53 | Skyrunner Hillary Allen: Courage and Curiosity
Release Date: 07/01/2021
The Injured Athletes Club
“ How can you let go of the injury? Sometimes when you spend a long time with a chronic injury, it shapes how you move, plan, and think about life and your body. How do you let go when the time has come?” In the seventh season of The Injured Athletes Club podcast, mental skills coach Carrie Jackson answers a question every other week about the mental side of overcoming injuries. This week, Coach Carrie delves into the complex issue posed by listener Cecile on letting go of the identity formed around a chronic injury. She points out how this attachment can make the...
info_outline 117 | Strongwoman and Author Alyssa Ages: Learning through FailureThe Injured Athletes Club
“Because I wasn't a competitive runner, I don't think I ever had to face failure in that situation … but in strength sports, when I compete, I'm doing that in front of a crowd and a judge who is just looking at me. And it's totally changed the way that I have to handle that fear of failure because it's right there in front of me. I can't escape that someone is looking directly at me and judging whether I've passed or failed. And what I've learned from that is just that it makes you, I think, a better person when you face failure in that way.” On this week’s episode of The...
info_outline 116 | Coach Carrie Answers a Question: Cassandra’s CocoonThe Injured Athletes Club
“ As someone in long-term recovery, likely 12 to 18 months before I'm running again, I've struggled a lot with the muscle loss and atrophy to the point it's causing identity struggles. I don't look or feel like an athlete anymore. My coach and I will have to literally rebuild my strength and my body. How can I cope?” In the seventh season of The Injured Athletes Club podcast, mental skills coach Carrie Jackson answers a question every other week about the mental side of overcoming injuries. This week, listener Cassandra is struggling with losing her athletic identity. Coach...
info_outline 115 | Former NCAA Basketball Player Britt Hunter: Pour Into OthersThe Injured Athletes Club
“You need to equip your young adult for how to get through it on their own. So shepherd them. Get them the tools and resources. Let them mess it up a little bit. It's natural to protect, protect, protect, and direct, direct, direct—but your child needs to explore this time on their own a little bit with the right resources and the right people around them. They're going to go through this again and again and again at different stages of their life and going through an injury at a young age, they're going to have to grow up a little bit faster. So help them, but don't control them.”...
info_outline 114 | Coach Carrie Answers a Question: Jennifer’s JunctionThe Injured Athletes Club
“ How do I walk the fine line between being independent and self-reliant in recovery—a positive—and opting to go it alone, which can be a negative? Separately, I’d love to know more about managing an injury in the context of a chronic condition. For example, I have epilepsy but seizure meds are not great for bone density. Flip side, reducing meds is good for bones but bad for the brain. Doctors can offer guidance but making the decisions is ours alone.” In the seventh season of The Injured Athletes Club podcast, mental skills coach Carrie Jackson answers a question every...
info_outline 113 | Ultrarunner Amelia Boone: The Best Days Are AheadThe Injured Athletes Club
“I would tell [Amelia of four years ago] that you may not believe it, but it's gonna get better, and recovery is possible, and honestly, your best running days are to come. And that's something that I've had to tell myself now too. I actually still do believe that, especially as we're seeing women in their 40s just blossoming in distance running.” In this episode of the Injured Athletes Club, Coach Carrie and Cindy are grateful to catch up with our first guest ever—and first repeat guest—elite ultrarunner, championship obstacle course racer, and eating disorder advocate Amelia...
info_outline 112 | Coach Carrie Answers a Question: Amy’s InquiriesThe Injured Athletes Club
“ I have a question about the mental roadblocks when you are coming back from an injury. How can you handle the sensations you feel when you return to movement and the worry whether you made it worse; the patience to progress back slowly; and the fear that you won’t ever feel 100 percent again?” In the seventh season of The Injured Athletes Club podcast, mental skills coach Carrie Jackson answers a question every other week about the mental side of overcoming injuries. This week, in response to Amy’s uncertainty about her recovery, Coach Carrie outlines various...
info_outline 111 | Ballet Dancer John Lam: Open to GrowthThe Injured Athletes Club
“Dancing on a high level is—you have to be open. You have to be open that you can get injured. You have to be open that you will have to face things that you don't want to face. Because if we are not open and instead are close-minded, we cannot grow.” In this week’s episode of The Injured Athletes Club, principal dancer at the Boston Ballet, John Lam, discusses his journey from a catastrophic injury back to the stage. He details the physical and mental struggles he encountered during his recovery, emphasizing the importance of patience, personal growth, having a...
info_outline 110 | Coach Carrie Answers a Question: Kathleen’s QuandaryThe Injured Athletes Club
“ For the athlete who doesn't have a "staff": coach, trainer, PT. How do you get emotional support and guidance on a regular basis from doctors and PT you may see one or two times a week?” In the seventh season of The Injured Athletes Club podcast, mental skills coach Carrie Jackson answers a question every other week about the mental side of overcoming injuries. This week, she discusses all the different types of support injured athletes need—and which types you can reasonably expect to get from your healthcare providers. She explains how to manage expectations in the healthcare...
info_outline 109 | NFL Quarterback Alex Smith: Small Steps, Huge DreamsThe Injured Athletes Club
“ A lot of times you're stronger than you think you are. You just keep going. You don't necessarily have to see all the way to the finish line. You just keep finding that next step.” In the seventh season of The Injured Athletes Club podcast, we—mental skills coach Carrie Jackson and journalist Cindy Kuzma—continue to delve into athletes' resilience in overcoming injuries. We kick off with a can’t-miss interview with pro quarterback Alex Smith, who shares his journey of returning to football after a severe leg injury and life-threatening infection—and then, a...
info_outline“Every day doesn't have to be perfect. But you still have to put in the work, and you still need to show up, and you still need to put that brick in. Because in my little brick house in Fort Collins, which I grew up in, all the bricks were there, even if they were cracked, and scratched. They were all there in their imperfection and they made this beautiful structure. That's honestly what kept me going on those days where I felt like I didn't want to show up to do my PT. I felt like that was the one thing that I could do, no matter how boring it was, to lay that brick for the day.
Hillary Allen’s amazing story is actually the very first one we highlight in our book Rebound. In 2017, she fell off a ridge during Norway’s Tromsø Skyrace, tumbling 150 feet to what could have been her death. Her injuries included two broken ribs and wrists, a fracture in her back, and a ruptured ligament in her foot.
She’s always written eloquently about her injury, and her compelling new book Out and Back tells the tale of her accident and recovery. On this week’s show, we delve into some of the emotional components of that incredible journey, including the importance of asking for support and how she showed up for herself on days when she didn’t know if she had it in her.
And—in a topic that’s not discussed as much, but is critical for injured athletes—she also opens up about her past with disordered eating, how fueling may have saved her life, and her advice for coping with fears about weight and nutrition during recovery.
A huge thank you to our sponsor for this episode: Fluid Running. Fluid Running makes it possible to maintain your peak physical fitness even when you're injured through the power of deep water running. Listen for a special discount code in the episode!
In this episode, we discuss:
- Her respect for the power of nature, and injuries are viewed in extreme running (5:56)
- How coming to terms with the fact that she might never compete again ultimately made her a stronger runner (14:05)
- Her “brick by brick” analogy of recovery (18:43)
- Why asking for support was so hard, and how she learned to do it anyway (23:00)
- The hardest time period of her recovery, and how she got through it (28:00)
- The power of curiosity, and why she believes it was one of the secrets to her survival (30:41)
- How grief and trauma are like waves, and how she’s learned she can withstand them (34:23)
- Her experiences with disordered eating before—and after—her injury, and why she’s so passionate about sharing them (36:39)
- Why she—like Amelia Boone—doesn’t like referring to her recovery as a “comeback” (48:11)
You can subscribe to The Injured Athletes Club on Spotify, Stitcher, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts, and if you like what you hear, please leave us a rating or a review in Apple podcasts. That helps other injured athletes find the show.
Resources/links:
- Hillary’s website and Instagram
- Her fabulous book, Out and Back: A Runner’s Story of Survival Against All Odds
To access more resources for injured athletes:
- Join The Injured Athletes Club mailing list, for news and updates
- Join The Injured Athletes Club Facebook group, for support and camaraderie
- Like The Injured Athletes Club Podcast Facebook page, for the latest episodes
- Email us at [email protected] with questions, guest suggestions, or other feedback
DISCLAIMER: This content is for educational & informational use only and & does not constitute medical advice. Do not disregard, avoid or delay obtaining medical or health related advice from your health-care professional because of something you may have heard in an episode of this podcast. You should not rely on this information as a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Please consult with a qualified medical professional for proper evaluation & treatment. Guests who speak on this podcast express their own opinions, experiences, and conclusions, and The Injured Athletes Club podcast hosts nor any company providing financial support endorses or opposes any particular treatment option discussed in the episodes of this podcast and are not responsible for any actions or inactions of listeners based on the information presented. The use of any information provided is solely at your own risk.