See Jane Run – Patient of the Month

There is a theory that people don’t always help others as a selfless act but rather for the selfish motivation of feeling good about themselves. When I treat my patients, I generally don’t believe this to be true, except with maybe Jane. At the end of our sessions she thanks me and pays me but I often feel it should be the other way around. Jane is witty, interesting and my favourite part, a truly responsible patient. She has modestly allowed me to gush about her so others struggling with injury might be inspired by her story and adopt some of the healthy lifestyle choices that have contributed to her enormous success.

The above picture was taken at the end of the Dubai marathon last week. Dubai was Jane’s 91st marathon in her quest to run 100 marathons. She had hoped to run Dubai last year but was struck by a car which seriously derailed her training. This year, three weeks before the marathon, she came to me after tweaking her knee, concerned that Dubai may need to be cancelled yet again. I would love to tell you that I worked a miracle but the truth is that Jane’s ability to see the big picture and to incorporate my advice diligently is ultimately what made the difference.

One of the biggest mistake that clients make is pushing too hard too soon. This is even more so true when a goal or event is on the line. The risk in this strategy is that a small acute injury can become a chronic nagging injury that potentially affects long term athletic performance. Jane made the right decision in scaling back on her training (let’s face it, when you’ve run 90 marathons, your fitness likely isn’t an issue) and listening to her body. The payoff was that her knee responded beautifully and Dubai is now checked off the list.

Congratulations Jane! Thank you for letting me be part of your journey.