A season-ending sickness after a year of waiting
What was expected to be the best track season of her career was cut short by an unexpected illness.
Martina Sell, a junior on the women’s cross country and track and field teams at Lehigh University, has dealt with a great deal of adversity this past year.
After losing two seasons of competition to the coronavirus pandemic, she had high hopes for her outdoor track and field season.
Sell is a distance runner and steeplechaser who has devoted 10 years of her life to the sport. Throughout quarantine, Sell did all the right things to put her in position for the next opportunity to race, whenever that time would come. She hurdled in her backyard, fit in runs on busy days and never skipped a lift. The hope of having a chance to eventually compete was the only thing driving her forward.
Fast forward to the spring 2021 track season. Sell felt fitter than ever and was thrilled about how her training was coming together. She was filled with confidence and excitement. As an upperclassman, it was finally her time to prove herself.
All of a sudden, things took a turn with her training. She was struggling in workouts and couldn’t push herself in races. She knew something was wrong.
Sell’s coach quickly pulled her from racing. A blood test came back positive for mononucleosis.
Mononucleosis, commonly referred to as “mono,” is an infection that causes fever and fatigue and typically lasts for a month. The recovery requires a lot of sleep and restricts people from exercising, which is enough to end any season on the spot. This illness is an athlete’s nightmare.
After training alone for a year with such an unsure future, it was devastating for Sell to have her season cut short once she finally got the chance to compete.
Sell has learned a lot throughout the year and has pushed herself to new levels both physically and mentally, even though she may not have any results to prove it. Her perspective on her situation says a lot about her mental toughness and her dedication to the sport.
Looking toward next year, Sell is optimistic and working to bring her confidence back up. She knows she has enough time until her first cross country race to get back to a fitness level that will carry her to success.
