Emily Infeld Nike Bowerman Track Club

(listen to Emily’s full audio below)

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Hey, David, I’m sorry that this has taken me a while to get back to you, but I am just now looking at the questions. So the first one reflection of how that season race trials moment felt and meant to you. So looking back at that picture, it had been a little bit of a rough year. I was coming off of a really good 2015 and had a good indoor season. I ran 15 flat indoors, which was my fastest 5k time.

At that point, but then got a stress fracture in my lesser trochanter in March. I still tried to run USA indoors in hopes of qualifying for worlds and the race just did not go well. I then got an MRI and found out I had stress fracture. So then I was pretty devastated. It kind of felt like all I could see my dreams slipping away and thought there was no chance I would be able to make that Olympic team. So then to go from that feeling of so low to then making the Olympic team in the 10K, I just felt speechless.

I was so excited, so happy, just so many emotions. I just couldn’t believe it. And seeing a dream that I had dreamed since I was probably about eight years old come true was just incredible. I felt like super shaky. And just still looking back at that, I think I just couldn’t stop smiling. And my eyes were just so wide and so excited that all that hard work and belief had paid off in that moment.

What’s happened since then?

So since then, I have run 31:20 in the 10K in the 2017 world championships.

And that was a pretty slow tactical race that I ended up sixth, which I was pretty happy about.

And then I’ve run 14:51 indoors this year in the 5K.

Before things kind of shut down. Got to get a good race then.

I also have had hip surgery and I’ve had two new stress fractures kind of before and after surgery, just compensation stuff, I think that finally I ended up having surgery. It was a pretty long layoff and it’s been a long build back. Most of my 2018 I at the start was one the U.S. Cross Country Championships. And then soon after that happened in February, I really didn’t have consistent training that whole rest of the year. I was kind of chasing symptoms and ended up with a tibia stress fracture and the foot stuff that I ended up finally getting some MRI’s on my hips and realized I needed to get hip surgery.

I had I knew I had a liberal tear on my right side, but had a new labral tear on my left side and some significant cartilage damage. So, New Year’s Eve 2018, I got hip surgery and then most of 2019 was recovery and kind of just that building back. So I was looking forward to 2020.

I felt like I was making improvements kind of every week I was able to run 14:51 indoors. Pretty incredible. Meet with our gals, Karissa the breaking the American record, as well as Shelby and Colleen and Vanessa running 14:48, Courtney running 15:02, Gwen running 15:10. It was an amazing meet all around. So I think we were all excited looking forward to the outdoor track season. Unfortunately, that didn’t happen. So now I’m to my now goals and mood.

Right now I’m taking some time off of running.

I have been going for about 13 months, which is the longest I think I’ve gone.

I don’t know as long as I can remember it without really a break. Just since I was coming off of surgery, I started training at the end of this spring last year and didn’t take a break in the fall like everyone else, just because I was doing some fall road racing and was planning on just building from my fall to winter and then spring track. And I think it just finally got to the point that all their stress right now with the unknowns and quarantine and my body, I was kind of just pushing it through, knowing it was an Olympic year and trying to just keep building fitness.

But I had some compensation staff that I’ve been battling with that luckily I haven’t been sidelined for too long or had to take too much time off from this last year. But I want to just make sure I’m as healthy as I can be going into next year, the Olympic year. And now that there are no races on the calendar, I’m just taking time to deal with those compensation issues and kind of minor injuries that I’ve been kind of just trying to push through this last year. And it’s tough. I think my mood has been different based on the day. I feel a little more relaxed now knowing that I’m taking a little break and just taking a reset that it was a little stressful, I think, for a while. And we weren’t sure what was happening, racing wise and with Olympics and I think knowing that the Olympics were postponed, I think let everyone breathe a little bit of fresh air.

But then hoping that we would have some racing in the summer and that we could still hit standards. And I think once that changed, I kind of we I felt a little bit deflated that I we were working really hard.

I was putting in some really intense workouts and then knowing I wouldn’t be able to capitalize on it was definitely like a low blow and made me a bit frustrated.

And instead I just tried to kind of continue on with the plan. And then I think once all that, we kind of find out there won’t be any racing this summer and probably not nothing until late fall.

I’ve been having some tendonosis/tendinitis issues and it was starting to pull on a bone in my hips. So I decided to shut it down and just kind of take my break now and then we’ll start to build up again. Back with the group in the fall. As long as that’s all OK. And we’re kind of backing a little bit more of normalcy. But I’m trying to just appreciate the slowing down and appreciate time with Max, my fiancee now, which also we got engaged kind of right at the start of quarantine, which was really fun.

It was I mean, not ideal that we couldn’t celebrate with all our friends, but it’s just so nice having him here. And I feel so thankful for him every day. I feel like without I don’t know what I’d be doing if I was quarantined without him.

So I feel really lucky to have him.

And then what would you tell yourself to the you of 2016 with everything you know now?

I mean, I would tell myself to just to enjoy those moments.

I think I did a good job that year of really enjoying that moment. But at the same time, I think I got a little too disappointed with my 2016 Olympic performance. And I’ve tried to change my training and up my mileage.

And I think I in my head, looking back, I am very proud of myself for making that Olympic team. But coming off of that stress fracture in March, it just was pretty emotional and I think took a huge toll on me more than I even acknowledged and going into the Olympics. I felt a little in over my head. My training had been a little disjointed and I was pretty down on myself after that performance.

But looking back, I feel nothing but proud of myself for how I was able to handle that year, especially with the ups and downs of the spring.

And I got a little too antsy and I think probably a little too greedy and tried to up my miles a ton in 2017 and finally backed off. And because I backed off, I was able to run well, make the world championship team. And then in 2018, I think I ran into that same issue of trying to do a little bit too much for me and trying to just push through thinking that I needed to do more. And I keep learning that same lesson, but just reminding myself that I’m different and that everyone is different.

Everyone’s training that they need is different to be their best self. So just to remind myself of that and to not make those comparisons, but just be the best me and that’s something that I feel like I try to work on constantly.

And I try to remind myself, but looking back at me, then that’s something I would definitely say. But to just keep enjoying those moments, the special moments, and be thankful for all that you have around you. And I’m I’m really thankful that I was able to have that moment. This is obviously a tough year with the postponement of the Olympics happening. But I know that next year is going to be incredible. And I’m just excited to work hard and try to get another shot at making another Olympic team.

So let me know what you think.

I’m sorry about this being so late to David, but hope you’re doing well.

All the best. Take care.