In the eighth grade, I decided to go for a run on the boardwalk one day, and that was the start of my running career. From that day forward I knew that running was going to be my new hobby and sport. I continued to run everyday on the boardwalk until track season started that year. I fell in love with track, and I trained for high school cross country and track. My freshman year I ran a great season, but it ended with an injury. I was diagnosed with a stress fracture in my fibula. After recovering from that I was diagnosed with another stress fracture that kept me from running my whole senior year. 
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I have learned that many bone injuries are due to a lack of Vitamin D, but that was not the case with me. I wanted to know more about why I was constantly getting injured as a female runner. Therefore, I read the article called “Fat intake and injury in female runners” from the Journal of the International society of Sports Nutrition.
This article talked about an experiment they performed. They looked at runners who had lower extremity injuries. These runners had significantly lower fat intakes versus those who did not run. This lower fat intake was not fully able to provide the body with the sufficient nutrients it needed to function. Therefore, the body was struggling to keep the bones healthy. Most of the injuries recorded were over use injuries as well.
From this article, I could already tell that I was mistreating my body. I was so worried about consuming the “right” foods, that I was not providing my body with enough fat. I could have consumed healthier fats like almonds, avocados, peanut butter, and soy milk. The body needs calories to run. When I was not providing my body with enough calories, my body was struggling to function. That is why I was having so many overuse injuries.
Now that I am still running, I have been trying to eat healthier while still providing my body with the proper nutrients it need. I have been allowing myself to eat three meals a day with around 65 grams of healthy fats. I eat a lot of almonds, and grilled chicken is a staple in my diet. I also have realized that there should be a variance in your diet. There should be no “never” foods in your diet, but healthy foods should be a primary option.
I have also learned to listen to my body. It is important to listen to every ache that you feel. Pain in your bones happens for a reason. You can not just take a pain realizer and keep pushing forward. The next time I have pain, I will be going to the doctor to get an MRI or and x-ray. I have also learned a lot about my body as I have grown up, and I have learned a lot from articles like “Fat intake and injury in female runners.” I believe that it is important to learn from yourself and from outside sources.
Gerlach E K, Burton W H, Dorn M J, Leddy J J, Horvath J P: Fat intake and injury in female runners. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition 2008. 8 April 2015.