"You're really bad at being injured," my wife has been telling me on a semi-regularly basis this summer.
It turns out that she -- as wives usually are -- is absolutely, 100% correct. I'm bad at being injured.
But now, for the first significant time in my running career, I'm trying to be good at being injured. What the heck does that mean?
But first, let me explain the title of the post...
In dealing with runners for the better part of 15 years -- as a teammate, coach, running store clerk, and internet message board lurker -- a common refrain crops up across the spectrum: how can I avoid getting hurt?
The short answer: you can't. Sorry.
The long answer: running is a sport, and athletes who partake in sports get hurt; that's what you sign up for. If you are training right, then you're constantly pushing your boundaries; trying to train right up to the edge without going over. The paradox is that you never really know where that edge is until you fall off the other side -- and boom, you're injured.
But you know what? That's okay. If you never wind up hurt, then you're never going to find out just how good you can be. And if you never want to find out just how good you can be, then what's the point of training?
As long as you're trying to improve, as long as you're trying to PR, as long as you're trying to be better than you were yesterday, then you're going to get injured. It's just the nature of things.
What matters is how you deal with injury. Are you going to wallow in self-pity? Use it as an excuse to stay in your comfort zone? Flood yourself with the negative reinforcement of "See? I knew I couldn't do it." Or are you going to come out of the Disabled List stronger than you were before? It's your choice; I'd recommend the latter.
Ok, now back to my story...
This summer has been the worst summer of training in my life. It started in April with a bout of insertional Achille's tendonosis in my right leg. Like an idiot, I decided to train through it for a month and run a marathon, which ended at mile 19 instead of mile 26.2. After that I took the month of May completely off, no running no nothing. In June, I started back up, low mileage and low intensity, but my Achilles didn't really feel any better. So I took another week off during vacation, and then started back up again. Low mileage and low intensity. Again, after a few weeks my Achilles didn't feel any better. Here's what I wrote in my running log a week ago:
It turns out that she -- as wives usually are -- is absolutely, 100% correct. I'm bad at being injured.
But now, for the first significant time in my running career, I'm trying to be good at being injured. What the heck does that mean?
But first, let me explain the title of the post...
In dealing with runners for the better part of 15 years -- as a teammate, coach, running store clerk, and internet message board lurker -- a common refrain crops up across the spectrum: how can I avoid getting hurt?
The short answer: you can't. Sorry.
The long answer: running is a sport, and athletes who partake in sports get hurt; that's what you sign up for. If you are training right, then you're constantly pushing your boundaries; trying to train right up to the edge without going over. The paradox is that you never really know where that edge is until you fall off the other side -- and boom, you're injured.
But you know what? That's okay. If you never wind up hurt, then you're never going to find out just how good you can be. And if you never want to find out just how good you can be, then what's the point of training?
As long as you're trying to improve, as long as you're trying to PR, as long as you're trying to be better than you were yesterday, then you're going to get injured. It's just the nature of things.
What matters is how you deal with injury. Are you going to wallow in self-pity? Use it as an excuse to stay in your comfort zone? Flood yourself with the negative reinforcement of "See? I knew I couldn't do it." Or are you going to come out of the Disabled List stronger than you were before? It's your choice; I'd recommend the latter.
Ok, now back to my story...
This summer has been the worst summer of training in my life. It started in April with a bout of insertional Achille's tendonosis in my right leg. Like an idiot, I decided to train through it for a month and run a marathon, which ended at mile 19 instead of mile 26.2. After that I took the month of May completely off, no running no nothing. In June, I started back up, low mileage and low intensity, but my Achilles didn't really feel any better. So I took another week off during vacation, and then started back up again. Low mileage and low intensity. Again, after a few weeks my Achilles didn't feel any better. Here's what I wrote in my running log a week ago:
This just isn't working. I keep trying to run, but I'm not making any real progress with my Achilles. I can deal with it on slow easy runs, but whenever I try to do anything more, it feels exactly like it did in mid-April...it's like I haven't made any progress at all.This is the longest time I've gone without seriously training, so here are some lessons to take from it:
So. It's back to square one. On the bright side, it's not like I was gaining any real fitness, so I don't have any to lose. Let's see if I can't come out of this stronger and more fit than I am now.
Dani says I'm bad at being injured. Well, now I'm going to try to be good at being injured. For at the least the next 10 days, or 3 weeks, or 2 months, or...however long it is until I'm 100%.
- When you feel something wrong, stop running. I knew exactly what my injury was back in April when I first felt it (I've had it before), but instead of resting and healing, I tried to power through it. What could have been 10 days off has turned into 3 months. You're better off missing a week or two now than a month or two in the future.
- Take the steps to address your injury. Seek treatment, do physical therapy, get stronger; whatever it takes. Usually active rest is better than passive rest, because a slight stimulus will help your body heal itself properly while zero stimulus will ensure the status quo. For me, that's involved seeing the chiro (check), doing eccentric heel drops (check), and core strength training (getting there...)
- Cross train -- so long as it doesn't aggravate your injury. When I first took time off, even biking aggravated my Achilles; now, biking feels great. Ask yourself, "can I get more fit coming out of the injury than I was before?" If the experience of Emily Infeld -- 2015 World Champs bronze medalist and 2016 Olympics qualifier -- is any guide, then the answer is a definitive yes.
So. Can I come out of this injury more fit than I was before? Challenge accepted.
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WEEKS 6/27 - 7/10
1. 6/27 - 7/03
Monday: 5 miles in 33:45
Tuesday: 8 miles in 50:58 - "run to the barn"
Wednesday: AM 5 in 34:50; PM 5 in 33:56
Thursday: OFF - sore Achilles
Friday: 7 miles, NT
Saturday: 4 miles, NT
Sunday: 8.5 miles in 58:54 - "Achilles really started to tighten up"
Total: 42.5 miles
2. 7/04 - 7/10
I generally took a 1.5-2x time-on-bike vs. time running conversion. But I was definitely working out harder this week than I had been running.
Monday: OFF
Tuesday: OFF
Wednesday: 1:10:49 on bike w/ 4 "strides"
Thursday: 58:11 bike - 5 x 1 min Eden Park hill
Friday: 1:27:41 bike - progressive
Saturday: 58:54 bike - relaxed
Sunday: 1:54:29 bike - steady long ride
What an interesting article! I thought it was really insightful what you said about injury. Injuries are going to happen when doing a sport, that is for sure, and if you want to see how far you can go you will have to accept the chance of an injury. Also, great advice on what to do when you are hurt.
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