Quit Running (Almost)

I was done with running, but it wasn’t done with me.

The journey has not been easy. For some reason shin splints fell in love with me for the first two years of collegial running. I tried strengthening drills to break  up with them, but I failed. I tried heel raise, toe raise and I used all the resistance exercise bands available in the trainers’ room. No matter what I did the shin splints never got the memo that I did not want them.  

After suffering from shin splints for two years,  I had forgotten how it feels to run pain free. Pain had become normality in my runs. I could not tell how I was supposed to feel when running. It hurt physically but even worse pain emotionally. I knew that the pain was preventing me to be the best I could be. My dream of running with teammates was non-existent.  Everyday spent on the elliptical felt like the suffering would never end. It hurt. It  hurt so bad that I wanted to quit. At the beginning of summer 2012 I had drafted an email to the coaches informing them that I was done with running.

My second season running with the Norse, we started saying chants before racing. These were the chants I learned in my Swazi high schools. We would say these chants to motivate our teams, regardless of the sport. They were mainly chanted during track and field, and football (soccer) matches. Even though I could not share my running with the team, the chants filled that gap. They gave me a reason to be part of the LCXC family and continue with therapy in the trainer’s room. My favorite chant was the one we did the last two seasons of cross country. It went like this -

Leading the chant:  Niyabesaba na!

    (Do you fear them)  

Respondents:  Hhayi asibesabi siyabafuna!

(Hell No! we do not, we want them)

The chant invaded my head after drafting my “Quit Running” e-mail and I could not stop saying it. I started saying it on every run. I would still take some days off and spend quality time with the elliptical. When the XC season began, I taught it to the team and we had great time racing. Of course I paid the price on the following mornings for racing on shin splints but it was worth every single centimeter I raced during the weekend.

Today, I use the same chant to energize my run as I dance to climb a hill or think about the 26 or even 50 miles that lie ahead of me in a race.

My First ultra race - Deadman Peaks 50miler Trail Run

Morning Incentive. Beautiful Sunrise

Seeking a Lifestyle of Health

It was the beginning of May 2010 and I had made one of the biggest decisions in my life. I had decided to attend a medium sized college in Iowa, Luther College. I liked the blue and white colors. Go NORSE!  I knew that Luther was located in a small town called Decorah and it had good academic standing.  Despite my limited knowledge of the place, I knew that my life was about to change.

Having made the decision, I had to figure out how I can stay physically active. On top of the list was football (soccer) and volleyball. I wanted something that I had to do everyday regardless of how busy my schedule would be. My reasoning was that I had to force myself to be disciplined otherwise I would be very unhealthy. As for football, I would need proper gear which I thought  would cost me a fortune. I decided against football. On the contrary,  Volleyball gear was cheap. All I would need is a pair of old sneakers; however,  Luther has no men collegial Volleyball  team. I could have organized a team, but taking the time for that is a pain in the ass. All I wanted to do was a collegial sport and I was not aware that in the USA cross country is a collegial sport.

After ruling out VB and football, I decided to visit LC athletics page. I was drawn to the blue and white, manly men in shorts shorts with long hair and beards running through what seemed to be a small forest. The more I looked through the pictures, the more interested I became. Before I knew it I had submitted an application form to be part of the Luther’s Cross Country team. This is when running was properly introduced to my life.

Running became my sport. It made sense to me. I can do it anywhere alone or with anyone who is interested. 

At LC, I always had at least one amazing person to ran with, and that was more than enough to keep me going, even during hard times.