As some of you know, I've spent the last many weeks dealing with a self-induced "complication" which resulted in dropping a race and taking several weeks off from training. As all of you athletes know, physical discomfort really puts a damper on training, racing and general happiness. But it does not have to be so bad.
When injured (or just taking time off of your feet), try to find as many ways to learn from your situation. While it may be disappointing, it can be an opportunity to modify and/or improve a training schedule. Use the downtime as a chance to develop your psychological strategies for becoming a stronger, faster "you". This is a prime opportunity to meditate on what went wrong and how to not make the same mistake again.
Look for ways to strengthen your running when not logging miles. The gym has an endless amount of resources which some runners might tend to overlook. Also, if you have the available resources, get in the water and swim, surf, kayak, or stand-up paddle-board. Any opportunity to strengthen the core and upper-body are golden opportunities, as long as you don't put strain on that injury! Now downtime doesn't seem so bad, does it?
Perhaps most importantly (and this is the hardest part), resist the urge to run, no matter how great the temptation! Being patient, while it may be difficult, is vital. If you count the days on the calendar, you'll only prolong the torment. Instead, treat each day as a new and exciting opportunity to cross-train the body and mind. We always heal, and we always bounce back stronger, as long as we are smart about our recovery and are not over-zealous with getting back into a training routine.
In the end, you will strengthen yourself by accepting your injury and not allowing it to dampen your spirit of self-improvement! You'll be back in action before you know it.
Hopefully, you are all injury free and training and racing with all of the joy in your heart!
Searching for the next Key Experience,
J. Brewer
