Crawl Walk Run

Naturally, since this is a physical repair/overhaul/massive structural rearrangement, the bulk of my recovery and rehab efforts have been physical. The surgeries wouldn’t work unless I did my part afterwards, beginning with the crawl and then moving through the crawl walk run process.

This is how we learn as babies and is the most natural progression for learning anything new, physical or otherwise. Skipping over any step typically results in some face plants, so spending as much time as necessary on each step is important – do not rush.

Start Over. Then Do It Again.

In my case, I got to start from scratch several times through this process, learning to walk all over again after each PAO. Being a lover of movement and a lover of challenges, this was Game On! The need for all of this work may have been out of my control, but the bulk of the recovery was, and still is, within my control, so long as I adhere to the crawl walk run path.

This is the largest component of how I’ve spent the last 2.5 years so I’m going to break this into pieces over the next few days.

Goal:

To return to running, recomp my body, and rebuild to stronger than ever before. Honor this gift and get into the best shape of my life and perform at my very best. This will be achieved through process.

Process:

Steps along the way that are effective, efficient, and fun. A lot of DO. Many mini-goals and mini-challenges, large goals, short-term and long-term goals, goals that were within my control (process goals), SMART goals, silly goals, audacious goals – all related to the overarching goals listed above. Noticing and tracking, free from judgment. I’m inherently self-motivated so I’m certain I’ve never missed a day, not even on a surgery day. My process also often includes imagery. In moments when it is appropriate, I close my eyes while doing the work and imagine what I will feel and look like when this is all done, how I will be performing smoothly and effortlessly, and that each movement on the way there matters. Crawl walk run.

Motivation:

I’m motivated by gratitude for the gift. Yes, I love to move and compete, mostly with myself, but the added layer of this exceptional gift I’ve been given brings it all to a higher level outside myself.

I have a larger, guiding purpose (that I’m still defining concretely, stay tuned) that drives me. I want to show other hip and pelvis patients that they can do anything they dream of after this – even more than they ever were able to do before.

My success can bring awareness to people like me that didn’t even know this happens to people (I thought dysplasia was only a dog thing.) Perhaps this awareness can finally bring about better neonatal testing protocols so people will never have to go through any of this.

There is an infinite game here that gives my finite game grand purpose.

Enjoyment:

This has been fun for me in its own unique way. Maybe I’m weird, but I love the process and challenges. I feel like it gives me a superpower that I wouldn’t otherwise have. I’ve invented fun and entertaining challenges, made friends, gotten to laugh at myself plenty, provided myself with positive neurochemicals for daily doses of happy, and gotten to be creative. Recovery work doesn’t have to be boring!

These were/are my physical tools:

I’ll begin to dig into them tomorrow. The list may look simple but the process with each has been detailed.

Finally, I used to wear this necklace while running. While I don’t wear it these days, the thoughts are always there, front and center through everything I’ve been doing.

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