By Pat Tintle
Staff Writer
Sports are full of passion. It takes commitment, toughness and self-discipline to participate in any sport at the college level. But sometimes that passion can be taken away from you through no fault of your own.
Senior Peter Eller of the cross country team experienced that heartbreak nearly two years ago, suffering from a posterior tibial tendon injury in his right foot.
Eller, who has been running since sixth grade, suffered his injury while wearing a pair of running shoes he bought the summer before his freshman year at St. Bonaventure. The shoes had such little padding that Eller first strained his left foot. When running, he began to put all of his pressure onto his right foot, which led to the tendon injury.
After a meet in late October of 2011, Eller did his usual cool down lap around the athletic field. After a mile of running, Eller lost his strength and fell to the ground.
“I had to crawl on my hands and knees back to campus from the practice field,” Eller said. “And at that point I just said, ‘No more’ and I had to get it looked at. The trainers at school said that I had a serious problem.”
Eller sought a second opinion, but was given the news of a significant leg tear.
For the next couple of months, Eller was restrained to a walking boot and crutches.
“Eventually I just had to take the boot off,” Eller said. “I basically toughed it out for the next few months until my surgery in December (2012).”
From then on, Eller focused on cross training. To stay in shape, he rode a stationary bike and did laps in the pool a few times a week. He then took the summer off to rest his body and to prevent any further injuries.
By March of 2013, Eller was back to walking normally and soon began to jog again.
“For the past five months or so, I’ve been doing running and doing workouts,” Eller said. “I did my first workout in mid-July and felt pretty good. I then started team workouts, and I’m just a little bit behind most of the guys now. So far, everything has been working, but I know that I’m never going to be where I was coming in.”
Even though he is not at the level he would like to be, Eller said he feels confident running.
“Physically, in general, I am nearly 100 percent,” Eller said. “But I’m nowhere close to where I was senior year in high school. Right now when I run, my easy paces are 25 to 30 seconds slower. There’s definitely a change.”
Returning from a serious injury is always going to affect performance. Even though Eller is not what he used to be, Head Coach Bob Macfarlane is sure Eller can contribute to the team.
“Peter is a hard worker in the classroom and is a very determined individual,” Macfarlane said. “He knows that he’s not one of our top seven runners, but that doesn’t matter. He makes his teammates better runners by being a good team player, and he brings a great sense of humor to the team.”
Eller’s positive attitude is complemented by his sense of realism.
“I’m going to do the best I can,” Eller said. “I ran against Canisius and Niagara this year. Of course, I’m nowhere top-notch like they are. I’m generally going to expect to finish near the bottom at every meet, unless we are running a varsity in an open race. It’s always tough when you’re not the fastest one on the team and you’re toward the back by yourself.”
Coming back to a sport after sitting out for more than a year is a long process, Eller said.
“There are a lot of adjustments for sure,” Eller said. “Just being away from the guys and coming back, I’ve missed a lot.”
Eller only needs to focus on himself, according to Macfarlane.
“He has set his own goals,” Macfarlane said. “He will be running in our next race (Oct. 5). With his great attitude I have no doubt he can meet his personal goals.”
