From Frozen Falls to A Bruised Kneecap: A Lesson in Resilience

Six months ago, on the coldest day of the year, January 17th, I found myself on a winter hike at Hayden Run Falls. The falls had frozen over, and I was out there to capture the beauty of the frozen waterfall with my camera. There’s a wooden boardwalk that takes you right up to the 30-foot falls, but for me, that wasn’t enough. I wanted to get up close and personal, so I jumped off the boardwalk and made my way over the frozen rocks and water to the base of the falls.

It was zero degrees, but I was having a great time, taking photos and videos of the beautiful, frozen waterfall. As I started to make my way back, I had to step over a boulder that was three feet high and four feet wide. I’d climbed over it to get to the base of the falls, so I thought nothing of it. But this time, as I stepped up onto the boulder with my right foot, I slipped on the icy surface. All my weight, along with my tripod and camera backpack, came crashing down on my left kneecap. The pain was immediate and intense—unlike anything I’d ever felt before.

I knew right away that it was bad. But I also knew I had to get up while my adrenaline was still pumping. I managed to climb back onto the boardwalk and hobbled the .3 miles back to the parking lot. The car ride home was excruciating. My knee had swollen to the size of a softball, and it was bloody and badly cut up from the rock. I knew this was going to be a real problem.

At the time, I had just started the 75 Hard challenge, a transformative mental toughness program that requires six daily commitments for 75 days. I knew I wouldn’t be able to complete the challenge because of my injury, and that was a tough pill to swallow. I should have been more careful, moved slower, and been more cautious around the frozen rocks and water.

Three weeks later, the swelling had gone down, and I had a little more mobility in my left knee, but I was nowhere near where I hoped to be. I had been off my feet, resting and trying to recover. I decided to get an x-ray to rule out any serious damage. The x-ray came back negative, which was a relief, but I was told I had badly bruised my kneecap. According to a physical therapist, a bruised kneecap can take anywhere from three months to two years to fully recover.

Here I am, six months later, and I’m still not fully recovered. I still feel a slight, annoying pain in my left knee now and then. I’m not able to run long distances without pain, but I can walk, walk on an incline, and even jump rope without any issues. I’m back to doing body-weighted leg exercises and self-rehabbing my knee with strengthening exercises. Every few weeks, I notice slight improvements, but it’s been a slow recovery process. Not knowing when I’ll be back to 100% has been incredibly frustrating.

Growing up, I was lucky to have never dealt with major injuries. Sure, I had a few here and there, but they all had a clear timeframe for recovery. This injury has been different. I started the new year with the goal of completing 75 Hard, which entails two workouts a day, one of which has to be outside. I was running outside every day in January for my outdoor workout, but that all stopped after my fall. I was disappointed, upset, and mad that I couldn’t go through with it. I also had a goal to run a half-marathon this year, but sitting here six months after the injury, I don’t think that’s going to happen.

You don’t realize how important your health is until you lose it, even in a minor way. A minor cold is an inconvenience, but a badly bruised kneecap has been a major annoyance and inconvenience. The statement, "You never realize the value of something until it’s gone," is so true. I’ve learned to appreciate the little things in life because they add up to being big pieces of the puzzle when you need them.

Despite the challenges, I know I have to stay positive. Being negative in this situation, or any situation, only makes it worse. You can only control what you can control, and in this case, I can control my attitude and my belief that I will continue to get better through rehab, recovery, and time. It’s just going to take time. I will continue my workouts to the best of my abilities, with or without my left knee being 100%. I will continue grinding toward my other goals for the year. Maybe running a half-marathon and completing 75 Hard weren’t in my cards for 2024, but I’m not going to let that stop me from accomplishing everything else.

You have one life to live, so appreciate the small things along the way. They add up to big pieces of the puzzle when you need them the most.