Latest / The People Run Podcast / #61 Emily Durgin: When Will I Feel Like Myself Again? | Injury, Recovery & 2028

Transcript

#61 Emily Durgin: When Will I Feel Like Myself Again? | Injury, Recovery & 2028 · The People Run Podcast

• 0:00
  SPEAKER_03: Emily, you've been a US champion, finished uh high in Olympic trials, ninth at 2024, and uh spent the last year, year and a half working on some things and some strength.
• 0:11
  SPEAKER_03: Um I saw a post you wrote, uh When will I feel myself again?
• 0:15
  SPEAKER_03: When you say that, what's the Emily you're trying to get back to?
• 0:18
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, awesome.
• 0:19
  SPEAKER_00: Thanks for having me on and um excited to chat about this.
• 0:22
  SPEAKER_00: Before we hit record, I was telling you that sometimes when you're injured and out of competing for a little while, um people don't reach out to interview you, right?
• 0:31
  SPEAKER_00: You want to interview the champions and all that.
• 0:33
  SPEAKER_00: So when you reached out um for me to talk about my last year, honestly, I was honored and I think it's super important and it comes with part of the sport.
• 0:42
  SPEAKER_00: And yeah, so excited, excited to be here and chat a bit about this past year.
• 0:47
  SPEAKER_00: But um, yeah, that I remember that Instagram that was after my last race.
• 0:52
  SPEAKER_00: Um, I did race a couple times this spring.
• 0:55
  SPEAKER_00: Um I got back to about 85%.
• 0:57
  SPEAKER_00: My workouts were coming along.
• 0:59
  SPEAKER_00: Um, but yeah, I just still didn't feel like myself.
• 1:02
  SPEAKER_00: My stride didn't feel right.
• 1:03
  SPEAKER_00: Everything felt like I was working really hard to run paces that used to be easy.
• 1:10
  SPEAKER_00: And it wasn't for a lack of cardio, it was um biomechanically, it was it was my hamstring, right?
• 1:15
  SPEAKER_00: My hamstring wasn't working 100%, and um I was trying to muster through it, and and finally I just yeah, I remember calling my dad and being like, I'm just so frustrated with this, like nothing feels smooth, and will it ever feel smooth again?
• 1:29
  SPEAKER_00: And um yeah, I I you know there's been ebbs and flows of it, and um, I think that moment was also a moment that I was like, all right, well, there's no sense in continuing to run through this, right?
• 1:42
  SPEAKER_00: We know our bodies, um, and obviously I have obligations to hit for contractual stuff and all that, but um, it wasn't fun racing and not feeling like I was racing.
• 1:52
  SPEAKER_00: I felt like I was just trying to survive.
• 1:55
  SPEAKER_00: And yeah, so this spring, that's when I sat down with my doctors and, you know, said we've made some great improvements.
• 2:01
  SPEAKER_00: Um, I still don't feel 100%.
• 2:03
  SPEAKER_00: Like I rather take the time now and get PRP, really focus on uh this really strict PT program and see if that gets me back to 100%.
• 2:14
  SPEAKER_03: And if it doesn't, at least I can say that touching on that, running at a pro level and elite level and not being able to go your full potential.
• 2:30
  SPEAKER_03: What does that feel like for such a athlete as yourself who's running at elite level times um to go through an injury like that?
• 2:37
  SPEAKER_03: Like, wow, I can't turn it on.
• 2:38
  SPEAKER_03: I can't, I can't go.
• 2:40
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, yeah.
• 2:41
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, I'm not the first one.
• 2:42
  SPEAKER_00: I have plenty of peers that have gone through major surgeries and um have had to like come back from that.
• 2:48
  SPEAKER_00: And you know, you see some of these athletes that that are leave for 10 months to a year and they come back their first race and they just are on fire.
• 2:55
  SPEAKER_00: And then there's other athletes that take some time.
• 2:58
  SPEAKER_00: Um, so yeah, now I can kind of understand the frustration, right?
• 3:03
  SPEAKER_00: And um, you know, I don't think one injury is any worse than the other.
• 3:07
  SPEAKER_00: They're all they're all frustrating and hard to navigate, especially some of this tendon stuff.
• 3:12
  SPEAKER_00: So um again, yeah, it when I was racing, it was just like I I just I didn't have that strength, right?
• 3:19
  SPEAKER_00: It just it felt, yeah, it kind of just felt, well, one, it's painful because I can feel the pain in my hamstring.
• 3:27
  SPEAKER_00: And then two, it just every everything just felt harder than it should.
• 3:31
  SPEAKER_00: So um it's definitely frustrating.
• 3:33
  SPEAKER_00: And there's been moments that I thought, oh my gosh, like, you know, were the best years behind me.
• 3:39
  SPEAKER_00: And um yeah, but I don't know.
• 3:41
  SPEAKER_00: I I think that like those thoughts come into my head and they quickly fade away because I truly believe that um, you know, that they haven't, right?
• 3:51
  SPEAKER_00: That everything's gonna work out and you have to have a lot of belief in that.
• 3:56
  SPEAKER_00: But at the same time, you can't be ignorant and stupid and continue to run through a bum hamstring, right?
• 4:04
  SPEAKER_00: So um yeah, I think that that's also part of it that I am trying to be as smart as I can with this return in hopes that 27 and 28 I'm putting myself in the best position possible to run my fastest.
• 4:20
  SPEAKER_00: Um, versus right, I could have kept racing this year, you know.
• 4:23
  SPEAKER_00: I finished fourth at Bloomsday, I was top 10 at US races.
• 4:27
  SPEAKER_00: Um Emily, right out of college, would have thought, wow, this is great.
• 4:32
  SPEAKER_00: But um I I know um I know what my potential's at.
• 4:36
  SPEAKER_00: I know what I need to do to put myself in the best position for these next two years, and that was taking the time now to try to get this thing a hundred percent.
• 4:47
  SPEAKER_03: Going through that, what's the most difficult part?
• 4:50
  SPEAKER_03: Is it the identity of like I'm not the Emily I used to be?
• 4:53
  SPEAKER_03: Is it the mental?
• 4:54
  SPEAKER_03: Obviously, you mentioned the pain, of course it hurts.
• 4:56
  SPEAKER_03: The physical as one.
• 4:58
  SPEAKER_03: What's the hardest part of this past year and a half?
• 5:02
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, the hardest part's not racing.
• 5:04
  SPEAKER_00: I love to compete.
• 5:05
  SPEAKER_00: And I think if you look at my past oh gosh, I've been with Adidas since 2021.
• 5:10
  SPEAKER_00: I was with Underarm before before that.
• 5:11
  SPEAKER_00: So my past seven years, I've been super, super consistent.
• 5:15
  SPEAKER_00: I haven't had a year where I haven't PR'd.
• 5:17
  SPEAKER_00: Um, I just have had this slow, gradual, yeah, uh climb and um raced a ton.
• 5:25
  SPEAKER_00: I just loved racing.
• 5:27
  SPEAKER_00: So I would train to race, and that was kind of it.
• 5:30
  SPEAKER_00: So being away from competition has been the absolute hardest.
• 5:35
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and yeah, I mean, of course, like the identity with it, right?
• 5:40
  SPEAKER_00: Like not being able to do workouts like I was doing when I was at my fittest, that that is challenging.
• 5:47
  SPEAKER_00: Um, but a lot of this goes back to that I feel very confident that when I'm not in pain, when I am healthy, that all of that will come back.
• 5:58
  SPEAKER_00: Um, I don't think there's some crazy issue going on.
• 6:03
  SPEAKER_00: I truly just think it's I need to, I need to let my body get back to a hundred percent.
• 6:08
  SPEAKER_00: Um, yeah, so thankfully I made the move out to Boulder.
• 6:12
  SPEAKER_00: I was in Flagstaff for seven years, loved my time there.
• 6:15
  SPEAKER_00: Um, but I think coming to a whole new city with new people, new coaches, new friends, uh new relationships, um, it's allowed me to kind of not compare to the past, if that makes sense.
• 6:30
  SPEAKER_03: So for sure, yeah.
• 6:31
  SPEAKER_03: New environment and all that definitely helps new scenery.
• 6:35
  SPEAKER_03: Leave it in the past.
• 6:37
  unknown: Exactly.
• 6:39
  SPEAKER_03: Where are you today?
• 6:40
  SPEAKER_03: Like how close do you feel to getting back to your hundred percent, or if not better?
• 6:44
  SPEAKER_03: I'm sure you've gone through some new mindset and feeling stronger, things you're gonna implement.
• 6:49
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, for sure.
• 6:50
  SPEAKER_00: So um again, this isn't the first time around.
• 6:53
  SPEAKER_00: So about a year ago, we I I moved out here and um worked with a doctor, Dr.
• 6:58
  SPEAKER_00: Cabalas, right here, and um he started really taking control over this chronic injury, and we did the shock wave.
• 7:06
  SPEAKER_00: We got myself back running pain-free, I would say.
• 7:09
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and we built up mileage, and yeah, that was um, I I think that that was everything we did then was smart because where I was at, it just made sense to do all that those things first.
• 7:22
  SPEAKER_00: And um yeah, I had four months of training and racing and went to 15K, went to uh New York half, went to Bloomsday.
• 7:33
  SPEAKER_00: So um I wanted to run a marathon before the end of the year.
• 7:37
  SPEAKER_00: I still am planning on it.
• 7:38
  SPEAKER_00: We've shifted a little bit because of doing the PRP and taking the time.
• 7:42
  SPEAKER_00: Um, but right now I'm I'm running easy and everything feels great.
• 7:47
  SPEAKER_00: Everything's progressing super well.
• 7:49
  SPEAKER_00: Um, I'm working super close with a PT doing a lot more um with like plyos and stuff like that.
• 7:58
  SPEAKER_00: That's something that I don't really know.
• 8:01
  SPEAKER_00: It's trial and error.
• 8:02
  SPEAKER_00: These injuries, like nobody knows the answer.
• 8:04
  SPEAKER_00: So um last fall we kind of found out that okay, I can run threshold, right?
• 8:10
  SPEAKER_00: I can run 540 pace, I can run 550 pace, there's no pain.
• 8:15
  SPEAKER_00: So we really just like did that because we're like, all right, well, let's just build fitness this way.
• 8:21
  SPEAKER_00: And and you know, it it got me to a point.
• 8:24
  SPEAKER_00: And then um this time around, we're actually shifting our perspective and saying, no, let's make sure we can get explosive, right?
• 8:32
  SPEAKER_00: Let's let's get this hamstring able to handle not just like the load of threshold, but also the intensity of the speed.
• 8:42
  SPEAKER_00: Um, so that's kind of like it sounds like okay, well, let's just keep trying different things, but um, you know, we're just kind of gonna do it the opposite this time.
• 8:51
  SPEAKER_00: So yeah, where I'm at right now, I feel good, I feel confident.
• 8:54
  SPEAKER_00: I'm I'm sure it's not gonna be linear.
• 8:56
  SPEAKER_00: I'm sure as soon as I start adding in some workouts, you know, we might have to be like, all right, it flared up from this session, let's cross-train.
• 9:05
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and just really, I really want to spend these next four months just like getting myself to 90% so that heading into 2027, you know, I can be a hundred percent.
• 9:17
  SPEAKER_03: Is there anything that doesn't quite feel right yet?
• 9:21
  SPEAKER_00: Um, well, so I mean it's hard to say because I haven't even really done strides.
• 9:27
  SPEAKER_00: Um, but honestly, like I feel pretty good.
• 9:31
  SPEAKER_00: Like today I did like a hilly run.
• 9:34
  SPEAKER_00: Um, a lot of those easy runs, I I kind of felt wonky even when I was racing.
• 9:40
  SPEAKER_00: Um, maybe a lot of this is because I I'm only going to a point before I feel it, if that makes sense.
• 9:48
  SPEAKER_00: So we're really, I haven't really tested it yet uh because I don't want to.
• 9:52
  SPEAKER_00: I like I spent I spent a lot of money and a lot of time.
• 9:56
  SPEAKER_00: So it's like, yeah, I'm I'm trying to stick to the protocol.
• 10:00
  SPEAKER_00: But no, I wouldn't say that anything doesn't feel right other than just um lack of fitness.
• 10:05
  SPEAKER_00: But again, we were talking off camera the heat and humidity.
• 10:08
  SPEAKER_03: Um I'm trying to tell myself that this is just Emily, you spent a lot of time in your pro career learning to tolerate discomfort, pushing through it, and now we're forced to slow down, if you will.
• 10:21
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
• 10:22
  SPEAKER_03: We're going through it now, and then heat's like, here, here's some more.
• 10:26
  SPEAKER_03: Um, what have you learned now of like pushing through when it's right, when it's wrong, through those injuries or those speed workouts?
• 10:32
  SPEAKER_03: Let me pull back, let me go forward.
• 10:35
  SPEAKER_00: Oh, that's a great question.
• 10:36
  SPEAKER_00: And honestly, I wish that I could go back to the beginning of 2025 and we all do.
• 10:42
  SPEAKER_00: Oh my gosh.
• 10:43
  SPEAKER_00: I yeah, I really honestly I I I ran through this way, way too long.
• 10:49
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and yeah, I mean, that's why I'm trying to share my story as much as possible because people that are experiencing this injury are similar.
• 10:58
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, it might not be exactly the same, but it's like, you know, deal with it when you can, right?
• 11:03
  SPEAKER_00: Because running through anything, it's it's more likely than not, it's not gonna get better, right?
• 11:09
  SPEAKER_00: Um, but I think our minds and it's yeah, sometimes it's like, oh, a little discomfort, it's fine, it'll get better.
• 11:16
  SPEAKER_00: Um, yeah, so the biggest thing I've learned was to listen to my body and trust myself.
• 11:21
  SPEAKER_00: And um again, like I I really I have no interest in going and running and just racing to finish top 10, right?
• 11:29
  SPEAKER_00: I want to be on the start line confident that I can win.
• 11:32
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and to get back to that point, I need to do everything that I'm doing right now, um, which is healing this hamstring, one, and then actually getting it even stronger than it was before so that I can run faster than I ever have.
• 11:50
  SPEAKER_03: You mentioned you love racing.
• 11:53
  SPEAKER_03: What does racing give you that a workout won't?
• 11:57
  SPEAKER_00: Uh I just think it's the atmosphere.
• 11:59
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, one big part of it is the community, right?
• 12:02
  SPEAKER_00: Um, it's been tough.
• 12:03
  SPEAKER_00: I haven't gotten to see all my competitors that much um without racing, and obviously the fans and in the being in the sport now for almost 10 years, I've learned I've gotten to know all the race directors and all the same fans that come to the races, and especially this summer.
• 12:19
  SPEAKER_00: Um, I'm from the East Coast, so typically I run all the East Coast races and have tons of friends that run Beach to Beacon and Falmouth.
• 12:28
  SPEAKER_00: So yeah, missing out on those is huge.
• 12:31
  SPEAKER_00: Um, workouts, I mean, yes, it's kind of just that grind that you do solo.
• 12:36
  SPEAKER_00: It's it's everything I'm doing right now, the cross training, the pool work, all that.
• 12:40
  SPEAKER_00: That is just um, you know, you don't really get to uh there's no um reward from it every like right then and there, right?
• 12:49
  SPEAKER_00: It's like the reward's gonna come down the road, which I do think about.
• 12:53
  SPEAKER_00: Of course, I'm I'm on the elliptical or in the pool and like playing in my head, um picturing myself winning races and getting back to where I was.
• 13:03
  SPEAKER_00: Um but it's still not the same as thinking in the last 200 meters of beach to beacon, right?
• 13:11
  SPEAKER_00: With everyone screaming.
• 13:12
  SPEAKER_00: So uh yeah, I totally miss that.
• 13:14
  SPEAKER_00: I can't wait to be back.
• 13:15
  SPEAKER_00: I know that I will be.
• 13:17
  SPEAKER_00: Um, but like I said, I I just have no desire to be at these races knowing I'm not 100%.
• 13:27
  SPEAKER_03: How hard is it that to watch those races right now, you know, early spring, East Coast?
• 13:31
  SPEAKER_03: You know the weather's good over there right now.
• 13:34
  SPEAKER_03: And not be able to like, man, I'm only gonna show up when I'm hundred and can compete 100%.
• 13:39
  SPEAKER_03: How hard is it to sit back and just let me trust the process?
• 13:43
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, no, it's so challenging.
• 13:45
  SPEAKER_00: Even I think we were just talking that the the 10K track champs are going on right now, and um, it's an off year, so um, it's kind of like a fun year for other people to get their names on the podium and all that.
• 13:59
  SPEAKER_00: So um I've obviously I track everything, I follow all the races.
• 14:03
  SPEAKER_00: I am close friends with a lot of these people I compete against.
• 14:06
  SPEAKER_00: So um, yeah, seeing all the results, it makes me obviously sad.
• 14:11
  SPEAKER_00: Um sometimes I I don't look super closely, but at the same time, I haven't I haven't like stepped away from looking at the sport.
• 14:20
  SPEAKER_00: I know some athletes feel like they totally need to go into hiding and I don't feel that way.
• 14:25
  SPEAKER_00: Um I am motivated by it.
• 14:27
  SPEAKER_00: So uh yeah, but of course it's yeah, it's a bummer to not be there.
• 14:33
  SPEAKER_00: Um, but again, I just think that like I just have this like really deep-rooted belief that um everything happens for a reason, that my timing is is my timing for a reason.
• 14:44
  SPEAKER_00: And um, yeah, I I do stay true to that.
• 14:50
  SPEAKER_03: On these athletes that you're close to or watching, we're missing some racing right now.
• 14:54
  SPEAKER_03: Sorry for the timing.
• 14:57
  SPEAKER_03: Is there any you're watching and going, wow, I'm really inspired.
• 15:00
  SPEAKER_03: I can't wait to go run and compete with this person, anyone that comes to mind, or just even races doesn't have to be a person.
• 15:06
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, um, I think there's we're seeing a lot of the so I just I just turned 32, right?
• 15:13
  SPEAKER_00: So we're seeing a lot of these younger women getting ready to do their marathon debuts.
• 15:18
  SPEAKER_00: Um Emma Grace Hurley uh is such a sweet soul, and um yeah, I remember when she first came onto the circuit, and I um she was is being coached by um the same guy that coached me in college, so we had that connection, and I remember her entering the road circuit and yeah, you know, not even finishing in the top 10.
• 15:39
  SPEAKER_00: And her and I had talked a couple times uh years ago.
• 15:42
  SPEAKER_00: So to see her like completely like go up in the rankings and getting ready to run her first marathon debut and just her confidence, right?
• 15:51
  SPEAKER_00: When I first met her, she was, yeah, had been working for a year and just got back into the running scene, wasn't super confident in herself, um, would be super nervous at races, and now you see her just dominating these races, going straight to the front, and she's built up this mass amount of confidence.
• 16:09
  SPEAKER_00: So um the younger generation, I mean, she's not that young, but again, like she's still a couple years behind me.
• 16:15
  SPEAKER_00: Um, I've always found it super important.
• 16:18
  SPEAKER_00: Um, the I just will call them the new girls on the circuit to be uh very open and um just like inviting, right?
• 16:27
  SPEAKER_00: Because yeah, there was a few women that did that to me when I was 22, 23, and those women um meant a ton to me.
• 16:35
  SPEAKER_00: Sarah Hall being one of those, she was always um so encouraging to me.
• 16:40
  SPEAKER_00: Um, you know, I was finishing probably 15th when she was winning uh the 10K champs, you know.
• 16:47
  SPEAKER_00: Um, but that didn't matter.
• 16:48
  SPEAKER_00: She still would ask me how my race was, how how I was feeling, and and you know, I she didn't even know who I was.
• 16:54
  SPEAKER_00: So um yeah, I just try to like pay it forward and and do it for those those younger uh athletes because it is it is important.
• 17:05
  SPEAKER_03: What does uh right now success look like to you in this recovery journey we're in right now and building up to, as you mentioned, a fall race?
• 17:12
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I mean a lot of it just comes back to like feeling like myself again and being able to enjoy it.
• 17:18
  SPEAKER_00: Um honestly, I don't really think I can say that I've been able to enjoy uh the training over the past six months because I felt like it was not not that it was super conservative, but it was just like uh it just didn't feel right.
• 17:34
  SPEAKER_00: Again, going back to my Instagram quote, nothing felt right.
• 17:37
  SPEAKER_00: So um success to me is just being able to like, I mean, there's one of the um uh my a bodywork guy that I work with, it's it's going back to that, you know, feeling like your child self, right?
• 17:49
  SPEAKER_00: Being able to run like you did with your friends in the neighborhood and not even in like a track and field setting, but just like running as fast as you can um down the street of your neighborhood and like not thinking of anything else.
• 18:03
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and to me, getting to that state is a hundred percent the only thing I'm focused on.
• 18:09
  SPEAKER_00: I do not care about like place or time or anything because I know if I can get there, all the rest will come.
• 18:18
  SPEAKER_03: That's a great way to put it.
• 18:19
  SPEAKER_03: I love that.
• 18:20
  SPEAKER_03: It's so much there about like joy and just liberating comes to mind.
• 18:24
  SPEAKER_03: Just be their kid that runs with no thought or worry.
• 18:28
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, we're not we're not thinking, oh, my foot's a little sore, oh my hips tight, right?
• 18:33
  SPEAKER_00: So yeah.
• 18:34
  SPEAKER_03: Can we get that back as we get older though?
• 18:36
  SPEAKER_03: That's a whole different story question.
• 18:39
  SPEAKER_00: I'll let I'll let the internet know if I do.
• 18:42
  SPEAKER_03: For sure.
• 18:44
  SPEAKER_03: We're gonna have to bottle that up or something if you do uh here's XYZ product.
• 18:52
  SPEAKER_03: Do you think it's gonna be on that same subject a moment, a race, a workout that goes, okay, I'm back.
• 19:00
  SPEAKER_00: Um, no, I don't think it's gonna be one thing.
• 19:02
  SPEAKER_00: I think it's gonna be a build-up of a bunch.
• 19:04
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, even going to what I'm doing right now, um, what am I on?
• 19:09
  SPEAKER_00: I I mean I I have gone from a 20-minute run to, you know, now I'm all the way up to 60 minutes, right?
• 19:16
  SPEAKER_00: That it's like, yeah, I think that it's just gonna be like these baby steps that all come together to one.
• 19:22
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and again, I don't think it's gonna be like, all right, four weeks I've I've run mileage and now I'm gonna do mile repeats and five flat again, and woo, I'm gonna feel great.
• 19:32
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, I know that's not what how it's gonna be.
• 19:35
  SPEAKER_00: Um, again, I just really think it's that day-to-day um going out, doing my run, doing my PT.
• 19:42
  SPEAKER_00: And honestly, like a big part of this, it sounds sad, and I'm sure a lot of people can resonate with it, but there was a time during this injury where I couldn't even enjoy the rest of the day.
• 19:51
  SPEAKER_00: I would be in pain sitting, you know, I would be in pain walking the dog.
• 19:56
  SPEAKER_00: Um yeah, the sitting was a huge thing, especially with this uh high hamstring injury.
• 20:01
  SPEAKER_00: I couldn't sit at a restaurant for an hour without being uncomfortable.
• 20:05
  SPEAKER_00: Um so yeah, I think I don't think there's gonna be one big celebration, but it it's kind of sad to think.
• 20:13
  SPEAKER_00: But even going to a baseball game Tuesday night, I was like, oh wow, I've been sitting here all night and I'm I'm not in a ton of discomfort, right?
• 20:21
  SPEAKER_00: Like, of course everyone's butt's gonna go numb at a baseball game, but um so yeah, it's it's it's really sad.
• 20:29
  SPEAKER_00: And um unfortunately, I think there's probably a lot of pros and normal people out there that can probably resonate with this that are like, oh yeah, I I am in pain, right?
• 20:41
  SPEAKER_03: I'm just flattering gasted to use a uh uh some word, I guess.
• 20:46
  SPEAKER_03: How do you deal with that when you can't sit for more than an hour, you know, and and you've been a pro and running, and well, you just want to sit, but you can't sit for an hour.
• 20:54
  SPEAKER_03: Like, how did you manage during that time?
• 20:57
  SPEAKER_00: Um, I think that like once I really realized, like, oh my gosh, Emily, like you're in pain at this restaurant with your family, you can't even enjoy being here.
• 21:06
  SPEAKER_00: Like, now we need to, you know, take the time and stop running, stop doing what's flaring it up.
• 21:12
  SPEAKER_00: I don't care how many people tell me that, oh, it's okay, you can still run, you can still run.
• 21:17
  SPEAKER_00: Well, no, because I run and then the best let rest of the day, you know, my day's ruined.
• 21:23
  SPEAKER_00: Um, running is part of my life, running's not my whole life.
• 21:27
  SPEAKER_00: And if I can't go enjoy the rest of the day with my dog and my family, then that's obviously there's something wrong.
• 21:34
  SPEAKER_00: Um, same thing with, you know, if if you're so exhausted the rest of the day that you just can't get off the couch.
• 21:40
  SPEAKER_00: Well, clearly there's a little bit of uh energy imbalances there.
• 21:44
  SPEAKER_00: And it's hard because I think we're taught you need to work hard, you need to be sore, you need to be tired.
• 21:50
  SPEAKER_00: Um, but no, like that is actually incorrect.
• 21:54
  SPEAKER_00: And um, yeah, so I think that that was kind of a aha moment for me.
• 21:59
  SPEAKER_00: And Reflected on like younger Emily that would never have done that.
• 22:04
  SPEAKER_00: Um, I think when I was first out of college and I wasn't this big standout star, I was just yeah, trying to see how good good I could be.
• 22:13
  SPEAKER_00: I used to like look at everyone else and be like, oh my gosh, they're crazy.
• 22:17
  SPEAKER_00: Like, if if you're injured, why would you keep running?
• 22:19
  SPEAKER_00: And then I mean, my dad even jokes and he's like, you turned into one of those people, right?
• 22:25
  SPEAKER_00: Man, so I just need to go back to my old self.
• 22:27
  SPEAKER_00: And um that's kind of what I've tried to do over this past year is um just be smart with it.
• 22:33
  SPEAKER_00: Um, I take a lot of pride in that.
• 22:35
  SPEAKER_00: It doesn't mean that I've had this clear route back, you know, but um again, going back to I'm gonna do absolutely everything I can to get healthy.
• 22:45
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and then, you know, and then if it doesn't work out, at least I can say, hey, I tried everything and um at least I'm not in pain sitting out.
• 22:57
  SPEAKER_04: That's rough.
• 23:00
  SPEAKER_03: What's a normal training week look like right now, or we should just say training week look like right now.
• 23:06
  SPEAKER_00: So right now, um, I mean, I that's one thing is this is my life, this is how I make my money, this is my job.
• 23:14
  SPEAKER_00: So I even when I'm not racing, not meeting coaches and teammates, I do keep a pretty strict routine.
• 23:21
  SPEAKER_00: Um, you know, it's just kind of yeah, we like routines.
• 23:25
  SPEAKER_00: So um thankfully now I'm running pretty much every day, so I don't have to go and cross-train.
• 23:32
  SPEAKER_00: And I was doing a lot of swimming, ellipticaling, um, and then I was spending, I don't know, at least every single day doing some level of um lifting or uh strength exercise.
• 23:46
  SPEAKER_00: So right now the running's not structured, but I'll um in the morning I do like a 10 to 20 minute little routine, loading routine before I go and run.
• 23:58
  SPEAKER_00: Um and I'm sticking it to like twice a week.
• 24:01
  SPEAKER_00: I'm not doubling at all.
• 24:02
  SPEAKER_00: So uh I'll cross-train in the evenings, just right now, twice a week.
• 24:08
  SPEAKER_00: Maybe as I get back doing workouts, I'll add more as I'm trying to gain fitness.
• 24:12
  SPEAKER_00: Right now, I we're not really focused on fitness.
• 24:15
  SPEAKER_00: Um, we're focused on getting everything strong.
• 24:20
  SPEAKER_00: Um, so instead of running the extra 20, 30 minutes, I'm going to the gym and doing plyos, lifting a little heavier.
• 24:30
  SPEAKER_00: I'm spending 30 minutes doing that in the evening.
• 24:34
  SPEAKER_00: So yeah, just prior to prioritizing all of that.
• 24:37
  SPEAKER_00: Um I'm working with a bunch of different people, right?
• 24:40
  SPEAKER_00: Like I get, I'm still, I'm still, I'm gonna slowly, I want to slowly stop getting as much body work, but at first I was, you know, getting still doing some laser, um, especially on the scar tissue, just to help with all of that.
• 24:57
  SPEAKER_00: Um I still do the dry needling just to get everything around the hamstring.
• 25:01
  SPEAKER_00: Um, so ideally uh I'll get back to my normal routine, which would be like massage once a week and then yeah, uh kind of like just like maintenance.
• 25:12
  SPEAKER_00: Um but at this point with my PT, we've built up to like this program that's gonna carry me over for the next month.
• 25:22
  SPEAKER_03: Okay.
• 25:22
  SPEAKER_00: Yep.
• 25:23
  SPEAKER_03: That sounds like a I'm I'm trying to picture it in my head, a very big team dry kneeling, massage, doctor, PT, maybe a gym coach running.
• 25:34
  SPEAKER_03: Uh account six so far.
• 25:36
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, and yeah, there's probably about six to ten that that are have really like bought in on this um return to to full fitness and full form.
• 25:49
  SPEAKER_00: And yeah, it's crazy because like they're all, I mean, and some of these people, of course, I only met them a few months ago, but even just um the guy that does my laser, he has been, you know, they're just rooting for this comeback, and they're all like so on board and so encouraging and so positive.
• 26:07
  SPEAKER_00: And to have this massive team around me of just, I mean, some some random, some obviously high-end doctors.
• 26:14
  SPEAKER_00: Um, you know, the lady who does my needling just does it out of her house, but uh she's just yeah, just like huge, huge support team, and and it is kind of cool that that they're all rooting for me to come back.
• 26:30
  SPEAKER_03: You're working recently on short hail strides, kind of like are you trying to change anything there or what are you working on in and doing those hill short hail strides?
• 26:41
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I can talk a little bit about that because that will have to take us.
• 26:44
  SPEAKER_00: I won't again we'll incorporate those, but because we did the PRP, I won't be able to like add those back in for a little bit now.
• 26:52
  SPEAKER_00: Um, so going back to all these amazing people that are supporting me, another uh brand that I've been working with is Stride.
• 26:59
  SPEAKER_00: Um, they're like the pods that go in your shoes, they're based here, and they have been on this journey with me, and it's so incredible.
• 27:08
  SPEAKER_00: But a big part of the short hill strides was when, again, we kind of did this all backwards in the spring, and I'll have to do a new post about all this.
• 27:18
  SPEAKER_00: Um because in the winter we had come back with just that threshold running.
• 27:24
  SPEAKER_00: My um, yeah, so my cadence was way down.
• 27:28
  SPEAKER_00: I was super long.
• 27:29
  SPEAKER_00: I was like, my contact on the ground was way too long.
• 27:33
  SPEAKER_00: Um, so with the short hills, we were, and again, it works.
• 27:37
  SPEAKER_00: I have much better form going up a hill.
• 27:40
  SPEAKER_00: Um, my my cadence quickens, um, my ground contact is way less.
• 27:46
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and all of that can be seen on these pods, um, but also just like in my body, I can feel it.
• 27:55
  SPEAKER_00: Um, so that's the importance of these hill strides, and a hundred percent that's gonna be where we start this time around.
• 28:04
  SPEAKER_00: Um, the biggest thing with those hill strides is making them not as fast as I was trying to do them, right?
• 28:12
  SPEAKER_00: So when I first come back, it's gonna be, yeah, a hill stride, right?
• 28:17
  SPEAKER_00: Just like a feel-good pace, not an all-out sprint.
• 28:20
  SPEAKER_00: Um, that's gonna be where I need to start, and then we'll slowly be able to quicken that over time.
• 28:27
  SPEAKER_03: How encouraging is it to see that data now kind of confirm, like, hey, you're moving in the right direction?
• 28:32
  SPEAKER_03: How much of it is data versus feel?
• 28:35
  SPEAKER_00: Okay, so of course, like you should be able to feel and be like, wow, I'm really off.
• 28:40
  SPEAKER_00: But I will say, um, yes, those times that I was really off, like that last race I ran in Bloomsday, I could feel how off I was.
• 28:48
  SPEAKER_00: But then when I looked at my pods and was like, oh my gosh, like you're not, I wasn't even, I think my loading rate was like 47 on my left leg versus yeah, whatever on the the right.
• 29:00
  SPEAKER_00: So I wasn't even loading that left leg.
• 29:02
  SPEAKER_00: So essentially, like I was just dragging it.
• 29:05
  SPEAKER_00: Um I could feel, I could feel, and um, I could already feel that, but seeing it like on my stride app, I'm like, yeah, this is not good.
• 29:15
  SPEAKER_00: So um it's been so encouraging.
• 29:17
  SPEAKER_00: Even like when I started with my 20-minute run, of course, I was like looking at my pods and like, oh my gosh, like I'm actually loading my leg, but like I could also feel it.
• 29:26
  SPEAKER_00: And again, I start running faster.
• 29:28
  SPEAKER_00: Um, yeah, that's gonna become more important because I'll be able to dial in that that data.
• 29:33
  SPEAKER_00: But no, even I mean, heck, even for these easy runs, I I'm looking at it every single time.
• 29:39
  SPEAKER_00: Um, so yeah, yeah, it's it's been cool to see, and and we're gonna dive a little deeper into that um over the next couple months.
• 29:47
  SPEAKER_03: Okay.
• 29:49
  SPEAKER_03: Emily, what do most runners, in your opinion, you know, someone competing at high level misunderstand about returning from injury?
• 29:56
  SPEAKER_03: You know, you've learned some big lessons recently.
• 29:58
  SPEAKER_03: So what do you think they misunderstand most?
• 30:01
  SPEAKER_00: Well, I've done it all, so I I could say um I I've done it all.
• 30:08
  SPEAKER_00: I've done the I cross-trained like a mad woman and stayed so, so, so cardio fit that when I came back to running, I was so fit um with you know my cardio, my legs were not, and I ended up, yeah, like blowing out my right Achilles flared up and all this stuff.
• 30:27
  SPEAKER_00: So um that I have stopped.
• 30:31
  SPEAKER_00: Um that's I think that's a very easy one to do because you don't want to lose your fitness, right?
• 30:37
  SPEAKER_00: So like a bunch of us just like try to cross-train as much as possible.
• 30:40
  SPEAKER_00: So I'd say like the biggest thing, you know, instead of cross-training the extra X amount of time, focus on your movement exercises, make sure you're moving right, make sure you're adding the plyometrics.
• 30:53
  SPEAKER_00: I don't want to just say straight like strength work, right?
• 30:56
  SPEAKER_00: Because I think that strengths needs to be very dialed in for each person.
• 31:01
  SPEAKER_00: So um for me, also working with somebody that was gonna take me from ground zero up.
• 31:08
  SPEAKER_00: Um, I think in the past I've tried to skip all these, like, you know, because if you're not moving well, you're not gonna be doing your RDL well, right?
• 31:18
  SPEAKER_00: And if you're not, if you ain't aren't able to like sit back into your hip, then you probably shouldn't be doing squats.
• 31:25
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and I think a lot of the times um uh a lot of athletes miss those steps.
• 31:30
  SPEAKER_00: So yeah, I basically had to start from ground zero, move well, you know, make sure my hips were moving right, everything, and then increase it with weights, um, and then now with the plyos and then the plyos to the fast running.
• 31:45
  SPEAKER_00: Um so yeah, that would be like my biggest advice is is not to skip steps, but also don't be scared to lose some cardio fitness um because we're all incredible, like everyone's gonna come back.
• 31:58
  SPEAKER_00: As soon as you start running, it's give it a couple months and you'll get all that back.
• 32:04
  SPEAKER_03: Emily, you have choosing joy in your bio right now.
• 32:07
  SPEAKER_03: It's it's pretty fun choosing joy when races are going the way you want, but like how do you choose joy now when it's not going your way?
• 32:15
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, that's a great question.
• 32:16
  SPEAKER_00: And over the past couple years, I have leaned into my faith more.
• 32:21
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and I don't know if that was directly from injury.
• 32:26
  SPEAKER_00: I um have always been just I guess the best word is that I can describe it as super curious about religion.
• 32:33
  SPEAKER_00: Um, ever since a little girl, I actually um I was raised Catholic, um, but a lot of this was me wanting to go to CCD.
• 32:43
  SPEAKER_00: Um, my family didn't even go.
• 32:44
  SPEAKER_00: My mom would drop me off at church, and I ended up going to a Jesuit high school.
• 32:49
  SPEAKER_00: Long story short, I um started to go to a more like non-denominational based church out in Flagstaff before I moved.
• 32:57
  SPEAKER_00: And then when I came to Boulder last summer, just spent a little more time with my faith, um, daily devotions and all that.
• 33:04
  SPEAKER_00: And I think that that has centered me um in choosing joy um every single day, right?
• 33:11
  SPEAKER_00: Whether you're going through the sacrifice or not, just because you are at one point, um, yeah, you are again, we all will go through it many of times.
• 33:21
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and then I just think that it's allowed me to realize that like the timing, like his timing's perfect, and I know everyone believes in something different, and that's amazing and great.
• 33:33
  SPEAKER_00: Um, but for me, this has like really centered me and um honestly just like helped with anxiety too.
• 33:40
  SPEAKER_00: Um, just like taking the anxiety out of it.
• 33:42
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 33:44
  SPEAKER_03: Okay.
• 33:45
  SPEAKER_03: Do you ever separate the runner version of you versus the non-runner version of you?
• 33:52
  SPEAKER_03: Um to find that joy, if you will.
• 33:55
  SPEAKER_00: To find the joy.
• 33:56
  SPEAKER_00: Oh, extremely since being out here, um, there's a lot, a lot of more things that um have been able to fill my cup, right?
• 34:04
  SPEAKER_00: I've made a lot more friendships.
• 34:07
  SPEAKER_00: Um I don't want to, yeah, someone's gonna let this be like, I don't wanna like like Flagstaff was so small, and a part of it was my fault.
• 34:14
  SPEAKER_00: I, you know, I only saw Flagstaff as like a training camp because when I was young, I went there to train and then I moved there and my whole life was around training.
• 34:24
  SPEAKER_00: I did a very bad job with being balanced.
• 34:27
  SPEAKER_00: Um, so then when I moved out here and being injured, I found myself leaning into other things.
• 34:34
  SPEAKER_00: Um, so yeah, that's been awesome.
• 34:37
  SPEAKER_00: And uh like I said, you know, we were at the baseball game last week.
• 34:41
  SPEAKER_00: Um, I love watching sports.
• 34:42
  SPEAKER_00: So my boyfriend's a big sports fans.
• 34:44
  SPEAKER_00: We go to all the Denver sports, um, and just like doing different things that I wasn't necessarily doing when I was training full time.
• 34:54
  SPEAKER_00: And obviously, there's gonna come a time, um, hopefully here in the next few months when I am a little dialed in.
• 35:00
  SPEAKER_00: Um, yes, everything you're gonna have to plan when you can do events and have friends visit and all that, but I've been taking advantage of this time that I am not racing so that I can go and do all these things.
• 35:13
  SPEAKER_03: Gotcha.
• 35:16
  SPEAKER_03: How do you keep that joy when you do turn it up?
• 35:18
  SPEAKER_03: And it's like, hey, okay, I'm dialed in now.
• 35:20
  SPEAKER_03: I feel great.
• 35:21
  SPEAKER_03: You know, time time to go for some some races and compete.
• 35:24
  SPEAKER_03: Like, how do you keep that joy?
• 35:26
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, that's a great question.
• 35:28
  SPEAKER_00: Um, well, the joy in just like day-to-day trying to get better, get the best out of you.
• 35:32
  SPEAKER_00: I love training.
• 35:34
  SPEAKER_00: I don't ever dread, I mean, yeah, sure, some um some days other than others, like an easy run's not gonna be the most exciting thing.
• 35:41
  SPEAKER_00: But for the most part, I don't think I would have made it this far if I didn't have joy in all of the hard work.
• 35:48
  SPEAKER_00: Um, but with that being said, I take massive pride in all of my relationships.
• 35:54
  SPEAKER_00: I have so many great friendships from college.
• 35:56
  SPEAKER_00: At this point, they've all gotten married and I've done all the bachelorettes and all that, but I did not miss any of them.
• 36:02
  SPEAKER_00: And it didn't matter if I had a race the next weekend.
• 36:06
  SPEAKER_00: Um, I went to everything.
• 36:07
  SPEAKER_00: I went to every wedding.
• 36:09
  SPEAKER_00: I go home in the summer.
• 36:11
  SPEAKER_00: Um, because like that's also where I get my joy.
• 36:14
  SPEAKER_00: And if I was just out here grinding without the people I love, I don't think I would.
• 36:20
  SPEAKER_00: So um yeah, I think that that's just how that running has been joyful is because it's never been my whole life.
• 36:31
  SPEAKER_03: You mentioned the this these friendships, and I see some of them even professionally, you know, when you share on Instagram, like how important has these, you know, women, friends, and and going out been during this whole process for you.
• 36:43
  SPEAKER_00: Extremely, yeah.
• 36:44
  SPEAKER_00: So even before I um moved here, I had already known a decent amount of the runners out here.
• 36:50
  SPEAKER_00: Um, Dom Scott, I had met years ago.
• 36:52
  SPEAKER_00: So she has been so great since being out here.
• 36:56
  SPEAKER_00: And um, obviously, now that I'm just getting back into running, we haven't run as much, but we were meeting at least once or twice a week um to run and yeah, get together, do the girls' nights, do the dinners.
• 37:07
  SPEAKER_00: Um, so yes, those friendships are super important to me in and outside of running.
• 37:14
  SPEAKER_00: But honestly, even just our easy runs for an hour, 70 minutes, to have that a couple times the week is amazing.
• 37:20
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, Lindsay Flanagan is my neighbor.
• 37:22
  SPEAKER_00: I run with her a ton.
• 37:24
  SPEAKER_00: Um, so yeah, she is also been having some ups and downs with injuries.
• 37:30
  SPEAKER_00: So um, not that misery loves company, but sometimes it is nice to yeah.
• 37:37
  SPEAKER_00: So her and I have been able to just be like, yeah, this stinks, but like it's nice that we can easy run together and and be encouraging to one another.
• 37:46
  SPEAKER_00: So she's been an awesome friend during all of this.
• 37:49
  SPEAKER_00: Um so yeah, I don't take any of these friendships for granted.
• 37:53
  SPEAKER_00: And even though I think I was telling you that some some of my peers I only get to see when I'm racing, um, but there's a handful of others that have been through this entire um, yeah, I guess, hiccup with me.
• 38:09
  SPEAKER_02: I feel like I have to ask this one now.
• 38:11
  SPEAKER_03: But what helps an elite athlete when they're struggling most?
• 38:16
  SPEAKER_00: What helps an elite athlete when they're struggling most?
• 38:19
  SPEAKER_00: Well, a lot of this I I don't think it can be taught.
• 38:22
  SPEAKER_00: I think you either have it or you don't.
• 38:24
  SPEAKER_00: Um again, it's it's this like deep-rooted self-belief, but also I sense a little little girl.
• 38:32
  SPEAKER_00: I've always been like a realist, and it probably comes from my dad and my mom.
• 38:37
  SPEAKER_00: They're a little har hard, right?
• 38:39
  SPEAKER_00: Like they would East Coast.
• 38:42
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, the type of thing where, yeah, no, you don't, yeah.
• 38:46
  SPEAKER_00: It's like um you choose, like it was always like if I, you know what I mean?
• 38:50
  SPEAKER_00: Like if I was like going through my pub puberty issues, and they would just tell me, oh, well, like, you know, you choose to stay sad.
• 38:58
  SPEAKER_00: Like if you want to be happy, you can be happy.
• 39:00
  SPEAKER_00: I'm like, okay, well, there's definitely some more levels to that.
• 39:03
  SPEAKER_00: But anyways, that's just how I was raised.
• 39:06
  SPEAKER_00: But a big thing with me is is that, yes, deep-rooted self-belief, but I'm also a realist.
• 39:11
  SPEAKER_00: And um I think like even with this injury right now, and this might sound and I'm I don't know if everyone does this, but I basically, and maybe that's why I'm being so conservative, I did this PRP coming back, and I'm I'm, you know, this is this is it.
• 39:26
  SPEAKER_00: Like I did, I'm doing all this work now.
• 39:29
  SPEAKER_00: If um, you know, by the time um 2028 comes around and and things are still not firing, if I'm still don't feel like myself, then I'm done.
• 39:38
  SPEAKER_00: I'm not gonna just keep chasing this dream just because.
• 39:41
  SPEAKER_00: Um, I've always set like really hard deadlines for myself.
• 39:46
  SPEAKER_00: And I mean, it's always worked out.
• 39:48
  SPEAKER_00: When I graduated college and moved to Boston, I said, okay, one what I give myself.
• 39:53
  SPEAKER_00: I gave myself like one year.
• 39:55
  SPEAKER_00: I'm gonna run like unsponsored, I'm gonna nanny, and I'm just gonna see, I'm gonna train with these girls.
• 40:00
  SPEAKER_00: I'm gonna see if I can be a pro runner, you know, if if I can make this a living.
• 40:05
  SPEAKER_00: And if not, I'm gonna move on with my life.
• 40:07
  SPEAKER_00: Um, it tracks back all the way to high school when I was in high school, and I said, uh, I I want to go to college and do, I don't know what I want to do, but if I don't get a full scholarship for running, then I'm not gonna go to some expensive college.
• 40:22
  SPEAKER_00: I'll figure out a trade or something else that I want to do.
• 40:26
  SPEAKER_00: Um, so I've just been like, really?
• 40:28
  SPEAKER_00: And I think that like hard cut deadlines.
• 40:32
  SPEAKER_00: And honestly, that's just the way my mind works.
• 40:36
  SPEAKER_00: And um uh it's a little harsh.
• 40:38
  SPEAKER_00: I don't know if anyone would would would do well with that, but I think that pressure's good.
• 40:43
  SPEAKER_00: Um, I think that some pressure is is important, and I'm putting this pressure on myself saying, Yeah, if if you're if you're not moving like you should in X amount of time, then that's it.
• 40:56
  SPEAKER_00: Um and I think that's why I'm being so diligent with this recovery now because I've already made that timeline.
• 41:03
  SPEAKER_03: Gotcha.
• 41:04
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 41:04
  SPEAKER_03: Well, well, on that, and somewhat of a hard cut, not the full hard cut.
• 41:09
  SPEAKER_03: This fall race.
• 41:11
  SPEAKER_03: Is that the next big test for you as far as like racing and how you feel?
• 41:16
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, for sure.
• 41:16
  SPEAKER_00: I've talked to my agent about a couple races just to build back, like you know, to for like a training run to build back.
• 41:24
  SPEAKER_00: I'd love to be able to run a marathon in December.
• 41:27
  SPEAKER_00: There's a few in December um CIM and marathon projects or two.
• 41:32
  SPEAKER_00: And again, this is talking, uh this is not something that I'm just doing on my own.
• 41:37
  SPEAKER_00: Um, also with uh Dr.
• 41:39
  SPEAKER_00: Cabalas, who's done all my stuff.
• 41:41
  SPEAKER_00: Um, when I went to him and and said, Hey, will I be ready for Chicago?
• 41:45
  SPEAKER_00: He said, Don't do it, you know, and I appreciate that.
• 41:49
  SPEAKER_00: So um, and I said, What about a December marathon?
• 41:51
  SPEAKER_00: He said, I feel way more confident in that, but you're not doing workouts until September.
• 41:57
  SPEAKER_00: Um, so I appreciate these people in my corner because they're trying to get me back to 100% and they want to see me succeed.
• 42:07
  SPEAKER_00: Um, yeah, I could have gone and run a marathon this fall, I'm sure.
• 42:12
  SPEAKER_00: But what would that have been?
• 42:14
  SPEAKER_00: It would have just been a design exactly.
• 42:17
  SPEAKER_00: Um, so yeah, there's no like specific one.
• 42:21
  SPEAKER_00: Um, I just obviously I I know that there's two stateside.
• 42:25
  SPEAKER_00: It'd be great to end one feeling good.
• 42:28
  SPEAKER_00: Um, there's a few other fall races throughout the country that I could jump into.
• 42:33
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and that's kind of what we're like loosely looking at.
• 42:36
  SPEAKER_00: Um, so that's exciting.
• 42:38
  SPEAKER_00: And no, I don't think that that's gonna be like my make it or break it, but that's gonna give me momentum into 2027.
• 42:46
  SPEAKER_00: Um, because at this point, if I can get 90% fit and race those, it's just gonna jumpstart my my season next year.
• 42:56
  SPEAKER_03: What are you hoping to find or field in this fall race?
• 42:59
  SPEAKER_03: Let's say everything clicks, doctor okay's it, you sign up, agents like, okay, you're in.
• 43:05
  SPEAKER_00: Um again, just to like get into like a groove.
• 43:08
  SPEAKER_00: Like, I I mean, my PR is super light.
• 43:12
  SPEAKER_00: Um, I think just like running a PR would be awesome.
• 43:16
  SPEAKER_00: Um, but I don't even think going into a time would be important.
• 43:19
  SPEAKER_00: What I've run like 226 high.
• 43:22
  SPEAKER_00: Um, I don't think there's any sense in saying, oh, I I want to run sub 223.
• 43:27
  SPEAKER_00: I just think that there's no reason for that right now.
• 43:30
  SPEAKER_00: I think that that will a hundred percent come.
• 43:33
  SPEAKER_00: Um, but I just want to get into a race and feel like myself.
• 43:38
  SPEAKER_00: And yeah, I think that running a PR is in the marathon would be a super doable um goal for the end of the year.
• 43:48
  SPEAKER_03: How are you how excited are you about the September?
• 43:50
  SPEAKER_03: Okay, go ahead, train speed coming up.
• 43:54
  SPEAKER_00: As long as everything keeps feeling good, I'm excited, but man, so yeah, as as as long as my Body starts clicking and um uh yeah, I'll be excited to be able to kind of like just go out and let loose and not be like we talked about earlier, not like be thinking, oh, I feel my freaking leg, right?
• 44:13
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 44:14
  SPEAKER_00: Um, but over the next month, you know, like I'll start to do some strides.
• 44:18
  SPEAKER_00: I and you know, I I even my dad said, Oh, I know that every once in a while you're testing it, which means I'm running as fast as I can to see if I feel it, right?
• 44:28
  SPEAKER_00: So the last minute or two of my run, I'm I'm trying to see, oh, how fast can I go before I feel it?
• 44:33
  SPEAKER_00: Which, yeah, we're we're all a little crazy, and and that's how you actually do this sport.
• 44:40
  SPEAKER_00: You have to be a little crazy.
• 44:42
  SPEAKER_00: Um, my college coach JJ Clark, who's at Stanford now, he calls it the crazy gene and always told me that I have it.
• 44:50
  SPEAKER_00: You know, you have the crazy gene, but every great athlete has it.
• 44:53
  SPEAKER_00: So um, yeah.
• 44:57
  SPEAKER_03: So not everyone has the crazy gene, I guess, according to Yeah, yeah.
• 45:03
  SPEAKER_00: Well, you have to, I mean, to be to get to this level and you know, not be afraid to put your body in some very lot of discomfort.
• 45:14
  SPEAKER_00: You kind of have to have the crazy gene.
• 45:16
  SPEAKER_03: No, I get what you mean.
• 45:17
  SPEAKER_03: I'm I'm just talking crap at this point.
• 45:22
  SPEAKER_03: Emily, 2028 has been announced.
• 45:25
  SPEAKER_03: Date, location.
• 45:26
  SPEAKER_03: What did you think when you saw the date and location for 2028?
• 45:30
  SPEAKER_03: Olympic trial.
• 45:31
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 45:32
  SPEAKER_00: Of course, like being in such like a low, um, I just kind of like put my blinders on and I want to focus on myself.
• 45:40
  SPEAKER_00: And for me, a year, like I've always talked, we've always talked about this with my coaches, with my agent.
• 45:46
  SPEAKER_00: I want just to be firing an all cylinders a year out.
• 45:50
  SPEAKER_00: Um, so that gives me until March of 27.
• 45:53
  SPEAKER_00: Um, again, like, yeah, I I still have time, right?
• 45:58
  SPEAKER_00: With this comeback, with this injury, with being smart right now.
• 46:01
  SPEAKER_00: Um, so I think like in my head, I'm like, all right, now to March, let's do everything right, not get super, super fit and be in 222 shape.
• 46:12
  SPEAKER_00: Let's get healthy, you know, get strong, and then March of 27, it's time to go.
• 46:19
  SPEAKER_00: Um, so I think that that just it it reminded me, let's take care of the little things now.
• 46:26
  SPEAKER_03: It sounds like a yes, but does it still motivate you?
• 46:29
  SPEAKER_00: Uh the 2028?
• 46:32
  SPEAKER_00: Oh, a hundred a hundred percent.
• 46:34
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, regardless of what happens, um, you know, with everything, I definitely am committed to 2028.
• 46:44
  SPEAKER_00: Um, yeah, but again, like I said, I just want to do everything in my power to get there at my fittest and at my healthiest.
• 46:53
  SPEAKER_00: Um and yeah, I think that sometimes you have to take a step back and and look at that long-term goal.
• 47:00
  SPEAKER_00: And you can still be excited about all the little things on along the way.
• 47:03
  SPEAKER_00: Um, but yeah, I think that for me, I've run into Olympic trials already and I haven't made an Olympic team.
• 47:11
  SPEAKER_00: Um, I might never make an Olympic team, but my chances at making an Olympic team are probably the highest in 28.
• 47:19
  SPEAKER_00: Um so that motivates me the most.
• 47:22
  SPEAKER_00: I think um the past two cycles, I had the uh young and unexperienced on my side, where at 28 it's it's yeah, it's go.
• 47:32
  SPEAKER_00: It's let's see, this is the last hurrah.
• 47:34
  SPEAKER_00: Let's be all in.
• 47:36
  SPEAKER_03: All in, yeah.
• 47:37
  SPEAKER_03: How different do you think you need to be for it for two for 2028?
• 47:42
  SPEAKER_00: Um, different, uh, well, I think that having the experience will help me now.
• 47:47
  SPEAKER_00: But I I mean, again, I just it sounds bad, but like being healthy, um, it's unfortunate, but there is gonna be athletes that get hurt right leading into it and can't race.
• 48:00
  SPEAKER_00: So um in this sport, timing is everything.
• 48:05
  SPEAKER_00: And if you can be healthy heading into the trials, you're gonna be a step above somebody that's coming in, you know, not.
• 48:13
  SPEAKER_00: So um fingers crossed that that I'm that I'm uh serving my time now.
• 48:20
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah.
• 48:22
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, you never know.
• 48:23
  SPEAKER_00: But going back to like I just I'm trying to do everything to put myself in the best position to be healthy um and my fittest then.
• 48:32
  SPEAKER_03: Emily, we started with this talking about when would you feel like yourself again if right?
• 48:37
  SPEAKER_03: What do you think you appreciate later looking back at this most during this time and what happened?
• 48:44
  SPEAKER_00: I've already thought about that a lot, just to be like, oh, and I and I th of course I was like, oh, this spring it's gonna happen in one of these races.
• 48:51
  SPEAKER_00: I'm just gonna uh win and it's all gonna come back.
• 48:54
  SPEAKER_00: Well, it didn't quite.
• 48:55
  SPEAKER_00: Um but it it's gotten even down to just like being able to to go for a run and then like I was saying, like the rest of the day, like be not thinking about my hamstring.
• 49:07
  SPEAKER_00: Um, that's already giving me a lot of hope for the future.
• 49:12
  SPEAKER_00: Um, but yeah, I I think a lot of it will be able to just like we talked about running freely again.
• 49:19
  SPEAKER_00: Um, I just think I was protecting my leg uh up to this point.
• 49:24
  SPEAKER_00: Like I wasn't able to to run fast and feel smooth.
• 49:28
  SPEAKER_00: So yeah, I'm excited to just be able to like dig deep in some of these workouts when I get back.
• 49:34
  SPEAKER_00: And um, I know that I won't be fit, but if I can feel good, um that's gonna be what excites me the most.
• 49:44
  SPEAKER_03: Okay, Emily, thank you for coming on the People Run podcast.
• 49:50
  SPEAKER_03: I'm hella excited.
• 49:51
  SPEAKER_03: Uh for me, what's stuck is the hard cut.
• 49:53
  SPEAKER_03: I hope a hard cut leads to another hard cut.
• 49:56
  SPEAKER_03: We'll see, but I'm looking forward to seeing uh with the next few months and obviously next couple years here bringing racing.
• 50:02
  SPEAKER_03: But thanks for coming on the podcast.
• 50:03
  SPEAKER_03: I appreciate you.
• 50:05
  SPEAKER_00: I appreciate it.
• 50:06
  SPEAKER_00: Thank you.
• 50:06
  SPEAKER_03: This has been the People Roan Podcast.
• 50:09
  SPEAKER_03: Catch you on the next one.