I thought I was going well through COVID19, but then perhaps I wasn’t really. At the end of our lockdowns (in QLD), I came out with an injury. Another big set-back. Another round of ‘Katie, not again.’ I was close to retiring.
Then it was conversations with my Guide Bri Silk and coach Dan Atkins that had me turn it around, and it wasn’t easy. I knew deep down, I couldn’t end it on that note. There’s more I want to give back to my team. I’m grateful for their support and the team we have. I haven’t run now for months. Running is what I love because as runners know, it’s free, literally.
While I still have sight, my vision is becoming more tunnelled. It’s like a slow motion movie with someone turning the lights down.
And my hearing? Well without what I call my ‘ears’ my hearing aids, I am almost at the point of silence. It’s very quiet.
Every run I do (which is always confined to a road or laps of a park), my senses do come alive. I feel the sun on my face, I see the vastAustralian bright blue sky and the contrast of the green in the trees – it is bliss.
In a sense, the light is turning back on in that I feel everything is heightened. Losing my eyesight has intensified my gratitude for every moment. Losing senses almost heightens your awareness of stillness, and there's solitude in that.
I did this video for Hoka One One Australia about 2 months ago, right before I got injured. The irony of the timing. Then after seeing my Physio Rick yesterday, I thought now was the time to post it. Rick confirmed that tomorrow, after months of rehab I am taking my first steps back to running.
The road to Tokyo. 388 days to go. 388 days to cherish.
To Dan and Bri, thank you. And to Leah Gilbert, my counsellor and performance mentor - thank you.
