Included below is an expert from my recently published book, Out and Back, a Runner’s Story of Survival Against All Odds. Here I describe the exact moment in my recovery, where I realize we are all united by struggle, something that gave me the courage to keep fighting my own battle.

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I’m an athlete who’s quite familiar with struggle, injuries and setbacks. You can say it’s part of the job description of being a professional athlete. But, throughout my recoveries and periods of physical rebuilding, the most valuable thing I learned was that I was never alone. I was never alone in struggle, or in the way I felt. Someone had been there before me, and will be there after me. I took refuge in the fact that although my circumstances are unique - as are everyone else’s – the emotions that follow are familiar and shared. We are all collectively drawn close in this fact, that struggle – no matter what form it come in – is universal – and knowing that give me the strength to keep fighting and showing up, no matter what life throws my way.

Hillary Allen is an endurance athlete specializing in Ultra marathon distance trail running. She prefers steep and technical terrain earning her the nickname the "Hillygoat." Based in Colorado where she grew up, Hillary is also a coach, teacher and author of Out and Back, a runner's story of survival against all odds. She's earned course records and wins all over the world racing 50km all the way up to 145km, and although running is her specialty, Hillary has also picked up gravel bike racing.

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We are all fighting something. Do you ever wonder if you are alone in struggling? Do you ever wonder if you are the only one who experiences grief, pain or loss in the way that you do, or over the same things you do? I often wondered that, especially when it came to sport and dealing with injury. The pain, sense of loss and grief that came when I couldn’t play outside or spend time catching up with my friends over a ride or run, cut me deeply. I felt less-than, isolated, not like myself and completely consumed with my thoughts on recovery and when I’d be recovered from my injuries. I think a lot of us experience these feelings, and of course, this doesn’t just happen in time of injuries. And although each experience is individual and our own, there is overlap and opportunity for a shared understanding that we are all united through our individual experiences – through struggle.

2260mm Arquitectes has 2 projects published in our site, focused on: Educational architecture, Residential architecture, Refurbishment.