I know that it has been a little while since I have updated as to what is going on, but I was waiting until I had all the doctors appointments and information before I said anything.

So here it goes.

Due to the injury, I will not be back on the Appalachian Trail this year to complete as a thru hike.

The fall I took has done more damage than I thought, and without proper recovery I could cause even more damage. I must practice what I preach and listen to my body. The recovery could take a month to six months, it just depends on how quickly my body recovers AND how well I listen to the doctor and not overdue it.

The damage is as follows…

First, everything is on the right leg. My calf is still strained/pulled. As far as the knee goes, there is a joint effusion with a bakers cyst posterior, a tear to the posterior horn of the medial meniscus and I have a deviation to the patella, but thankfully there is no tear there. Everything should heal on its own, without surgery, so I am very thankful. This situation definitely could have been a lot worse – from the fall, to the results of the injuries, to the recovery.

So now the focus is on recovery, then strengthening and moving forward.

I will admit, this has been very hard to deal with. I put so much time and effort in to planning, preparations and training only to be grounded so soon. However, I have to always look to the positive side of things. After all, everything happens for a reason, and I am now that the dust has settled, I am seeing so many reasons why this will be a great thing.

From the perspective of hiking, had I still been on trail, I would have been walking in the pouring rain, getting no views and been stuck in crowded, wet shelters for days on end – not what I was out there for. There have also been several closures to sections of the trail from Tennessee to New York due to flooding creeks and campsites, washed out sections of the trail and debris that blocked the trail. All the weather we have been getting in Florida has been moving up the east coast and now with the Alberto moving north it will not get better anytime soon. Appalachian Trail Closures, this link shows all the current updates and warnings for the trail.

Another perspective is that of personal training. This will give me more understanding and education to help others who have similar injuries and give me the tools to be able to help them rehabilitate, strengthen and move forward.

And finally, moving forward…no matter what the situation may be. It is HARD!!! I originally felt like I was letting people down, that I HAD to get up and keep pushing forward, to prove to myself and others that I CAN do this, that nothing can stop me and that nothing can stop them. I wanted so badly to be that example of NEVER giving up and quitting, that I couldn’t see that all I was doing was making it worse for me to ever move forward. But, now, I hope that as I continue to learn and adjust, that I will be able to help others do the same. The rehab and recovery IS moving forward! These may be small steps, BUT THEY ARE STEPS! Steps moving me forward. And THAT is exciting!

I know that I hold myself to a standard that is high, very high, and that will never change. And just like I hold all of my clients to that high level, it will never change, because it doesn’t have to either. We just have to keep putting one foot in front of the other, and moving forward.

Will we stumble?

Will we fall?

YES!!!

Because we are human.

But, we will find our balance. We will get back up. We will learn to heal and move forward.

~ Coach