Full Swing

            As school has started for many of our area students this past week, I cannot help but reflect upon my time as a teacher.  I miss it.  I miss my classroom. I miss my fellow teachers and principal.  I miss the stress of the schedule that only an elementary school environment can produce.  I miss the reward of seeing a young child light up when something “clicks”.  I miss being a part of a greater purpose that you can only find in a school—even more so when that school becomes a part of who you are.  I am thankful for my time at The Palmetto School and wish everyone there all the best as they press forward into the 2015-16 school term.

            Charlotte Country Day School starts this Wednesday and this past week of cross-country has been a whirlwind.  This was the fourth week of official practice and we concluded the week with our first competition—a two-mile preview meet here in Charlotte yesterday.  I have been involved with running in many different facets since my surgery June 1, but this first time back at a race made me really miss what I love to do most.  This meet was small—only seven teams—but the wet grass, seeing everyone in spikes, music blaring, teammates screaming—it all brought back so many memories that helped remind me how unique our sport is.  We have a team filled with young runners, many who competed in their first official race.  Here is a short recap from our head coach Allison Brown as she highlighted the success of our team in a great way:

“We had a full, fun week, including a great course preview practice at Myers Park High School on Friday, followed by the Charlotte Running Company Mecklenburg County XC 2 Mile Preview Meet at Myers Park High School Saturday morning. For some of our runners, this was their first meet ever, and I am proud of you all! Ella Dunn, in her first ever cross country race, finished 7^th overall in the junior/senior girls race, with teammate Molly Mazeine close behind her in 11^th place. In the junior/senior boys race, Alex Domeier finished 13^th with Peter Mitchell right behind him in 15^th place. In the freshmen/sophomore boys race, Jake Morris finished 12^th, Benjamin Whetstone 15^th and Max Gilbert 17^th.

The actual distance of the course was 2.1 miles (about 3400m). The results are also posted online at http://racesonline.com/events/charlotte-running-company-cross-country-run/results/2015-xc-preview/dashboard, and I’ll have a hard copy of all the results at practice on Monday.

I’d also like to give a shout out to Country Day rising 8^th grader Sophie Spada who earned first place overall female in the open 5k at 8am with a time of 21:34.9, which is fantastic on Myers Park’s hilly course. Well done, Sophie!”

Charlotte Country Day XC Team at their first race.

Please follow our team on twitter this season @CCDSXCountry for many more promising updates as our season gets into full swing September 1.

            RunningWorks also had one of their signature races of the year on Saturday as well—The OrthoCarolina Classic 10k/5k.  RunningWorks was one of the focus charities for this event and over 1000 runners participated in one of Charlotte’s most popular summer races.  RW was charged with manning the course monitors for the event and we had several athletes compete in the 10k and 5k races on an unusually cool Saturday morning in August.  One of my “team” members, PerformanceTherapy of Charlotte, was a title sponsor for the race. Mike is truly one of the best at his trade and we at RunningWorks are forever grateful for his support.

Meredith Dolhare, Mike Danenberg, and myself at the OrthoCarolina Classic.

            Life is good. I love what I do.  Therapy is going extremely well and I may get to take my first running steps in almost four months at the end of next week. Every day, I am surrounded by runners: the people I love most are runners, those I coach are runners, and those I serve are runners. I cannot wait to feel the joy they have been experiencing again very soon. I have received many gifts in this life, but none can compare to influence and impact running has had on me.  Full-time training is on the horizon.  My body is ready. My mind is ready. And most importantly, my heart is ready to do the thing I love the most once again.

Coach Matt's New Perspective

Coach Matt explains what an interval means to Charlotte Country Day XC Team.

            Since my surgery ten weeks ago, I have had the chance to reflect upon my life in many ways.  I have been able to think about so many changes and opportunities that I have had and how life is constantly moving forward.  The funny thing about life is that is moves whether we are prepared or not, and the choices we make directly affect its turns.  I have always been a planner.  I am a person who has focused on THEIR personal plan and strived to direct MY life in the way in which I want to achieve MY personal goals.  Many of my goals have been athletic ones, as running has become a lifestyle choice that has colored essentially 100% of the decisions I have made these last eight years.  Running has opened so many doors for me and given me a road to success not only on the track but also with health, relationships and even a way to make a living for myself.  However, these last two months my mind has shifted away from running in a unique way.  Since I haven’t been able to exercise, I find myself not even thinking about running unless someone asks me about my foot and how it is doing.  I find myself not wanting to cross-train or do anything really to start building fitness.  I haven’t really exercised at all in the last three months and in a weird way feel content about that.  I haven’t given up on running—trust me—I have just invested my time in other areas and it is actually quite a relief to know that I can function outside of my own athletic performance and drive.

            I have been in Charlotte for some time now.  It seems everywhere that life has taken me I have, for some reason, been blessed with time and the ability to always be connected to other runners.  I have tried to invest myself in helping others with their running and that has brought me more joy than any personal athletic accomplishment I have ever had.  Helping people as “Coach Matt”, instead of the sub-4 minute professional miler is actually exhilarating.  Letting people get to know me for who I am instead of what I have accomplished as a runner brings a peace to my life.  Seeing people who you have helped become more intrinsically motivated and successful for themselves from using a piece of advice that you have been able to pass on creates a high for me like nothing else.  I would be nothing without the impact of other people in my life.  I would have never been fast, never gotten strong or been able to mentally handle professional level training and racing on my own.  Luckily, I am a person who respected those who have tried to help me with the highest regard and established a family with those who have sacrificed so much for me that will last my lifetime.

            RunningWorks and the Charlotte Country Day Cross Country team have been my saving graces, along with Meredith Dolhare who has helped keep my head above water at home.  She is the founder of RunningWorks but more importantly my best friend.  The main reason I have been able to stay connected to running is because of her and she has paved the way for me to be a mentor to so many people from so many walks of life.  She is the only woman who has ever reminded me of my mother—a “Kim-Possible” type of lady.  She can do anything.   She has done everything. And she will stop at nothing to get the job done.  She has challenged me to be a better person and very few people in my life outside of my immediate family have ever done that. 

My RunningWorks family touring a new program.

            Cross-country practice officially started two weeks ago and I cannot tell you how excited I am to be a part of a team again.  Training on my own and traveling to races by myself for much of my career has not been nearly as fun and rewarding as it has been to have help and support from others.  Knoxville Youth Athletics gave me a team in Tennessee along with my roommate Gabe and strength coach Greg.  Charlotte Country Day and RunningWorks will be my family here in Charlotte.  Pictured below are my new family members—the ones who will support me and who I will have the pleasure of sharing life with in this next chapter.  Malachi is a RunningWorks team member who has so much promise and potential.  Unfortunately this last week he was in a near fatal car crash shattering his hip leaving him immobile for the next three months.  Meredith and the RW team sprung directly in to action and have supported him relentlessly throughout his hospital stay and will be by his side every step of the way on his road to recovery. 

            Opportunities like the ones I will be undertaking this fall are what make my world spin on its axis.  Life is so much more than running, but my life would be nothing without it.  I want to thank In the Arena, Brooks Running and all of you who have supported me and encouraged me in my time away from the competitive side of the sport.  I have probably learned more from not running a step in over 12 weeks than I ever did running 10-12 times per week over the last three years.  I will take my first stride this month and I cannot wait to see how my perspective has changed and how much more driven I will be—to be more than I ever thought I could be.  Onwards and Upwards!

Malachi and I in the hospital in Columbia, SC.

The Highest Standard of Excellence

Meredith and support crew at entrance of Death Valley National Park

It is amazing the places running takes me. Right now, my “normal” schedule would place me in Europe racing for four weeks in the lead-up to what I had hoped would be Worlds this August. Due to the rupture in my posterior tibilias on my right foot and subsequent foot surgery to rebuild the tendon, I have found myself sidelined and seeking other interesting opportunities within the running field.

And so I find myself at the Badwater 135-mile Ultramarathon in Death Valley, California, this week—the hottest place on earth even above the Sahara Desert. This race is known widely as the “Toughest Footrace on the Planet” and is ranked #1 by National Geographic on their list of hardest events, so I jumped at the chance to take the final crew position for my good friend Meredith Dolhare.

I love to experience all aspects of running, and this is the complete opposite end of the spectrum from what I do: long, grueling, gritty, unpredictable mile-after-mile starting at night and most likely ending at night featuring some of the toughest athletes on the planet in extreme conditions. The last year Meredith was here (2013), temperatures topped out at 129 degrees with wind gusts at night up to 50mph.

Witnessing the preparations involved the past couple of days for both Meredith and the crew has been fascinating and reminds me of what it takes for visionaries like L.L. Bean and In the Arena to build products and programs to last within today’s culture. Just like an ultra-marathoner, both In the Arena and L.L. Bean take the long view and both are ready for anything thrown their way. In fact, both organizations relish helping people find the tools necessary to succeed. Preparedness is key.

That being said, I brought my Vintage L.L. Bean Puff Vest all the way to the “hottest place on the planet” this week because you never know what will happen. I will be ready when we climb from the lowest point in the continental United States in Badwater Basin to the highest point in the U.S.—the top of Mount Whitney. Why? I have L.L. Bean and In the Arena on my side. My puff vest is the only cool weather article of clothing I need for this trip and will keep me warm when Meredith reaches the top of Mt. Whitney as she finishes her race early this Thursday morning!

Meredith running the Badwater 135 in 2013 at mile 110.  She eventually climbed Mt. Whitney in the distance finishing 3rd in her inaugural run.

Embrace the Process for Progress

First Steps in in my Boot Cast using cart at Lowe's as a crutch.

“A person's ability to learn, and translate that learning into action rapidly, is the ultimate competitive advantage.”

 Jack Welch

I'll be the first to admit I have lived an incredibly blessed life; one with very little heartache, surrounded with inspiring and spiritual people. I am grateful to God for giving me gifts on many levels, and my parents for providing opportunities at every turn.

Dealing with an abrupt end to what had been a fairly good 2015 season due to a rupture in my posterior tibialis needing total reconstruction via surgery seemed like a death sentence to someone like me. I'm just being honest. I've never had a major injury requiring this kind of care, I have never been on crutches, never been in a cast and rarely taken unscheduled days off. Frankly, I have only done "performance enhancing pre-hab" in physical therapy, so this sudden change in my lifestyle left me feeling like someone stole my mojo. At first. 

As I adjust to changes out of my control on a daily basis, I begin to find myself grateful for this learning experience, and thankful my Mom instilled the mantra "attitude is everything" in my psyche. Every time I want to feel sorry for myself, I try to remember each phase of this recovery is part of my process goals for the Olympic Trials and subsequently, the dream outcome goal: Rio. 

“A good hockey player plays where the puck is. A great hockey player plays where the puck is going to be.”

 Wayne Gretzky

Sure, it would be easy to sit on my bottom right now dreaming of the 1500m Olympic Team for Rio 2016, but that is the problem with outcome goals, or even performance ones. I know what time I'll most likely have to run, and I'm certainly not there right now considering I just started walking again this week with a boot cast! Process goals, the small daily steps taken (pun intended) to reach outcome and performance markers, keep me focused on my minor successes along the way. With the extra time I have currently, I am able to really step outside myself and help the kids I coach achieve their goals, and gift my experience with causes like RunningWorks to get out of the house. 

Jared and Jacob Coccia leading the pack on their way to duel PR's in the 5k on the track.

The RunningWorks crew at the final meet of the Run For Your Life Summer Track Series.

This week, I got to lose the crutches. I'm walking better every day in my boot cast, but I had to use both crutches and the boot at first. Progress. In another ten days, I start physical therapy--this time with a vengeance and some serious time to make up. I'll be ready because I have learned to embrace this recovery period as a positive, and use it to hone my mind for the competitive year ahead.

PROGRESS

A Lesson in Recovery

Honestly, I think the past two weeks have been the most trying of my life. Days off? Ha. Weeks without movement? Please.

I like to move, shake and feel alive. Dance, do “the whip”, whatever. My doctor insisted that I sit still for once. This is not in my vocabulary, but it is what the “doctor ordered”.

So I sit still for the first time. Ever.

As I see others moving through life while I am incapacitated, I am reminded to be grateful for the things I take for granted. Being on crutches has taught me a self-suffiency that I did not realize I possessed. I’ve learned an enormous amount about myself and my ability to navigate tough situations—crutches and all. My injury is not life threatening and seems so much worse because I am an elite athlete with Olympic dreams. Those dreams are alive and well, festering in my brain as I recover.

I have a new respect for those with true catastrophic injury or illness. I’m aware my current state of fitness, which will enable me to recover quickly, and athletic ability, are a gift from God.

These past couple of weeks have been a test. I am so ready for the challenge ahead, and I trust in my faith, the support around me and all of you.

  

Season-Ending Surgery

This is the last race I will run for a few months.  Here I am pacing a few RunningWorks athletes in the final event of the Run For Your Life Summer Track Series.

I write this blog on the eve of a season-ending in surgery on my right foot.  Dr. Robert Anderson of the Foot and Ankle Institute at OrthoCarolina in Charlotte, North Carolina, will be performing the surgery and I will be going in to have the procedure at 5:30am.  This season is unfortunately over for me, and I have a wide range of emotions going through my mind.  I am relieved to know exactly what this long term problem is in my foot.  I am anxious about the outcome of surgery and what my foot will be like after rehab is over. I am curious to know what caused my injury. I am worried about the timing.  I am frustrated about the fact that I had wonderful fall and winter training and that I will not be allowed to run for three months.  I have never not been able to run for a prolonged period of time.  I am sad that I will not be able to take care of myself fully for a while. I am fearful of all of the unknowns.

With all that being said and the normalcy involved with each of these thoughts with any type of surgery, I know that I am in the best hands possible for this procedure.  I know that I have wonderful people taking care of me every day. I know that my foot will be stronger than ever before.  I am excited to see how I will perform on two good feet. I am dreaming of looking back on this experience and reflecting upon how this not only made me a better runner but tested my spirit and well-being in an incredibly positive way.  I am grateful that this experience will help me be a better coach and will give me a clearer picture of how injury is a real part of sports, and that athletes of all levels and abilities experience it. I am thankful that I am still overall very healthy and that my future will be brighter because of this procedure. There are many ways to look at this surgery and how it will affect my life.

Perhaps the most important thing I am thankful for through these changes and challenges has been the opportunity that still surrounds me.  Life can pull us in so many directions and living out my passions as a runner, teacher and coach are a blessing.  It seems that no matter where I am living, I always have the chance to share life with others through running.  This season has been the first where my entire life has revolved around what I love the most: my training and working with young children through In the Arena. Unfortunately, this surgery will put on hold my direct involvement with the professional running world of training, traveling and racing as well as the Summer Track Program offered through Knoxville Youth Athletics (KYA), which starts this week. This KYA program happens to be the largest in their lineup offering opportunities for all athletes from those who want to try track for the first time to the competitive team who will train for the National AAU Championships.  Despite my absence from Knoxville and competitive running for the next few months, I still have an opportunity to stay connected with the running community here in Charlotte as I rehab through assisting with the RunningWorks program for abused, abandoned, neglected and homeless populations of all ages.

I will have to rest and stay off of my feet for the following two weeks.  However, I can become mobile again over the next four weeks on crutches and the ensuing four weeks after that in a walking boot before I can finally run again.  Working with RunningWorks throughout my time in here in Charlotte will give me the chance to make an impact, to still give back, to gain the motivation I need to stay positive and to feel part of a greater goal and a team that I desperately need around me to succeed. This past week was the start of a summer track series hosted by local running store Run For Your Life.  This informal track meet had events for all ages and abilities ranging from the 100m dash to the 3200m run.  I had the chance to coach several of our RunningWorks team in a 4x100m relay and paced a athletes through a couple of individual events.  The pictures below tell the story of the last track meet I will run at for a while…

Teaching 4x100 handoff exchanges at the first ever track meet for each of these guys.

Mal and Nate post 3200m run after several events.

Pacing Abu to a 5:44 mile in his first long distance track race trailed by Troy who ran 6:31.

Attitude in the Midst of Adversity

“The stiffest tree is most easily cracked, while the bamboo or willow survives by bending with the wind.”— Bruce Lee

“Adversity introduces a man to himself.” – Albert Einstein

The motto for my cross-country team in high school was “Attitude is Everything.” My mother (who was my coach) was a huge proponent of instilling this principle to our team members as running can often bring out the best and worst of all of us.  As cliché as our motto was, I learned that my attitude was really the only thing I could truly control in life.  I am responsible for how I react to both the good and bad things that happen to me.  Even when I was teaching, I strived to help my students realize that they had a choice every day to come into my class and have a “good” day, and if they did not—to strive to make the right choices to get back on track and keep moving forward towards the good day that is always within reach.  I have had my fair share of good and bad days in life, as well as my share of good and bad days with running.  Adversity surrounds all of us and anyone that has ever experienced success has also experienced adversity that comes along with it. 

In 2012, I moved to Bloomington, Indiana, to train with Team Indiana Elite.  This was my first experience moving outside the state of South Carolina, and was the first opportunity I had to train with a group of athletes who had aspirations of making the USA Olympic Team.  With all of these opportunities in front of me, there were many setbacks as well as I suffered my first extensive running injury—posterior tibial tendinitis in my right foot that sidelined me for eight weeks.  This injury took a toll on me in many ways—particularly mentally, as it was a nagging inhibitor that I was able to finally train through. During each and every stride I took, I could feel the lack of response in my foot, which cost a valuable spot at the 2012 Olympic Trials.  The cause of my injury at the time was unknown, but after much reflection I realized that excessive indoor running, i.e. double the turns and banked tracks, may have caused my tendon to flare up and become the chronic issue that plagued my season. 

Upon my return to South Carolina later in the summer of 2012, I was able to further rehabilitate my foot and ankle and have had virtually no issues the entire 2013 and 2014 campaigns.  My 2014 season was the worst of my professional career, and I made many changes in my life both personally and athletically to make 2015 my better.  I moved to Knoxville, work with a new children’s organization (KYA) and train full-time with my sights set on the 2015 World Championships and the Olympics in 2016.  However, after this indoor season where I ran seven races and three indoor workouts, my foot began to bother me again.  The swelling and pain were not as severe as in 2012, but I knew something was wrong as my foot and ankle were “out of sync” and I was not running with equal force production on both sides of my body.  After my trip to Colorado and my race at Payton Jordan, I returned to Charlotte, North Carolina, to train for a few days before heading out to the USATF Hoka One One Distance Classic.  I trained on schedule for a few days and became more and more frustrated as my foot was failing to respond. 

After expressing my concern with my friend Meredith Dolhare, she was able to set up an appointment here in Charlotte with Dr. Robert Anderson at the OrthoCarolina Foot and Ankle Institute.  He has performed foot surgeries on athletes of the caliber of Aaron Rodgers, Kevin Durant and Sonya Richards-Ross.  As he examined my foot and ankle he noticed that my ankle joint was virtually immobile and was causing major stress to my posterior tibial tendon that had been swelling and causing my foot to under-perform these last few months, possibly years.  He also noted that I would need an immediate MRI and that surgery was a high possibility to correct the problem with my foot that may include joint and tendon reconstruction.

I had the MRI on my foot and ankle today and will await the results of the scan imminently.  I love running, and I love learning.  And maybe I should have had an expert examine my foot some time ago.  I refuse to discount my dreams for this season and beyond.  Adversity is always the best teacher and best motivator.  I was frustrated and down quite a bit this week but think back and realize that many, many athletes suffer injuries and setbacks because this is sports and at any level the body is taking a beating training and competing.  I know that I am meant to run and that I am meant to run fast.  I want be my best and realize also that running does not define me or my success but that it is a part of me and helps me be my best.  Onwards. Upwards.