About Me:
My name is Jason Godfrey, I am an Orthopedic and Sports physical therapist in the greater Seattle area and fellow runner. I practice at an Outpatient Physical Therapy clinic in Seattle called Vida Integrated Health with a specialty in running related injuries. I have been practicing physical therapy for over 15 years and you can say I have seen all sorts of injuries and conditions come through the clinic. With runners, it is always the same question, when can I get back to my running again?! But have you ever stopped and considered what is the driving factor behind your run?
I have been into athletics my whole life. Soccer was my main sport growing up in Southern California, playing on a year-round club team in the San Gabriel Valley. The competition, comradery, the discipline is what drove me to the sport and let’s face it, it was a lot of fun! When I got to college at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, I was still playing intramural soccer with friends, but that same passion wasn’t there. I wanted to do more and test myself in other ways. I started to take up running in college. At the time it was more for exercise and to make room for the beers I was going to drink the upcoming weekend (let’s face it, I was in college). What I found is that I really loved to go out for a run. With the stress of academics and college life, I found a mental and physical release, the “runner’s high” if you will and I was drawn to it. I would much rather go out for a run with my MP3 player (it was early 2000’s) and lose myself for a few miles. When finished, I would feel mentally stronger and full of energy.
In physical therapy school at the University of Southern California (Fight On!), I read the book, “The Ultramarathon Man” by Dean Karnazes. This book motivated me to sign up for my first race. It sure wasn’t going to be an ultramarathon. You would think that maybe I should have started with a 10k or ½ marathon, but no, I signed up for the San Diego Rock and Roll marathon. Was I nuts? How was I going to train and be a full-time grad student? But I did. Now granted, my training wasn’t the best, as school was quite rigorous, but any time I was able to go on a training run, that “runners high” really helped me focus. At the marathon, I would like to say that I ran the race of my life and qualified for Boston, but that would be far from the truth. Also, I am not the fastest runner in the world. In fact, I would say I’m more on the slower steadier end (that’s why I played full back in soccer and not striker). I was doing fairly well initially until the dreaded 20 mile “hit the wall” came. Holy crap that knocked me on my ass! I was able to finish, but I had to walk/jog (if you can call it jogging) is what got me there. The whole time I kept thinking, I’m never doing this again, running is not for me, running is dumb, this sucks! Pretty much every thought that goes through one’s mind when they hit the wall. However, when I crossed the finish line, I thought “When is my next run?!”
It took me some time to recover from the marathon. That first week I was getting around like a zombie from the Walking Dead. After about a week off, I got back to running again. Now I was close to graduation and ready to start my new life as a practicing Physical Therapist, so I did not sign up for any races at the time. I took a job at my old stomping grounds in San Luis Obispo CA, at the same orthopedic practice that I worked at as an Aide in college. I loved it and I loved living in SLO! My first couple years of practice were very busy. I completed an 18-month Orthopedic Residency program while working full time and obtained my APTA (American Physical Therapy Association) Board recognized Orthopedic Certification Specialty (OCS). All this time, I would still run, but more recreationally.
In 2010, I decided it was time to sign up for another race. I was building up my miles and 10k runs were becoming pretty easy. Also, San Luis Obispo is a fantastic place to run! If you ever have an opportunity to visit, I highly recommend it. That is where I went to undergraduate school, got my first PT job, but more importantly, that is where I met my wife Kate, and got married! It will always hold a special place in my heart. Now, I decided to sign up for the Los Angeles Marathon. I was from LA and they recently changed their course, starting at Dodgers Stadium (I am a huge Dodgers fan!) and finished at the Santa Monica Pier. It hit a lot of cool sites along the way too! This time, I put in much better training, however, like most runners, did vary from the plan a bit (I was still in my late 20’s and wanted to have fun!), but much better than I was during my first marathon.
Now Los Angeles is known for its sunshine and good weather! I’m sure that was everyone’s expectations who signed up. However, come race day, LA saw its worst rainstorm in 40 years. What the hell?! I remember freezing at the start with everyone huddled under the stands at Dodger Stadium trying to stay dry and warm. Now it was time to start. Of course, I was not dressed for the weather, no rain gear or anything, not that it would have mattered because it rained non-stop during the race with sections that were so windy and cold, and my gear soaked from mile 1. That day, more than 1/3 of field dropped out due to hypothermia. My parents and brother came out to watch and support, however, they huddled in a Barnes and Noble the whole race to try and stay dry. My brother, to this day, vowed he would never come out to watch another endurance event, and he sure as hell was not going to compete in a marathon! However, with how bad the weather was, I actually did not do too badly. I didn’t hit the wall and finished the race without walking (again, I am not fast). This time, after finishing, I did sign up for another marathon!
After the LA marathon, although I was sore (I just ran a marathon for crying out loud), it was not anywhere near what it was like after San Diego. I was also getting ready to start in a SLO rec soccer league. We had our first game two weeks after the LA marathon, and I was excited to play soccer again as I have not played in a league since college. I remember scoring 2 goals quickly into the game. Then it happened. I was backpedaling and the ball was kicked in front of me. I stepped back with my right foot to push forward and “POP!” I remember looking back, as I was bringing my leg forward to see who the hell just kicked me in the back of the ankle, but no one was there? I stepped down with my right foot and immediately fell to the ground. “Oh no, this is not good.” On the plus side, I am a Physical Therapist and pretty much knew what happened. On the negative side, I reached down to feel my Achilles and there it was, or maybe where it was not! There was a big divot where my Achilles should have been. I ruptured my Achilles Tendon! My first major Orthopedic Injury!
When you are used to being athletic and doing athletic things like running and playing soccer, then have that suddenly taken away from you, it is demoralizing and depressing. Now being a Physical Therapist and treating things like this every day, I knew what to expect and what I was in for, but when it is yourself, it hits a little differently. After surgery, I was in a cast for about 4 weeks before transitioning to a walking boot, but still non-weight bearing for up to 2 months. I remember the first 2 weeks after surgery, when the doctor removed my first cast to replace it, my right leg was skin and bone. I just ran the LA marathon 2.5 weeks ago! Mentally I was down on myself. It wasn’t until I forced myself to go the gym with my cast on and crutches that I started to see the positivity of the situation. If I couldn’t run or strengthening my leg, at least I can lift weights with my upper body and do core. When I transitioned to the walking boot, I started swimming and riding the bike. I loved it! That’s when I set a goal for myself to compete in my first Triathlon on my 1-year anniversary. My INSPIRATION was there and that pushed me to rehab myself and get back to running. And sure enough, I completed my first Olympic distance triathlon a year after surgery. It was the Wildflower Triathlon in Paso Robles. After that, I completed a handful more, but more importantly, I was running again and will continue to run!
Since that injury and recovery, I have developed a passion for treatment and management of patients with running related injuries. In 2012, I moved up to the Bay Area and started working at Stanford Health Care as part of their Outpatient Orthopedic and Sports Medicine Team. At Stanford, I was involved in the development and progression of Stanford’s inaugural Orthopedic Physical Therapy Residency program, where I was a clinical mentor, faculty and lecturer. I was also involved in Stanford’s RunSafe program, where I evaluated runners in regard to current injuries, injury prevention, and improved performance, while working in conjunction with Stanford’s Sports Medicine Doctors and their track and field head physician, Dr. Michael Fredrickson. I also brought this same concept with me to Seattle and started our VidaRun program. I was a guest lecture at Samuel Merritt Physical Therapy program in Oakland in their Sports Medicine class, specifically on run biomechanics, assessment, treatment and management. I was also a guest lecturer at Stanford Medical School in their foot/ankle musculoskeletal evaluation. I have also provided lectures to Seattle University Athletic Trainers on running biomechanics and assessment. Our family moved up to Washington in the Seattle Area in 2018. At my clinic, Vida Integrated Health, I see many runners of all abilities and enjoy helping them get back to their running goals and keeping their INSPIRATION for running alive. I hope I can do that with you!
