Sarah Nolan returns to running in new life chapter after sport medicine journey

By Michael Sun

HAMILTON, Ont. - When Sarah Nolan thinks about why she enjoys running, she thinks about running in the fall. She thinks about running when the temperature's perfect and the leaves are falling. She thinks about the calmness that comes with that – the calm sound of her footsteps. She thinks about how she could run for hours.

"You have such a calming feeling when you go for your runs," Nolan said. It's a feeling the Toronto native has experienced since she started running cross country in grade 1. She's run throughout high school and at McMaster, competing in OUA and U SPORTS championships in cross country and track and field during her five years as a Marauder.

However, Nolan's also experienced what it's like not being able to run – and coming back from that – in part thanks to the medical team at the David Braley Sport Medicine & Rehabilitation Centre.

Nolan started cross country at an early age but it wasn't until high school when she started to take it more seriously. She got into it because her older brother was also running at the time.

She joined a club and ran there. In high school, she heard about races where people competed from across the province. "I need to figure out how to get myself to that race," she said.

So, she sets a goal and works at it. She reaches it with one race coming after another. Then she realized the opportunities running brought in university. "It becomes part of your life more and more," she recalled.

The women's cross country team prepares for the 2022 OUA Cross Country Championships in London, Ont.

The women's cross country team prepares for the 2022 OUA Cross Country Championships in London, Ont.

Once she arrived at McMaster, her goals shifted from personal to team ones. She realized the goals she could achieve with her team. Nolan built bonds with her teammates. She learned important life lessons from them. Image

Not letting the negatives during a race affect her, for instance. She saw how her teammates handled situations and still found positive things from a race. It's part of her approach as well.

As Nolan progressed in her McMaster career, her mindset changed as well. She remembers in high school when a race wouldn't go well, she couldn't figure out why and at times would give up. When she arrived at McMaster, she called it a clean slate.

She didn't know who she was racing against. Nolan reflected on why she ran – why she dedicates so much time to running. "We are going to have to figure out how to get uncomfortable," she thought to herself.

Nolan focused on giving it her all when it came to running – from stretching to hydration to nutrition. She was also guided by a curiosity for how far she could push herself. She found she was able to switch her mindset into being uncomfortable.

One moment is symbolic of that. After running her first-ever McMaster race, coach Paula Schnurr was giving out awards. She gave Nolan a box of Smarties. "For Sarah, for having a smart race," Schnurr said.

Before then, Nolan didn't think of herself as a smart racer. She recalls falling apart in races and not being strategic in high school. However, this was a clean slate now.

Beforehand, Schnurr told the first-year runners to build into the race and feel like you will keep getting faster. I need to keep running faster, Nolan thought to herself. She pushed through the pain and felt herself getting faster throughout the race.

That moment resonated with her. Nolan kept the Smarties box with her for her entire first year and couldn't bring herself to eat it.

"I could have a smart race," she thought to herself. "I could be a different racer."

Over the years at McMaster, she focused on challenging herself. This is what I've chosen to do with my life, she thought. "I'm going to do everything in my power to succeed at it," she added.

Flash forward to the start of her fifth and final year. Nolan decided to come back for a fifth year. She was team captain now – the one helping and guiding her younger teammates like her former teammates had with her.

In early September however, she felt her leg start to hurt. She didn't know what was happening, and worry set in: 'I will never run cross country again', Nolan thought to herself.

Nolan assumed a stress fracture, but after X-rays, ultrasounds and bone scans, she was told she did not. Sarah Nolan XC

However, she did have a deep pain in her leg. Nolan pushes through it during the cross country season. "Because my team needs me to run and that's all I've known what to do," she said.

Her routine changed because of it though. Instead of running a lot, she spent time on the water treadmill, swimming or water running – anything but actual running to keep some semblance of fitness.

When Nolan did run, she did so in extreme pain, she says, looking for ways to compete through the injury.

She had a career-best performance at the OUA championships – 10th place in 8km – but limps home afterwards, unable to put weight on her leg. "I was in so much pain that I cried," she recalled.

Nolan runs her final McMaster race – the U SPORTS championships – in the middle of heavy rain in Halifax. She called it a miserable race where she didn't run well.

"That was probably a time where in my head, maybe I let the race get the better of me and I gave up during the race but I couldn't even walk without pain," she said.

Initially after the cross country season was over, Nolan thought she had a soft tissue injury. I just need some time off and it will get better, she thought. Three weeks pass and then four. It doesn't get better. Nolan tries to run but it gets worse.

Suddenly, she misses her final track season. She would cry every day. At times, Nolan said it felt like her world was crumbling. Her boyfriend and fellow McMaster runner Alex Drover would support her throughout, emphasizing with her and believing in her that she would run again.

And yet, after all those months, nobody could tell her what was wrong with her leg.

It reaches a point where Nolan sees two surgeons. She is told she needs surgery and that she will never run to 100 per cent of her ability ever again.

Shortly before her scheduled surgery though, she meets with Dr. Mary Chiavaras – through teammate Kansas MacKay, who tells Dr. Chiavaras about Nolan's situation.

After a three-hour appointment with Nolan, Dr. Chiavaras finds there's some nerve impingement in her lower leg and ankle. She injects her with anesthetic and suddenly – albeit for only a few hours – Nolan can jump around without pain. A moment of joy, she calls it.

So, Nolan decides to cancel the surgery and instead receives a hydro dissection on her ankle – an injection of dextrose into the nerve – which fixes some of the nerve pain but not all of it. A month later, she receives radiofrequency ablation, which burns or resets the nerve so it isn't transmitting the pain signal to her when it's not supposed to, according to Nolan.

It works. She's able to run again – without pain.

At first, she's running for two minutes and then five. She's been slowly building up her mileage up to 40 minutes nowadays. When she does run, Nolan cherishes every step. She finds herself consciously trying to be present in the moment and enjoy the run.

There are times when the pain returns – but not intense enough to stop her from running. Before seeing Dr. Chiavaras, Nolan would find herself scared of the pain and urging it to go away. Now, when she feels a couple of seconds of pain, she's yelling at her leg: "Hurt more! Show yourself pain!" She does it so she can point out to Dr. Chiavaras where it hurts and she can fix it.

Nolan said she's not scared of the pain anymore.

With her return to running comes a new chapter in her life. Nolan graduated from McMaster and is now back in Toronto, starting a new job. She is also recently coming off a vacation to Bali, Indonesia.

The trip was a chance for her to challenge herself by travelling solo. It also allowed moments when she was alone with her thoughts. She reflected on how she felt during the injury. She also reflected on the great memories as well.

She met new people – some whose lives don't revolve around running. She thought about her future goals. The trip also gave Nolan a break from running. In the past, she would spend her summers running – building mileage for the coming fall. "I needed the summer to be different," she said.

As Nolan gets back into running, some things are different as well. Before, the goal was to run more and run faster. Now, she's exercising and reaching her goals in different ways – through biking, swimming and other types of cardio.

There's also the feeling of being able to chase and reach her goals again. "There's nothing I can't achieve if I set my mind to it," she said. Image

Even with her new chapter in life and everything that's different now, one thing remains the same: the feeling and joy of running. The feeling of the perfect weather. The sound of her feet hitting the ground. Her brain wanders the perfect amount – she's conscious of what she's doing to feel pain, but not too conscious to over analyze things.

One of her favourite times of the week is long run day. She hopes to get back to it. Those days when everything feels so perfect. It will be on a different trail, in a different city and with different people now but the feeling stays the same.

The good news for Nolan? Fall is right around the corner.

Print Friendly Version

Players Mentioned

Sarah Nolan: Fifth Year; 4

Players Mentioned

Sarah Nolan
: Fifth Year; 4