The past year has been plagued with injuries for Victoria Jackson, but she is not going to let that bring her down. If anyone knows how to make a comeback, it’s her. November was a down month for Jackson, 25, while she recovered from her latest stress fracture. She has recently suffered stress fractures in her ankle and metatarsal, as well as chronic plantar fasciitis. She said her injuries are caused by overcompensation due to biomechanical issues. Jackson also admitted that she tends to try to run through injuries. “I keep running on things when I’m hurt,” she said. Jackson is now trying to stay healthy. She currently trains with former Arizona State University runner, Lisa Galaviz, in Tempe, Ariz. Jackson married her fiancé, Mike Cyelbar, November 10. She said she especially enjoyed reuniting with her out-of-state friends and family at the wedding. Before moving to Arizona to attend graduate school at ASU, Jackson went to high school in Lake Forrest, Ill. In 1999, she was second at the Footlocker National Cross Country meet and the state champion in the 3200-meter run. She then went to the University of North Carolina, where she competed in cross country and track for two years. Why did she stop running? Despite all of Jackson’s apparent athletic success, she was dangerously ill. Since the age of 9, Jackson battled anorexia nervosa. Unfortunately eating disorders are prominent in the sport of distance running, where women (and men) risk their health to be thinner and faster. However, Jackson said running did not cause her eating disorder. She said she started running before she developed anorexia. “I’ve always loved to run, “Jackson explained. “My anorexia wasn’t primarily due to running.”
Picture of Victoria Jackson at the 2007 PAC 10 Championships, Picture by Imageofsport.ocm
What was the reason? While the exact cause of anorexia nervosa is unknown, most experts agree that it is a combination of genetic, emotional and social triggers. Jackson said her Type A, perfectionist personality and need to please were mostly to blame for her depression. “Anorexia and depression go hand in hand,” she described. Jackson advised that anyone who may be suffering with depression and/or an eating disorder take a step back and reevaluate your life. It is a difficult disease to battle, but ultimately it is up to the individual to recover. However, it also affects the victim’s loved ones. A lot of people who do not fully understand eating disorders do not know how to help even though they desperately want to. Jackson said the best thing family and friends can do is support the person and show him or her how much you love them. At times when she was feeling especially down, Jackson said she wished someone would have been there to give her a big hug and tell her she was a good person and that everything would be okay. Jackson thanks her UNC coach, Michael Whittlesey, for giving her a medical release. “It was very selfless of him,” she said. During her junior and senior years at UNC, Jackson worked to eventually conquer her anorexia. She also focused more attention on her studies. She graduated from UNC in 2004 with a degree in History. “I fell in love with academia,” Jackson said. Her affection for academics led her to graduate school at ASU, where she began a PhD History program. She wanted to run again, but she was not familiar with ASU. “I didn’t know much about ASU’s program,” she described. After meeting the coaches and team, Jackson said she realized that ASU had an excellent training program and decided to join. “The program caters more to true distance runners,” Jackson said was what she liked about it. Amazingly, she came back better than ever. The best race of her career was at the 2006 NCAA Outdoor National Track and Field Championships, in Sacramento, Calif. Jackson was the 10000-meter National Champion with a PR time of 32:54.72. Two weeks later, she placed fifth in the 10000-meter run at the USA Track and Field Championships. Since her NCAA performance, Jackson decided to put her graduate studies on hold and pursue professional running. Her current goal is to qualify for the Olympic Track and Field Trials in Eugene. Ultimately, Jackson said she hopes to have a long, healthy, fun career. While her athletic career is her main priority right now, Jackson said she plans to finish her graduate studies. She said she eventually wants to work in the academic, social or athletic field. Jackson mentioned that she is especially interested in working in athletic administration for a governing body, such as the NCAA, so she can focus on race and gender issues like Title IX. Whenever Jackson has negative or sad thoughts, running helps clear her mind and relieve stress. If girls know that running can be a healthy, fun and sociable activity, more will participate. “Running is just one element of living a healthy lifestyle,” Jackson said. For more information on eating disorders, visit www.something-fishy.org *Photo from www.fast-women.com