Naomi Palmer: The Recovery Story

Naomi Palmer is a current member of the Laurentian University Indoor Track Team. Having spent her whole life in Sudbury, choosing Laurentian was a no-brainer.

The other thing that Laurentian offered Naomi was the opportunity to continue her passion for running at a post-secondary level.

Naomi was first introduced to running competitively in Grade 6. The Sacré-Coeur alum was then forever sold, running throughout high school and with a Local Sudbury club, Airbastoff.

After making the Laurentian team her freshman year, she was thrown into a high-intensity training environment that Naomi described as mentally tough. She goes on to say how lucky she was to have her coaches, Ryan and Jim Taylor, who have pushed her to be her best while maintaining a fun and encouraging environment. Eventually, Naomi adjusted and all her efforts would pay off as she would go on to have a great freshman season which included her nearly missing the OUA qualifier marker in the 60m.

At the beginning of her off-season, Naomi faced a major setback. While running last May, the second-year kinesiology student heard a pop in her ankle and instantly knew something was wrong. Naomi was diagnosed with plantar fasciitis, an injury that affects the foot, more specifically, the heel.Having never been injured before, she was left with the question, “what’s next?” 

After spending two months not doing anything except physiotherapy, Naomi had enough. Although not yet fully healed, she started running again. She was always cautious by monitoring her pain level but continued to battle and get the running reps in. 

Now, six months post-injury, Naomi is committed to training harder every day than she did the day before. Having gone through two months off, her love for running has only grown in strength. Her time away from training solidified her passion for the sport, and she is committed to preventing any more injury-related breaks.

As the main season begins to approach, Naomi and her teammates gear up and work on their technique for a season that will start in just three weeks. Naomi is ready to put her injury behind her and continue her off-season goal to build her endurance and hopefully run the 300m for Laurentian this upcoming season.