healing

In late September, BAMRbassador Aimee Bouchard had a scary crash during the bike portion of Ironman Maryland.

Already 75 miles into her 112-mile ride, Bouchard blacked out—possibly due the heat of the day or a reaction from the jellyfish stings she sustained during the swim—and came to on the ground. A fellow competitor, who just so happened to be an orthopedic nurse, stopped to tend to her and called for help.

After being rushed to the ER, Bouchard received word that she had a broken clavicle on her left side and a broken wrist on her right side. Devastating news to anyone—especially an Ironman triathlete—Bouchard stayed focused on being grateful that the injuries weren’t worse. “I didn’t have any head trauma, nothing was wrong with my legs, I could get out of bed and take lots of walks,” she says of those early days in the hospital. “But at the same time, being active is such a part of my identity, so it was hard not to feel sorry for myself.”

Now two months removed from her accident, Bouchard is healing, and optimistic that better days—and better races—are ahead. “I know that wasn’t my last race and I’ll set another goal and get back out there, “ she says.

If you’re struggling with an injury of any kind, Bouchard feels your pain. Here are three strategies that have helped her heal.

Strategy #1: Get Back Out There: Despite the fact that she couldn’t run, Bouchard stuck to her plans of participating in the Hartford Marathon. But instead of pacing the 5-hour time group, she volunteered along the course. “I called the race director and asked what I could do,” she says. “It was a good chance to get out there, see my friends, and feel like I was part of it even if I wasn’t running.”

Strategy #2: Eat Well: After her crash, Bouchard focused on nourishing her body with healthy food. “I am vegan, so I am big into plants and veggies anyway, but it was important for me to eat right so that I had more energy,” she says. And, she did a bunch of research on bone health, increasing her calcium, B12 and iron intake to stimulate healing in her clavicle and wrist.

healing

Strategy #3: Focus on the here-and-now: Bouchard had big plans ahead (a spring marathon and another long-distance triathlon, for starters). But she has learned that looking too far ahead can be frustrating as she is still unsure of when she can return to training. “I try to focus on what I can do today, not next spring,” she says. “Maybe it is a walk, or physical therapy, or the fact that I feel a little stronger than before. Otherwise, thinking about what I am possibly missing out on can get all too overwhelming.”