Lessons from the Setbacks of Injury and Surgery aka Listen to the Universe

When I first started running, I knew nothing about it. Nothing about nutrition, strength training, injury prevention, stretching, or foam rolling. I just ran. And, predictably, I was almost always hurt. Tightness, soreness, and injuries became part of the process. In 2020, tendonitis hit my knee. I rehabbed it, only for the other knee to follow. That sidelined me for almost a year. I lost fitness. Gained weight. Felt stuck.

I’ve also battled my diet and unhealthy relationship with food over all these years. Oh - food isn’t there to manage the emotions I don’t understand, you say? I never got that memo - lol.

In 2022 I started to have abdomen pain from gallstones and needed my gall bladder removed. Another setback! Last year, in 2024, I had more setbacks—an umbilical hernia that required surgery and, what was first diagnosed as a meniscus tear, but later confirmed via MRI as adult acute Osgood-Schlatter disease.

If you’re struggling, know this: It is never too late to change. Your past does not have to define your future. There is always hope. There is a way out. And on the other side of that darkness and pain, there is a life beyond your wildest dreams.

Join or start a Recovery Road Runners Run Club! Contact Doug or Amber today!

After a challenging year—umbilical hernia surgery that left me drained more than I’d realized, family struggles that tested me emotionally more than I’d realized, and months of knee rehabilitation—I came to Jamaica searching for a reset. What I found was a resurgence.

Amber Graziano at the finish line of the San Diego 50 Mile. January 11, 2025