When faced with an injury halfway through training for her first race, Robson Store educator, Cayley, made the  decision to listen to her body and be a stand for the 7500 other runners who would need her support that day.

sign me up!

When I first heard about the SeaWheeze, I just knew it was something I had to be a part of. I’d never been a runner before but if there was one race out there to inspire me to lace up my shoes and hit the trails, it was this one. I signed up without really thinking about what I was committing myself to (21.1 is about 16 more kilometers than I’d ever run before) but I had caught a serious case of FOMO (fear of missing out) and there seemed to be only one cure.

Of course, after hitting that “register” button, I had all the reasons not to run, catch up to me – I’d never been in a race before (read: I’d never run regularly before at all) and I had no idea how to train for a half marathon. Lucky for me, I was invited to be a part of a special training group with Mike Porter, one of our amazing ambassadors at the Robson store. For three months, each of the five runners in the group would be receiving a weekly training program tailored to their run experience and their goals, as well as coaching, advice and support from Mike.

from 0 to 21.1 12k

I hit my training hard and fast; within just a few weeks I was running distances that I had never thought were possible for me. When I finished my first ever 12km run, I had such a sense of pride and accomplishment. After that moment, heading out for my runs was no longer a chore. So when I started to get a sharp pain in my left knee on one of my runs I started to get a little worried – running was something I had just started to enjoy and I wasn’t ready to give it up yet.

bottom line: listen to your body

When I told Mike about what I was feeling, the support I got from him was incredible. He sent me videos of exercises to try, kept me accountable to spinning as my cross-training so I didn’t lose fitness and recommended several different clinics for me to visit. Over the month of June, I saw a physiotherapist and a registered massage therapist more regularly than I saw some of my friends but the progress I was making was pretty slow. After a month off of running, I had a tough decision to make – I desperately wanted to run the SeaWheeze (especially after I’d convinced my sister and one of my best friends to run it with me) but I was still feeling that sharp pain in my leg and time to properly train was running out. I held off until the last possible minute but eventually recognized that I needed to give my body the time it needed to heal (which I’m still working on) without the pressure of a deadline.

this is my SeaWheeze

Once I made the decision to not run the SeaWheeze, my FOMO started to flare up again – I didn’t want to miss out on a weekend that I’d been looking forward to since I’d signed up in January. I stayed involved with the race through the Robson store and I was beyond excited to be at the Vancouver Convention Center on August 11th to cheer on the start and finish of the race. Once I had made my tough decision, I channeled my training efforts from running a half marathon to prepping for 7500 enthusiastic high fives.

i’ll runcouver again

I may not have been able to run in the main event this year but I certainly didn’t miss out. I learned a lot from my SeaWheeze experience – what I’m capable of and how to listen to and take care of my body. I know that I accomplished a huge goal by just learning to enjoy heading out for a jog, which is something that I’ll have forever. At the moment I’m focused on getting my knee in a good spot so that I can runcouver my favorite trails again soon. SeaWheeze 2013, here I come!

 It takes a lot to recognize when your body needs a break – and even more to overcome your own ego when faced with a setback. We think those who can’t run should cheer (or get involved in the race in some other way). How have you reacted in the past in the face of injury?