A moment that changed me: I broke my foot and took up a sport that led to stratospheric success

"I couldn't pinpoint the exact moment that I broke my foot. The injury didn't seem like a big deal at first, because stress fractures sneak up on you. It just hurt, and wouldn't stop hurting, except while running. Maybe because running was the only time I felt good about myself. But in the end the pain intruded there, too. I ran on stubbornly, with a limp."

"I had run every single day for nearly 10 years and I loved it. I tried to find the words to explain, to say that this rest was just not possible, but I was too embarrassed. It was a minor injury by clinical standards and self-inflicted, too. But afterwards, in the corridor, I cried. I couldn't have known then, in 2002, that those eight weeks would take me from cross-country runner mediocrity (because, despite my obsessive training, I wasn't fast) to an Olympic podium."

I couldn't pinpoint the exact moment I broke my foot, and the stress fracture initially seemed minor. Running had been the daily anchor for nearly ten years, and enforced eight weeks of no running provoked denial, depression and bargaining. Swimming offered some relief but felt confined and unsatisfying, so cycling became the chosen cross-training. Cycling required borrowing an oversized road bike and daily dedication, but became frustrating because of weather, traffic, mechanical issues, expensive equipment and saddle discomfort. Despite counting the days until running resumed, the enforced cycling routine marked a pivotal shift in training and perspective.

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