Prue McAuliffe, athlete
Someone once told me that succeeding in track and field is about who can stay injury free the longest. In fact, that’s probably true for any sport.
Even though track is an individual sport, it’s the team of professionals around the athlete that enables this to happen. Without injury, training can continue enabling performance to improve. An athlete’s development is dependent on the ability of that team (massage therapists, physiotherapists, coaches, Pilates instructors, dietitians etc.) to help and to ensure everyone is working towards the same goal. That is why choosing the right professionals, specific to your needs is so crucial to get the best possible results.
I made the decision to return to sprinting at the ripe old age of 27 (currently 32). Not the usual path taken by someone in their late twenties. I can tell you it’s been a rough road to get to where I am today. I have had a lot of different injuries holding me back. Even though I was doing all the right things (weekly physio, massage, Pilates, gym rehab/prehab exercises etc.) nothing seemed to keep me from getting hurt. However, I began to get better results as I began to find health professionals that had a high level of expertise, believed in me and had extremely good attention to detail.
After dislocating my knee for the 9th time in July last year I thought that my sprinting career might be coming to an end. That was until I started doing Pilates with Lisa from Core Pilates. I began to understand how to move my body as a whole unit rather than just in muscle groups. This significantly reduced the amount of pain I was getting across all areas and enabled me to continue running.
Lisa also has the expertise and experience to eliminate any pain during sessions. She does that by ever so slightly manipulating my body and giving easy to understand cues. Another really big thing for me was that I felt Lisa truly believed in me and my goals, despite the many challenges I faced. It wasn’t long before I could move without pain and gained a belief that I could continue sprinting.
Fast forward to today and I have never felt better. Sprinting is easier than ever before. My running technique has improved and has reduced the load on my body. There is no doubt in my mind (and also my physio and track coach’s mind) that the inclusion of Pilates with Lisa has had the biggest contribution to my recent progress and ability to avoid injury.
It just goes to show that anything is possible when you work with people that have the right expertise, experience and attention to detail to deliver a tailored approach. Stay tuned for more of my progress in the months to come.
Guest post by Prue McAuliffe, kindly reposted from Corepilates.com.au
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