Keeping sane during injury
Posted January 13th, 2007 at 4:00 PM by Paul Petersen
Section: Running & Training, Injury & Rehab
Running injuries present many challenges. Getting the injury diagnosed and implementing a rehabilitation program are at the forefront, but keeping your SANITY during the potentially long layoff is often overlooked and can be very problematic.
We injury-ridden runners have all had our “Shining” moments: All elliptical and no run makes Jack a dull boy. All elliptical and no run makes Jack a dull boy. All elliptical and no runs makes Jack a dull boy. All elliptical and no run makes Jack a dull boy. All elliptical and no run makes Jack a dull boy…You get the picture.
Although injured runners going through withdraw usually aren’t homocidal, we do become the next worst thing: grouchy, frustrated, depressed, and, yes, slightly insane. Maybe it’s the loss of structure and stress release to our day, maybe it’s the lack of “runner’s high” in our chemical diet, maybe it’s weight gain due to decreased activity, maybe it’s the loss of part of our social network. Whatever it is, any spouse of an injured runner can tell you that we are no fun to be around!
But it does not have to be this way. We cannot always control our physical maladies, but we can control our response to them. Dr. Steven Covey, author of The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People states in his book to be proactive (Habit 1) and to think “win-win” (Habit 4). Here are two “effective” ideas to make the most of your injury layoff.
1) Build core strength to develop a different aspect of your fitness.
During your injury hiatus, you may be limited in increasing your aerobic fitness, but you can focus instead on promoting other elements of fitness that can complement running. One area of the body that runners are typically weak in is core strength. Yes, I’m talking about those abs, and also the lower back. A strong core is important to running because it allows a runner to maintain stride length when fatigued, prevents pelvis rotation and associated strain on the hamstrings and lower back, and enables overall efficiency during training and racing. The net result of having a stable base is faster, economic running and reduced injuries.
During my own layoff with plantar fasciitis, I was unable to be on my feet for any length of time. However, I did have a $15 stability ball and decided to go to work on my core with it. I missed running dearly, but the core exercises helped me stay focused, gave me achievable goals, and helped my self-image when I looked in the mirror. I lost my running fitness but made gains in another area that would make me a faster and healthier runner in the long run.
2) Record your progress and emotions
Not all people are supportive toward runners during an “injury timeout”. Often injured runners will receive comments from their non-running peers that could be paraphrased as, “Well that’s what you get for running! Told you so!” Not helpful!
In the midst of non-understanding listeners, an emotional outlet can be found in the form of blogging or journaling. A daily record of activity and crosstraining, current physical condition, and progress (or lack thereof) provides an important release for thoughts, hopes, and frustrations. Online training logs, blogs, written journals, and other media are all effective for this task. Training logs and blogs are particularly good because they add motivation and accountability. Nothing beats a sympathetic ear of a friend or family member, of course, but I feel that actually writing out your physical and emotional state is a theraputic and important daily ritual.
Key pragmatic benefits to this will arise too: you will have a written record of your injuries. When you see doctors, you can provide them with firm descriptions, dates, and pain levels of your maladies during recent weeks or months. Something as simple as writing down your pain level on a scale of 1 to 10 can go a long way.
There are many other ways to keep sane during injury, but I have merely presented two methods that have aided myself and others greatly during layoffs. Not only did these methods make me less grumpy (which my wife can attest to), but they also helped develop sustainable habits that will benefit my running for years to come.
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Tags: ab exercises, abdominal muscles, abs, blog, core strength, Covey, crosstraining, elliptical, emotional, injury, journal, mental health, sanity, stability ball, stress release, training log
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