Power Woman Nadja Svahn fights her way back
Nadja Svahn holds a passion for running. To meet other people and to get the awesome feeling of endorphins after the workout session is the best motivator. But her focus last years have been on getting fully recovered after a foot surgery.
"It's been just over two years since my foot surgery and I can finally run a little longer. I still feel it sometimes, so it's important to continue to be patient and listen to my body so that I don't rush too quickly and suffer an overload injury in my foot. Right now I'm training for Göteborgsvarvet and have no time goals this year but will enjoy the fact that I can run again. I will enjoy the crowds and the atmosphere. The hope for the future is to continue to step up the training and later this year it would be fun to challenge some personal bests!"
As a teenager, Nadja never liked running due to her, even though she loved to train in general. But in adulthood, Nadja found running as an effective form of exercise that fits in the life puzzle. After reaching the dream limit of 10K under 50 minutes she joined a running group. Besides being in an encouraging community, Nadja made great progress.
“All of a sudden, I also started believing in myself and not putting limits on what I am capable of. If the Sub 50 was not impossible, then the Sub 45 could not be either, a fantastic feeling which also helped me to dare to take on new challenges professionally. ”
But there at the top, a pain in the foot was the indicator of a serious injury and surgery was the only solution to be able to continue running. After 6 weeks in plaster, Nadja gradually started to learn to walk again. As the foot got better, Nadja increased the amount of strength training and after 6 months she finally got to take the first staggering running steps again.
Nadja has followed a 10-week running program and feels hopeful again even though it has its ups and downs. What drives her to continue to fight is to again experience the feeling that nothing is impossible and to come back to the running community!
“To keep my motivation up, I have during the trip been inspired by other runners, both in the wonderful runner group, but also on Instagram. Being able to be inspired and inspire others is a motivation in itself to not give up and to show that it is possible to fully come back!"
Nadja's 3 best tips for those who want to start running after an injury
- Be patient and document all progress, small and large, so that you can later go back and see progress over time.
- Get help from a physiotherapist with experience of your injury and trust the process! A healing and rehab process after an injury is not linear, but there are periods when it feels heavier because the latter feels better again.
- Do not give up! Set up a clear goal picture with intermediate goals to check off along the way. Do not be so hard on yourself but allow yourself to break down sometimes and come on!
What is a Power Woman for you?
A Power Woman is someone who is proud of her own achievement and inspires others to believe in themselves and to be proud of their own achievements.
Nadja's favorite garment from Power Woman
My favorite item right now is Run Hot Shorts which are not only stylish, but stay perfect in place during the entire running session. Many shorts have a tendency to give chafing on the inside of the thighs, but these fit fantastically well and I feel really strong when I run in them.
Instagram: @nadjasvahn