Invictus Athlete Spotlight – Karen McCadam
Written by Nichole DeHart
We have had the fortune of working with Karen McCadam for several seasons. She started with Invictus by following our free online Competition Blog and she smashed the training. She progressed a tremendous amount before she decided to transition over to doing individualized programming, where she has made great strides in her training. She has continued to improve as an athlete and has continually proved to be a fierce competitor. I was able to chat with her about training this year, her experience at Games last year and how she dealt with a major injury.
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Tell me a little about your training this past year.
Well, after Games, I started to think about my goals and evaluate myself. I knew that after Games I needed to have surgery on my foot. So, instead of taking a break after Games, I trained really hard for a month because I knew that after surgery I would be down and out for a while. That was the first time I had to go through a major injury and be out of training for a significant amount of time.
What was your injury?
A bone spur. It happened during the Open last year. The bone spur was on the back of my heel, which was caused by skiing for so many years. It had been there for years and was asymptomatic, but right before the 2015 Open the bone spur decided to get bursitis. It was really pushing into my Achilles and causing a lot of distress in that area. The only way to fix it was to get rid of the bone spur or else my Achilles was just going to get shredded. So I trained on it thru the Open, Masters Qualifier and Games then had surgery after Games.
Editors note – Karen placed 2nd at Games in the 40-44 age division while dealing with this injury. She is amazing!
How did you train with your injury?
I just trained around it. Shockingly there is a lot you can do with your upper body that didn’t affect my heel. I got thru the competition season with anti-inflammatory drugs just to not deal with so much pain. This was a challenge because I couldn’t run or jump so I had to be mentally strong with that during my training since bounding wasn’t an option.
How did you stay motivated?
My injury actually gave me extra motivation to get back to training and get back to where I was. I was able to get close to where I was pre-injury by winter, which was great. But it was a long climb back to feeling good again with training so I used Wodapolooza as a goal. This helped keep me motivated because it gave me a date by which to be ready. I was able to get back in time for Wodapalooza and thankfully I felt ready. I was really happy I set that as a goal because it helped me stay motivated.
How did you end up doing at Wodapolooza?
I placed 2nd, which was great, but makes me want to push more because I know I can be first in the competitions I do.
I know you have training partners, how have they helped you?
Yes, I have great training partners! I am thankful for having a good training partner in Regan Huckaby, she is there for support and to keep training fun. During the winter I come down to Tahoe with my husband for the ski season and am thankful I have training partners there to push me. Their push definitely helps me stay motivated with training!
Training for Games – I did a lot of mental healing. Visualize the injury healing and that helped me a ton.
What has been the biggest challenge with training?
We had a family tragedy earlier this year and that was a big challenge. I actually used training during that time to keep me sane. It really helped me to have something to keep my routine up, it mentally helped me get through our family tragedy and it physically helped me sleep at night.
What has been your biggest success?
The fact that I have been able to qualify for Regionals every year, especially after qualifying last year when they changed the qualification process to top 20. I was super proud of that, almost more so then my trip to Games because for me it felt like a harder accomplishment. I feel very honored to have been able to make it to Regionals, especially being an older athlete.
Then my second biggest success was being at Games as a Master. Competing on a bigger playing field and handling myself well with an injury was a major accomplishment.
How do you stay focused during the Open season?
I tell my husband I am going to be really crazy for a month so he knows that I need support. That is a big help, ha! I also try to stay focused on what my goals are and not get caught up in other people’s goals. I want to be back at Games for the Masters division so I stay focused on that goal. It also helps that I just love training, it is the highlight of my day.
What would you like to see for the next Open workout?
Anything with Strict Handstand Push Ups. I want strict because I am good at them and it being strict may slow the heart rate down so I would be happy to not crush my heart for the next Open workout.
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Keep your eyes out for Karen and what she will do this year. She is an inspiration to anyone she trains with and a great example of a mature athlete who has her priorities in order. We are fortunate to work with athletes like her!