Madison Jones Saltillo High On Returning From Injury

Madison Jones, Saltillo High wrote this at the request of the MileSplit Mississippi Editor to help other athletes that have to overcome injuries.

I could almost hear the collective sigh of relief from runners across Mississippi when it was announced that we would get to have a season despite COVID-19. This summer was definitely my hardest summer of training yet, and that coupled with the fact that it would be my last chance to run for Saltillo definitely had me anxious for the announcement. Not unlike every person reading this, 2020 met me with some unexpected challenges, and I was so excited to be back into something that felt normal. Just before Track season was officially canceled, I went to the doctor for knee pain I had been feeling since December but (very intelligently) ignored, hoping it would just disappear. I was told my IT band needed to be released and was sent into surgery the next day. (The decision to close non-essential surgeries was also made on the day I had surgery effective immediately-so I barely squeaked by.)

After recovery and a prompt return to running, I got to get in some pretty solid training before school started. Everything seemed to be coming together until about a week before our first race. I felt some very distinct pain below my right knee and had definitely learned my lesson to pay attention to it. Almost convinced I had a stress fracture, I got an MRI and waited for the news. The next morning we found that I did have a stress injury...but it hadn't fractured yet, just simply a reaction to the pounding I had done over the summer. Innocently I celebrated, hoping it would be a two-week fix. In the meantime. I decided to get to know the 80 dollar stationary bike we have at home. Knowing a bike workout has to be hard to be effective, I found classes online that incorporated hills and sprints and did them daily. 30 minutes in the morning, 20 at night, a long 45-minute session, I kept it varied and was told to prioritize recovery (sleep, nutrition, vitamins,etc.) and physical therapy as much as any workout I was doing. I coupled that with the swim workouts my team does and eventually added in rowing.

My attitude initially was optimistic, but as every week passed I got a little more worried and a little more frustrated. This culminated the week of my home meet. I had a better grasp of the fact that my time was running out, and my team was running the best we ever had!! I was super excited to see them kill it, but really wished I could be back and pull my weight again for the team. This was around week 3 of my recovery, and I will be honest and say I was not the best role model for how to handle opposition at this point. I was on edge, stressed, and a pain to be around the last few weeks. That is when I learned the most. I was able to get a birds-eye view of my career and realize it was super important for me to listen to the right voices as a developing athlete. One night, while I was sitting on my bike doing an online spin class, I was replaying a track race I was disappointed within my head. I replayed the night before and that morning, and I realized that my confidence level during the race was tanked because of poor self-talk on the starting line. This is simple and people preach it all of the time, but I just remember saying "I didn't make the move--because of that?!" I realized then that for a long time I operated out of my lack of confidence, instead of reality. I decided to set my eyes a little higher and take more risks, understanding that I had more to give.

Injury is not fun, but it has taught me SO much more than running could and unexpectedly gave me the confidence I needed to come back stronger. I became the most focused I've ever been in my career. I got to stand on the sidelines and gain perspective, which caused me to constantly whisper to myself "Madison-especially in 2020- its super first world to be so upset over not racing." This injury has changed my perspective and allowed for the end of the season to be the most enjoyable and intense season ever.