2 | Ultrarunner/Obstacle Course Racer Amelia Boone: Carving a New Path Post-Injury

Amelia Boone is an ultrarunner, four-time world champion obstacle course racer, and full-time attorney. She was dominating the OCR scene and training for the Western States Endurance Run—a 100-mile race she describes as “the superbowl of ultramarathons—when she developed a stress fracture in her femur.

That was challenging enough, but not long after recovering from that injury, Amelia had a second setback—a sacral stress fracture. In the end, she was sidelined from running for nearly a year, and didn’t race for 18 months.

Amelia joined us today to discuss:

-How she’s come to view her injuries as useful experiences and how they changed her relationship with running

-The stages of grief she went through when she learned about her initial fracture, including denial, anger, and finally, acceptance

-The loss of identity that occurred when she couldn’t run, and how she coped

-Why writing has been so important to her throughout the recovery process

-How she overcame some internal resistance and began actively volunteering and participating in the community while injured: “staying involved in the sport and seeing other people's’ joy and learning to hold that as my own”

-Her resistance to the phrase “comeback,” and why she thinks it’s important not to try to recreate the past

-What it felt like to have a second serious diagnosis so soon after her return to running

-The shame and “self-flagellation” that go along with overuse injuries, and how vulnerability has powered her through those difficult emotions

-Why being upset about injury is really just a sign of how dedicated an athlete you are and how much you love your sport

-The top pieces of advice she gives injured athletes, including giving yourself time to grieve, knowing when cross-training is detrimental instead of helpful, and being your own advocate with doctors and other health care providers

 

Resources/links we mention:

-Amelia’s blog

=Her social media pages: Instagram and Twitter

Thanks for listening, and please reach out anytime at [email protected] with questions, guest suggestions, or other feedback.

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