From Basketball to Surgery – and the First Steps Toward a New Life

My name is Lidija, and I am a trail runner. It may sound like a simple sentence, but it took me an eternity to be able to say it as a fact that makes my life complete.

Running as such didn’t interest me in my younger days because I lived and breathed basketball with all my being. For a full 20 years, my world revolved around hoops and games, and when the pinnacle of my effort was supposed to arrive – a call to the national team – a catastrophic fall happened in a completely unimportant game.

The diagnosis was the worst of the worst: a torn meniscus and a fractured patella. I thought, “Okay, I’ll take a break, some rehabilitation, some cast, a little rest, and then move on.” “Hau, jes nou GospoDŽo,” as Džasmin from Nadrealisti would say.

After a few months of being unable to walk, lift, or even stand properly, the only option that offered some kind of return to normal life was surgery: a knee endoprosthesis, or total knee replacement.

And so it happened…

Twenty years later, after another knee prosthesis revision, with life happening and bringing a million other problems – those moments when you wonder if this chemo will work or whether the therapy you are doing with your son is really the one that will bring him back from the silent world of autism – I decided to start running. Yes, patient reader, out of the blue, I decided to RUN, and it was Wings for Life 2018.

Throughout the time after surgery, I stayed active – fitness, swimming, hiking, biking – but none of it gave me that adrenaline rush like basketball. So this race was just one of those “let’s give it a try” moments.

Wings for Life – My First Return to Myself and Trail Revelation

And then there was light 😊😊
Twelve kilometers after the start, when the catcher overtook me, I finally felt like I was coming home, back to myself.

Of course, I didn’t want to miss that feeling, so I approached running with discipline – partly due to the limitations of the prosthesis, fear, and inexperience, and partly because as a lifelong athlete, I always had a competitive spirit in my blood.

After 35 half-marathons and countless tens and fives, I still wasn’t satisfied – something was missing. The road felt boring, my pace was extremely slow compared to everyone else, my knee was constantly in pain, and Life often threw its own problems at me.

But as often happens when you’re at your limits, some doors open, and it turns out it’s exactly what you needed.

Thanks to my friend Ivana Zovko, a trail runner and warrior woman, I went to my first trail race in my beloved Mostar:

Planinica – 12.5 km, 950 m elevation
You know that feeling when you place the last piece of a puzzle and suddenly the picture shines in all its beauty? That’s exactly it!
Six kilometers of constant climbing, downhill sections where my legs just followed my singing soul, not a single flat meter – rocks, forest, and the finish line, and a new me who was no longer afraid.

Since May 2021, I have immersed myself in a new world – the world of trail running. Since that day, trail running has been my safe haven, my rest, complete joy, and pleasure.

My early training was chaotic – “just run” – but through trial and error, and advice from a much more experienced and stronger trail team, especially my club colleagues from the Trail and Trekking Club StRKA, my training started to make sense.

Trail as Life – Growth, Training, Mountains, and the Philosophy of Falling

I discovered that I enjoy long distances and technical terrains the most – just let it last.
I identified my weak points, lost weight, increased strength training to three times a week, and introduced structure and consistency into my workouts.

Now I divide the year into parts: winter base for building strength for the next year, plenty of easy runs mixed with strength sessions, hill sprints, fartleks, long runs, and ascents.
I respect my body because it has limits – if today’s training is a combination of running and strength, tomorrow might be swimming; if I feel overworked, I adjust my rest day.

My workouts are the best part of the day, aside from my family – something that always brings a smile to my face. Fortunately, I live in beautiful Dalmatia, with stunning Mosor, Kozjak, wild Biokovo, and my favorite, Dinara, within reach.

Most weekends, I head to one of these mountains alone or with fellow runner friends for a long run with significant elevation. During the week, training is either on Marjan hill in the heart of Split or on Perun, where you get a 2-in-1 workout – uphill and gravel.

Every year I enjoy it more and more. This year is special, with races like the beautiful Soča – 53 km and 2500 m elevation at an unexpected 37°C, Absolut Biokovo – 14 km and 1600 m… and so much more.
Too much to cover in one article.
And I hope there will be even more, and even longer.

One of the things I’ve learned about myself through running – and it applies to life as well – is that you will fall, often, sometimes get stuck in a hole, or chased by angry cows 😊, but after each fall, you look at your wounds, exhale, and move on.

This is the essence of what I would wish for anyone embarking on this wonderful journey: get ready, train, enjoy every kilometer, and the beautiful trails you run.

And let’s not even talk about the amazing people and friendships that are formed and last.

So, if you want to be the best version of yourself, definitely put on your running shoes and head straight to the first hill.