OVERCOME INJURY
SARAH ROWELL, a former Olympic marathon runner and now lover of walking, running and climbing in the mountains, explains why suffering a serious injury doesn’t have to stop your hillwalking adventures. Check out her book: Trail and Mountain Running
As a child I was pretty active, frequently going up things, and not always without damage.
Going into my 20s and as my running career took off (2hrs 28mins 6secs for the marathon and later a silver medal at the World Mountain Running Championships),
I became risk averse to any chance of injury.
Of course, running injuries and falls were frequent, but climbing, canoeing, skiing and anything else I had dabbled in before became a serious no-no. Fast-forward a good few years and stepping away from a serious competitive running focus meant re-engaging with my other risky loves, especially as it became increasingly clear to me that, while I will always be a runner, it is being in the hills and mountains that make me really come alive; whether running, walking, scrambling, climbing or skiing. Truth be told, if I had to choose between running on a treadmill or walking in the hills, it would be no contest – the hills would win!
Unfortunately, this has come with an increased injury risk, and as I write this I’ve spent the winter lockdown rehabbing from a second ACL ligament repair. On the plus side I’m not missing normal (COVID-19 cancelled) activities, the downside being
I’m unable to get into a gym, meaning more ingenuity is needed in designing rehab exercises, and more dedication from me to do them.
Some may wonder at my sanity, given my age is now much nearer starting with a
6 than a 5, but I am stubborn and I have definitely not finished with biggish mountains. They’re where I get my greatest enjoyment and buzz.
I had my first ACL repair after a skiing accident, putting the repaired knee to good use getting to the top of both the Matterhorn and Eiger in recent years (thanks to guide Ben Bradford at Vertical Frontiers), and I had further trips planned before a second ski fall plus COVID-19 put paid to 2020 adventures. Fingers crossed I’ll be back in the hills in 2021.
“IT DIDN’T TAKE LONG FOR ME TO REALISE I WAS IN A MENTAL BATTLE JUST AS MUCH AS A PHYSICAL ONE. RECOVERY WAS GOING TO BE DOWN TO REMAINING POSITIVE AND NOT GIVING IN, RATHER THAN ANY MIRACLE CURE”
ED JACKSON, QUADRIPLEGIC & FORMER RUGBY PRO