Fall Racing Series Feature: Edna Rodriguez

 Throughout our Virtual Fall Racing Series, we are featuring different athletes in our event. Today we sat down with Edna Rodriguez who is a very positive runner and role model in our area. Read her story below!  CS: Why did you sign up for the Virtual Fall Racing Series? ER: I participated in the summer team virtual races and it was a lot of fun and I love being a part of Spewak training. It is a very positive and supportive environment. It helps me stay motivated. CS: In what ways has our Team Competition and Fall Racing Series inspired your running? ER: The team competition and racing series have truly inspired me in many ways. The team competition challenges were not all based on speed. Some of them required you to guess your time. It was really fun to try to hit the mark. And of course, one of my favorite challenges was the costume contest. People were so creative. It was a blast!  I love seeing athletes of all skill levels pushing themselves. In the end, you are competing against yourself and all the effort is worth it because you end up seeing the best version of yourself. CS: You are coming off injury in 2019 and early 2020. Now we are seeing you run incredibly strong. Can you share a little more about your journey to full recovery and how it has felt to race well in this virtual racing setting? ER: I had hip surgery in February For a deformed femur head and a torn labrum. I was not able to run for several months. I was very dedicated following all the instructions from my physical therapist. It was hard. I truly missed running but I knew I had to be patient and let my body recover. I was also scared to get back out there. I felt slow and sluggish at the beginning.  But joining these racing series helped me stay motivated. I was thrilled to be able to see my runs improve. And I am truly grateful to be able to continue to run.  CS: What advice do you have for runners who are struggling mentally after coming back from injury? ER: Please don’t give up. It is devastating to not be able to run but it is temporary. If you are able to focus on your Physical Therapy, your strength will come back. All the effort you put in your recovery will pay off. It is truly an investment for the rest of your life. I listened to meditation while I walked. It helped me stay positive and full of hope that I will be able to run and race again. CS: Do you have any goals for your running in 2021? ER: I hope I can continue to coach the let me run program for middle school boys. I hope to be able to get a PR on a 5K race in 2021. And I would love to complete at least one marathon.