Tuesday, June 23, 2009

USA Championships......No Action


A strained left calf injury I suffered last week in training has forced me to withdraw from the championships this weekend.

It is responding well to treatment, but neither Brooks nor myself felt comfortable going out there and gambling on causing further damage to myself. I'm glad I get great advisement from my coach, I know a lot of other coaches would have had their athlete out there competing no matter what. We just didn't want to risk turning something like this into something chronic that could lead to a season or even worse career ending injury.

I realize that you can not be a professional when it is convenient for myself. Being a professional means that you have to make very hard decisions in terms of your career path sometimes. The pendulum doesn't always swing in your favor, it's swinging against me right now, so I will just hang on and ride it out. When things go bad, I always know that it has to come to an end at some point, kind of like when you are doing those repeat 300s at practice, can't go on forever! I know there is somebody that really needs to compete at the Nationals to secure some lanes in Europe that will not get the opportunity to because of injury. Someone always has it worse than you.

This is an unfortunate development, I was really hoping to defend my title successfully, but no one is immune to getting bit by the injury bug. Going to World Championships was the main goal for this season but I can look on the bright side, I have put myself into a position where I can attend any other meet in the world that I would like to go to and I still have the chance to accomplish other goals I have set for this season.

I will miss getting to see my favorite people at USATF, Susan, Melissa and Sandy unfortunately.

I will just sit back and heal up and get ready for the European season this summer with my first competition being in London at the end of July.

I'm really hoping Aub, Joel or Ronnie Ash can find a way to take the spot that I have left vacant for that team in Berlin.

11 comments:

Coach said...

David, I was looking forward to seeing you run:( Although practice, practice, practice can get on your nerves,things happen for a reason. Isaiah 54:17

Carla said...

Sorry to read about your injury D.O. I'm glad you chose the wiser road and are allowing yourself to heal, instead of doing further damage. I hope you get better soon!

QT said...

Distance making the heart grow fonder...imagine the welcome you will get from your fans, teammates when you get back on track ;)

Handle it like ejheat would, he has amazing faith, strength and perseverance.

My daily devotional said that the grass isn't greener on the other side, it's green where its watered. So I say be patient and slowly turn that body back into a fully functioning, well watered top of the line, lawn!

Shuoqing said...

You gone be alright big man. The most high will heal you in no time:P

Aunt Celest said...

I'm so sorry to hear about your injurty, but I'm glad to read that
your coach and you made the correct decision. Things happen for a reason even if we don't understand it at the time. I'm sure Aub and the boys will represnt you well. Just sit back
and heal. Your a wonderful person,
and a fantastic athlete. I will pray continue to pray for you.

Treasure said...

Awww D.O...I am really sorry to hear about the injury. I'll keep you in my prayers for a speedy recovery...We all wanna see you out there doing your thing; but until then just rest up and try to stay positive.

Anonymous said...

Sorry to hear that. Maybe you need someone to sroke your big..ego.. or rub your calf. Hope you get better soon.

ejheat said...

QT said it great! You are awesome QT! My Upper Room Daily Devotional today by Dolly Dickinson from North Carolina really hit home for me and you David! "Fully Ripe" was her headline for the day. Isaiah 40:27-31 really was perfect scripture for the day! Dolly summed up her devotional by saying,"If we patiently persevere,we can become less consumed with our wanting and more focused on the sweet fruit that will come in God's time!" This really helped me because of everything I am going through with my disability case and hearings! What can go wrong has gone wrong even the battery dying on the way home and me being out $140 dollars from being outside my coverage area. I can not afford to lose that kind of money and I am not going to be reimbursed by the disabilty office which really sucks! Also, the fact that I got sunburned, because I could not get cell phone coverage in the McDonalds for whatever reason and had to stand in the extreme heat and sun forever until they processed everything. I have extremely sensitive skin and now am paying for it and it sucks! Good news is that God and my Angels in Heaven got me to a safe area when my car battery went dead and that it was on the way home and not on the way up which would have caused me to miss my hearing and who knows what would have happened to my case! So much stress, but I have to use my patience,perseverance, and faith in God to trust in him to work this out in his time!
David, remember you have good health and your injury will heal! Even though this is your career right now it is still only sports! This nation has got to start realizing that sports is NOT important to what is really important in life! My sports teams that I cheer for have givin me so many championships in my lifetime including Penn State basketball, Pittsburgh Penguins and Steelers all this year! I have always been lucky when it comes to sports and my teams winning! My Lakeland Thunderbolts 2 years ago June 23, 2007 won championship! I was a part of everyone of those home games being at them all including championship in Florence, South Carolina 2 years ago yesterday. Then ownership folded after championship! My high school in North Hills of Pittsburgh was mythical national champions in football in 1988 of my Junior year. When I moved to Lakeland in 2004 Lakeland Dreadnaught football team won 3 consecutive high school state championships including mythycal national champions twice in 2004-05 and won state record 54 consecutive games. My Florida Marlins won 2 World Series since I lived in Florida incuding that March 22 spring training no hitter this year here in Lakeland vs Tigers I was at! I could go on an on about my luck with my sports teams. It's unbelievable! Most people will never be this lucky when it comes to their sports teams! I WOULD TRADE IT ALL IN FOR GOOD HEALTH!!!! All those sports championships are ONLY TEMPORARY AND DON'T CHANGE MY HEALTH SITUATION! WIN OR LOSE I AM GOING TO HAVE THE SAME PROBLEMS WHEN I WAKE UP EVERYDAY! MY FAITH IN GOD AND HAVING THE #1 CHAMPIONSHIP OF BEING SAVED BY MY LORD AND SAVIOR JESUS CHRIST IS WHAT TRUELY MATTERS AND LASTS FOREVER INTO ETERNITY! ALL THE SPORTS CHAMPIONSHIPS IN INDIVIDUAL OR TEAM SPORTS MEANS ABSOLUTELY NOTHING WITHOUT JESUS! Now that I went off on my EJHEAT Soapbox I will finish with some comic relief!
I put your Aflac EJHEAT championship rollaway bed in my EJHEAT layaway garage until next year! The ducks will really be quacked up, anxious, and eager to quack you on to victory at the Nationals next year. The ducks will quack the D.O. championship theme song with half their beautiful duck bodies on and off the bed! Aub, Joel,and Ronnie have a chance to get the quack quack quack Aflac EJHEAT rollaway beds and the good news is that they will save 15% on their Geico quack rollaway bed insurance by qualifying and representing the team in Berlin! Your blog father has spoken! That is the bottom line because me and Holy, Holy, Holy Coach E said so!!!!

Eric

Lady1082 said...

David, sorry to read about your injury. I am just happy you didn't try to participate and gamble with making your injury much worst. Continue doing what you have to do to recover and get back to 100% so we can see you hit the hurdles in July.

*When you get a chance, check your fb messages.*

Anonymous said...

wow bruh - definitely unfortunate, but you sound extremely balanced and seem to have a healty perspective about the reality of it all. So that is great. In due time, you will be back at it. Get well!

Michael

R.I.P. MJ!

Aunt Celest said...

Hey David,
My grand-son Justin Dyer who is a great fan of yours is running this Wednesday at 8:00AM the 800mm
run and the 1500mm at 9:00AM on Thrusday. I know you practice there, but don't know if your planning to attend the meet. If so, it would mean the world to Justin if you could stop by and cheer him on. He only 9, but you are such an inspiration to him. My neice Bianca Stewart a high jumper from Georgia Tech was so disappointed when she didn't see you at the Oregon meet. She said your name was on the roster meet, but you weren't there. I told her you had a strained left calf injury and you most likely wouldn't make it, but she was so excited about you possibly being at the same meet as you that she wasn't listening to me. It was Bianca and Justin who turn me on to you, but when I met you and Aub at Penn they were right about you. Both you and Aub were so humble, polite, and kind. The way you both carried yourself is the way I want my two athlete to carry themselves. If you can make it I would truly appreciate it. If you can't make it, I'll understand and I'll still be your number one fan. I'm just a grand-mother trying to make my grand-son day special since I can't afford to be there with him. Just seeing and talking to you would make him run his personal best I'm sure. He runs for Team East Orange
Thanks,
Aunt Celest