Abigail Stephens is my vibrant 13 year old cross country and track runner. Her mother brought her in to train with me after witnessing her daughter suffer from chronic ankle pain on her right side after several sustained foot injuries. Abby’s mom, Andrea, is another one of my clients, so she personally understands the value of working with a trainer and was confident Abby would benefit.
The evaluation began the moment Abby walked in the room because her legs were so long for her frame and her movements were loose and unstable. Once I led her through some exercises and basic movement patterns, my theories were confirmed- general strength, locomotion/proprioception drills, and movements to improve pelvic stability would go a long way.
We got to work! The cool part about my job is that I can really get creative with my youth athletes. It is tough for a 12 year old to enjoy spending their Wednesday afternoon at the gym after a fairly uneventful day at school. Most of the time when my kids come in they are drowsy and lethargic and definitely not in the mood to train hard for an hour, so I get to bring the fun. Incorporating drills that require thought and effort, changing exercises into drills and/or games, setting goals for each set, and just bringing the energy that my youth athletes do not have are all really entertaining tactics I use to increase engagement. Don’t get me wrong, sometimes the session looks quite ordinary, it just depends on the athlete I’m working with and the state in which they are in when I’m with them. With Abby, I definitely had to get creative, but we had a great time and made substantial progress.
As the months passed, Abby’s ankle was no longer a complaint, and she was setting PR’s at every race. In fact, I have not heard one comment about foot or ankle pain in over a year. Watching her grow as an athlete has been so incredible to watch. She runs hard at practice and puts in extra work at home or on vacation. She stretches every evening. She keeps a training log to track sleep and nutrition the day before her running meets. She listens to her coaches (even when she’s sleepy), and I am very honored to be one of them.
Keep up all the awesome work, Abby!