Oct 5, 2018
Emelia Gorecka is an international distance runner best known
for her running with scoliosis, a genetic spinal deformity that
causes curvature of the spine and host of gait related problems.
When she’s not training she spends time helping to promote issues
affecting female athletes. One movement she’s an ambassador for is
FitrWoman. FitrWoman aims to help women make more informed
decisions in sport using a specially developed app focusing on how
previously ‘taboo’ subjects such as periods can affect
performance.
Emelia is incredibly focused on listening to her body and what
it is telling her and I am sure she will teach you a lot about
listening to your own body and finding ways to build a support
structure around your running to help you to build resilience.
Today’s Guest
Emelia Gorecka is a 24 yr old British middle and long-distance
runner. She specializes in middle and long-distance running, racing
in 1500 meters, 3000 meters, 5000 meters and 10,000 meters, as well
as cross country running. She has congenital scoliosis, and wore a
brace in her younger years to help reduce the curvature and prevent
it from worsening.
What you will learn about:
- How she because a strong contender/runner as young as 11 yrs
old and how she has continued to achieve and not burn out. She
didn’t suffer her first injury until she was 21 yrs old.
- How having brothers taught her to make sure she got her share
of the food and sweets.
- How she has learned when she feels ill or has an injury she
asks herself why is this happening and what she can do to adjust
and learn when to pull back and how to change what she is doing is
influencing what she is feeling. How important it is to step back
vs try harder.
- How she was diagnosed at age 13 with scoliosis, when she fell
during a training session. Her back is shaped like a question mark
as her spine has rotated. After a year she was placed in a body
brace to help slow and correct the progression. She wore the brace
23 hrs a day for 3-4 yrs and could only train during that one hour
a day.
- She believes the brace helped here build her own confidence in
what she could accomplish, despite being very private in the
beginning and hiding the fact that she had to wear a brace at all.
But she learned to run well with it and learned to dare to be
different.
- How the brace did cause restrictions in her upper body and its
ability to move hr arms and back, as well as how she breathes.
- How stress fractures in her foot at age 21 caused her to learn
to focus on how her body was moving and what was causing her to
become injured. She changed coaches, changed how she viewed looking
at what shoes she should run in, and how her foot strike needed to
change. She spent the next year to year and a half working on her
mechanics.
- Why she got involved with FitrWoman and what she thinks it can
do to help other woman understand their bodies.
Inspirational Quotes:
I learned to dare to be different and still
achieve.
You do it for you, you don’t do it for anyone else. If it
doesn’t work out, I will know I have tried.
The people who inspire me are the ones I see day to day
giving it their best and working hard.
Resources:
Last week's episode with Matt Davis
Tina4Real Podcast
Running for Real Superstars Community
Support Tina through her Patreon Page
Buy a Running for Real T-shirt, Tank, or Hat
Emelia on Instagram
Emelia on Twitter
Fitr Woman
Thank you to Bombas and Bodyhealth for sponsoring this episode
of Running for Real.
Bombas socks are my favorite socks, they are so
comfortable! How amazing that they donate a pair of their socks to
a homeless shelter for every pair you purchase.
Now I am back to training, guess what was the first thing I did
to start making sure I recover quicker (as coming back to fitness
really beats your body up!), yep, you guessed it, BodyHealth
Perfect Amino! Get 10% off at Bodyhealth.comusing coupon code
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