History of back pain
Isabelle has a history of back pain.
The kind that would make most people cancel their runs. She didn't.
She kept lacing up and going out the door. But the pattern wore on her.
Back tightening up mid-run. Calves locking. Half a mile in and she was already running a checklist on her own body.
That's why she reached out. She wanted a plan that meant she could stop bracing for the next flare.
Yesterday she ran a 10K.
Not finished it. PR'd it. Her fastest race yet.
She didn't have to stop running while we worked together.
She didn't switch to a different sport.
She didn't wait until her back was "100%" before pushing harder.
The plan she'd been following had her training around the issue instead of through it. That's what kept the loop going.
That old plan treated her body like glass. Run easy. Don't load. Don't push. Stretch and hope.
Quite frankly, that keeps you safe the way a parked car is safe.
Nothing breaks because nothing moves.
So we built her something different. We loaded the tissue that needed loading. We gave her capacity instead of asking her to avoid it.
We trained her like a runner who happened to have a history, instead of someone whose history disqualified her from being one.
8 weeks later she crossed the finish line in a time she didn't think her body could still hit.
8 weeks ago she was bracing for the next flare. Yesterday she set a PR.
Same body. Different plan.
Gabe
P.S. Isabelle's plan has a name. It's called Rebuild™. If you want to see what it would look like for your case, start here:
