The Comeback Chapter

Savannah Shaw reflects on her return from injury and key lessons learned

Last December, Savannah knew something was off. Not long after, she was diagnosed with a stress fracture and a herniated disc - an injury that sidelined her completely for several weeks. It was the first major setback of her career, and it brought more than just physical pain. Savannah faced the full scope of mental, emotional, logistical, and financial challenges that come with canceling race plans and getting the right medical treatment as an unsponsored pro.

Building back fitness meant starting from scratch, as this injury prevented any serious activity or cross training for over a month. Despite the long, slow, and tedious process of getting healthy again, Savannah stayed committed to making the comeback. Now, seven months later, Savannah is healthy, fit, and gearing up for the USA Championships next week!

Today, she reflects on the journey of her return to running - the difficulties, what it taught her, and how it made her stronger. Whether you’ve dealt with injury before, are facing one now, or simply dealing with uncertainty, you can draw inspiration from Savannah’s tenacity and resilience in not letting a setback define her path forward.

When you first learned you would be sidelined for a while, how did you process it? What were your initial thoughts, and was it difficult to shift your focus toward cross training and rehab?

Strangely, my first thought was relief. I felt like I was on the edge of my seat all of November trying to keep myself healthy, in December I knew something had gone too far but I tried frantically to keep my body together. By the time I got an MRI at the end of the month of December I couldn’t walk well and it felt like I was confirming something I already knew deep down. With a high grade sacral stress fracture and herniated disc, it was officially out of my hands; there’s a certain relief in letting yourself rest. And then of course I felt quite sad, for the missed races I had planned, the long comeback, and the loss of a daily routine I love so dearly. It was a wild week at the end of 2024 because I was meant to fly to Spain only about a week later to compete in a cross country race I was really excited about. The doctors told me that even getting on a plane was a bad idea. 

My first thought was (the painful realization) that the only way to get better is to completely let go, let go of my mental race schedule, let go of my fitness, let go of trying to fix myself my way, and really lean into rest. I tried to walk as little as possible, fighting any urge to try to maintain fitness the first 4 weeks of recovery.

I conveniently went home for Christmas right when this happened so I put my focus towards my family and my remote marketing job. I ended up staying in New Jersey for roughly a month and I am so so grateful for my family’s support! Between focusing on hanging out with my family and working I was able to shift my focus on things I have less time for when I’m training.

What were the most challenging moments throughout the injury and return process?

As soon as I got the MRI back I spent most of my time coordinating with insurance and sports med facilities, calling customer service to try to receive a refund on my Spain trip, and working as many hours as I could to afford the cortisone shot I needed for my back. I was hit hard with the reality that there are some distinct downfalls to being out of the NCAA; financing a major injury is not enjoyable to say the least. I also was in the midst of trying to find a new training situation and living situation for when I returned to Boulder. It was a lot. But building back from scratch brought a lot of benefits as well. 7 months later and I couldn’t be more happy and proud of the work I put in this winter to get to the place I am now. As tough as it is at the moment, showing yourself that you can keep doing challenging things is so rewarding. I’m stronger for it. 

Were there any positive moments throughout the build back? If so, what were they?

One of the first calls I made when I got my MRI back was to my friend Katie Rainsberger. She helped me get a plan into place, coordinating a cross training camp with her in Colorado Springs, and was incredibly supportive even from afar. We spent the month of February working remotely at a big table together, hot tubbing, ellipical-ing while singing to Chappell Roan (quite a workout at 6,500 ft), and playing games with her family. I will never forget her and her family’s kindness. While I was in New Jersey, my family helped me every step of the way as I navigated rehab and medical bills. My sister took me on a very beautiful and windy drive up to Rhode Island for a mini vacation- I kinda think that healed me right there. It was a sad moment learning I would be hurt for a while but there is so much more to life than running and the people I love are of peak importance. I realized many times that I wouldn’t have gotten to spend such quality time with my family or Katie if I hadn’t been injured and I am very grateful for that.

What were the biggest lessons you learned from dealing with injury?

I re-learned a big lesson in running: listen to your body. I herniated the disc in my back early December and about two weeks later I felt something crack. At the time of the crack I couldn’t figure out what had happened, many of the doctors/PTs I consulted thought that my back was flaring up again. They recommended I try to stay active cross training and walking. But even walking was painful. Initially, I tried to push through even at the protest of my body. I specifically remember coming home from aqua jogging to cry in my moms arms as I shared that I was in so much pain, the reality of the situation crashing down on me. Absolutely no shade to the doctors and PTs I spoke to, sacral stress fractures are very sneaky, but I should have listened to my body and stopped exercising in pain. I knew something was wrong but I stubbornly wanted to hold onto my fitness even when it was clear that I was not healthy.

This injury reminded me of the importance of having things to be excited about outside of running. This sport can be quite up and down at times and I find that having relationships and hobbies outside of running brings stability and a sense of happiness unrelated to running performance. This year I’ve put extra time into deepening my relationships with my family and my friends. I also started taking on private coaching clients through Hammer & Axe. Talking to athletes is one of the greatest joys and gives me an opportunity to give back to the community I love so much. Regardless of race outcomes or even if I’m injured, I have fun little dinner with friends, athletes I love to coach, and work with my marketing co-workers to look forward to each week. And frankly it makes my training better with so much joy in my life. I feel more equipped to deal with anything on and off the track that comes my way as I go after my next PR.

How are you feeling now? What’s next on the calendar?

I’ve been feeling great! I started training with Pete Julian in January and slowly but surely he’s helped me get back to hitting some spicy Vo2 workouts and my first race in June! I opened up my season with a 10k at 32:41 and I’m so excited by the progress I’m making. I have a healthy sacrum and my body is feeling good -- the time I spent doing nothing is really paying off. I truly believe the fastest way to be racing your best consistently is to get all the way healthy, no short cuts.

Up next is a 10K at the USA Track and Field Championships. From there I will head to Europe for a 5k and 3k in Belgium. Regardless of the outcome I’m fired up to run my heart out and deeply grateful for any opportunity to run fast.

HAX AT THE USA CHAMPIONSHIPS ⚒️🇺🇸

Several of our coaches will be racing at the USA Track & Field Championships in Eugene, OR next week! Here’s the schedule if you’d like to follow along:

Thursday

6:03pm - Men’s 3000m Steeplechase, 1st round (Joey Berriatua)

6:33pm - Men’s 1500m, 1st round (Austen Dalquist)

7:45pm - Women’s 10,000m (Katie Camarena, Savannah Shaw)

8:30pm - Men’s 10,000m (Anthony Camerieri)

Saturday

2:14pm - Men’s 1500m Final (TBD)

2:49pm - Men’s 3000m Steeplechase Final (TBD)

1:52pm - Men’s 5000m (Drew Hunter)

2:31pm - Women’s 5000m (Katie Camarena)

⚒️1-On-1 Coaching Testimonial ⚒️

Hear from Jack - a high school athlete working with Coach Anthony - on what he enjoys most about having a coach:

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