Injuries haven't dampened

Peek-Jensen's love of running

Fri, Nov 6, 2009    to del.icio.us

SPRING LAKE — Before an outsider to the Spring Lake cross country program can appreciate what senior India Peek-Jensen has accomplished, they must first understand what she's endured.

The challenges she's faced during her four-year varsity career make any current exhausting Lakers' practice in 40-degree weather look like a piece of cake.

Peek-Jensen's patella rests too high on her right knee, which began causing her stress in her knee mid-way through her freshman year.

"It's runner's knee," Peek-Jensen explains. "It's caused a lot of pain, and then its messed up my left leg because I've had to overcompensate."

The injuries spoiled the progress of a runner that entered Spring Lake High School with so much promise and whom many expected would be a four-year state finals qualifier. She was a member of the Lakers' state finals team her freshman year in 2006, but admits the only way she was able to compete at Michigan International Speedway was with a heavy dose of ibuprofen to ease her pain.

Click to enlarge
Remarkably, Peek-Jensen finished the Division 2 race seventh overall in 18 minutes, 29 seconds, which to this day is her personal best.

"Really, I probably shouldn't have run with the injuries I had, especially the reoccurring ones. But I've had a great support system. The guys at Shoreline (Sport & Spine in Spring Lake) have been great."

She also raves about her orthopedist, someone a high school athlete probably shouldn't know on a first-name basis. But Peek-Jensen's leg and knee issues began to intensity throughout her sophomore and junior seasons, forcing her to miss large chunks of both the cross country and track seasons. When she did try to compete in cross country, she often struggled to middle-of-the-pack finishes, a harsh realization that her body wasn't allowing her to compete.

"I think a lot of people don't realize the behind the scenes stuff that she's gone through," Spring Lake girls cross coach Aaron Andres said. "A lot of the time, most would just say, 'OK, I'm done. It's not worth it.' India wouldn't let that happen."

"It was really difficult. In a way I felt like I was letting the team down," Peek-Jensen added, who gained an interest in running at an early age from her parents, mother Kim, and father Lars, a former runner at Michigan Tech. "I'd still be training, but it would be a different kind. I'd be in the pool, or doing other things to deal with (the injuries). But everyone has always been really supportive. That's just the way this team is."

Remarkably, Peek-Jensen began running pain free during track season last spring, and it's continued throughout the fall.

"I have no clue why...But I did pray a whole lot," she said with a laugh. "Maybe it's God's way of saying, 'Hey, I'm letting you finish out your senior year with no issues whatsoever.'"

A pain-free Peek-Jensen translates simply to one of the most talented runners in West Michigan. She capped her senior season with an individual first-place showing at the final Lakes Eight Jamboree on Spring Lake's school grounds on Oct. 20, when the Lakers also captured the league title.

Then, on Oct. 31, in soggy, slippery conditions in Grand Rapids, she led her team to another memorable milestone, as the Lakers placed third in the Division 2 regional, good for a state finals berth. Peek-Jensen was a stellar fourth overall among the field of 97 runners.

"As a team, it's so exciting to be going back to state," she said. "Especially as seniors. We made it when we were freshmen and now to go back, it's really come full circle."

Peek-Jensen will be joined at the Brooklyn speedway by teammates Hannah Nyboer, Rosie Seitz, Halle Billinghurst, Emma Gilbertson, Marissa Hintz and Georgiana Klem. Regardless of how the Lakers finish on Saturday, Peek-Jensen already feels like she's accomplished something special.

"I think the fact that I'm still able to say that I love doing this is what I'll cherish the most," she said. "Just dealing with injuries and the fact now I'm so much healthier not only physically, but also emotionally and mentally, it just makes everything a lot easier.

"I've worked through all of that to do something I'm very passionate about. It's neat. It's been an amazing experience."