Dr. Alan Goldberg of Amherst, Mass., runs a practice dedicated to sports psychology. He said this about triathletes in a blog post:
"The true challenge in triathlon, marathon, cycling and open water swimming is the competition between you and the course, you and the clock, but primarily between you and your mind. Success in these endurance sports is all about your mental ability to handle the pain and fatigue of oxygen debt, about your ability to master the limits that you think you have."
Jill Walsh was training for her first half Ironman triathlon when she was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS). She was able to keep the symptoms under control with medication, but eight months before her first full Ironman, she developed a condition that is interchangeably called "foot drop" and "drop foot."
Drop foot is the inability to lift the front part of the foot. A person with drop foot, for instance, can't lift the toes when he or she walks, and the toes drag on the ground. Many people compensate by lifting their knees higher than normal when they walk or by swinging the affected leg in a wide arc.
"I kept thinking I'd get over the foot drop, but with MS, it's so uncertain that I just haven't gotten better," said Walsh. "I'm so far out from it now, that I probably won't get better."
Walsh started by getting a brace for biking and then later moved to braces for walking and running. "In the old days, it was a big plastic thing that went behind your foot. And now, it's carbon fiber and kevlar. It's light, it's a little flexible, and you can do anything you want."
As a consequence of drop foot, Walsh's calf muscle atrophied and shrank two inches in diameter. She opted for a neurostimulator called the Bioness L300, which is worn just below the knee. Every time she lifts her heel, a small electrical signal stimulates the front of her foot to lift as well.
"It forces you to use a muscle that you don't use when you're in the brace," Walsh explained.
Jill Walsh demonstrates the determination and mental toughness that are integral to success as a triathlete. As Dr. Goldberg said, "The endurance sport athlete's most formidable opponent can be found in the mirror."
Edited by
Alisen Downey
