a.m., and my joints and muscles are collapsing at the end of the day from being overworked. Without running, I can be happy and if that is my future then I most definitely will be happy with the new challenges that I take on to fill the void that running once embodied. That being said, I will continue to persevere and do everything I can to run again one day, because I love it, and if you do not fight for what you truly love then why bother even getting up each day.

About Max

Max is a former lefty pitcher turned runner post college baseball career, and while his day job is running the Business Operations at The Ely Center (a social cognition therapy center) he is always focused on improving his own health & wellness while enjoying life with his amazing wife and fun-loving pup!”