Justin Littleman loves to race hard, here he is taking on Division 1 XC champ Marcus Wheeler in the 1600m at the Husky Invite. Arizona Milesplit Photo.
Editors Note: I am going to try and cover a few stories I feel are exceptionally inspiring from across the state. I am open to nominations and even submissions, though will not guarantee publication.
Most of us will never has the misfortune of suffering through a major back injury. Even fewer of us will be forced to have major surgery for that injury. Even fewer of us yet will return to the same level of activity that we had before the injury. Justin Littleman fits in that very small group of people. In fact, he hasn't just returned to the same level of activity he has surpassed all expectations in doing so. Coming back to run even faster than her was before his injury is no small feat.
Back in high school many of us ignored much of what our weight lifting instructors warned us about. I recall pondering what bad thing could possibly come if I didn't do certain lifts exactly correct? Well, for something small like bicep curls the damage may not be that bad. For most, tendonitis or for a klutz, like myself, a broken toe. The more complex lifts are a different story, especially the Olympics lifts. For something like a deadlift it could be life altering.
Justin suffered his back injury while performing dead lifts in gym class. During his lifting exercises he slipped and his vertebrate cracked. The cracked in turn caused part of his bone to chip off. If part of your back bone floating around in your body doesn't sound bad enough, the bone chip lodged in his spinal nerve between his L4 and L5 vertebrates. “I felt horrible," recounted Justin on his immediate reaction to the injury. I am not doctor, but I think it is safe to say that is an understatement from a very tough man. Just the thought sounds agonizing.
Runners tend to be very tough and resilient people. One has to be part masochist in order to run more than a mile at a time in Arizona 9 months out of the year. Justin is one of those people. His teammates tell me he is a tough kid. They noted that Justin the last to slack during a hard workout. Justin didn't want to let this injury get in the way of his running career. In fact, Justin begged and pleaded with his coach to run in the state cross country meet later that week.
Not knowing the full extent of what had happened, Coach Mac Lane allowed Justin to compete. While hindsight is always 20/20 Coach Lane told me that “We shouldn't have let him runner. He wanted to make a go of it, so I let him. He finished way back." It was then they started to realize that this gym class injury could be something very, very serious.
Doctors' appointments and meeting with surgeons were a major part of Justin's life over the next few months. It wasn't until March that they decided to actually perform the surgery. After the surgery, Justin was on strict orders not to run. Telling a kid as motivated as Justin not to run is almost like telling the Colorado River not to flow. After seeing his teammates compete at the state track meet that May Justin got fired up and told coach that he wanted to run, even against doctors' orders. “I was worried for him," Coach Lane explained, “I didn't know if we would get him back."
That summer Justin chose to run on his own almost entirely. He preferred to run at different times than the team would practice at. This was of some concern to the coaching staff. Justin's personality is a little bit of an all or nothing type, a special strain of stubbornness that runs in many runners. Justin recounted only being able to jog for a couple minutes at a time when he first started back up. As a sophomore he raced 2 miles in under 10 minutes. Now even running ten minutes was an achievement he had to get back to. “I felt really sore, I was aching the next day," Justin said of his first couple days back jogging. This did not dissuade him. Each day he got a little healthier and stronger.
When his coaches first saw his progress they were very pleased. “I was like 'Holy Cow!!' We are actually going to get Justin back," recalled Coach Lane. This spring Justin is back in full force. He runs every day, but now with the doctor's approval. Currently his hard work out days are a little “hit or miss" according to Coach Lane. Instead of sit ups after practice Justin prefers flutter kicks. All in all the adjustments Coach Lane has to make to accommodate Justin are relatively minor. More importantly though Justin is healthy.
As track fans may be noticing this spring Justin has put up some strong times for the Page Sand Devils. In fact Justin has college coaches calling on him. While an official decision has not yet been made where he will be running next year, it will be in a collegiate singlet. It is scary to think what a 9:45 sophomore could have turned into without missing a year. Justin doesn't allow himself to think about the what ifs though. “Its feels great just to be running," he said, “I feel stronger than I did before, and I feel like I am ready to peak this year. It just feel awesome to be able to be out here."
That's just it. Most of us don't realize how blessed we are to be healthy and running. Justin Littlemen, while he is only 18 years old is a living, walking, talking, running proof of this. He is also a fantastic example of what a little determination can do for you. If you happen to be at Mesa Community College May 8th and 9th and watching a Division 3 distance race, Justin will probably be in it. Make sure to yell a cheer of encouragement for this fine young gentlemen and never take your own health for granted.