Injuries - Down But Not Out


Let me clarify something right away: This article isn't going to be a sympathetic, touchy-feely treatise on getting in tune with the five stages of grief when you're injured and, boo-hoo, unable to run. If you're looking for compassion, don't talk to me. I don't want to hear it.

Don't get me wrong; being hurt stinks. I've been injured plenty of times-once for about two years-and have been forced to learn how to deal with it.

The easiest thing to do when you're hurt is to get bogged down in funereal gloom and moan about the unfairness of it all. Which, of course, does you no good at all (just the opposite, in fact). Recovery is your goal, and what you need is an effective way to bridge that depressing gap between the day you're forced to stop running and the day you can start again.

It's your choice. Wallow in self-pity, lose your aerobic base, put on weight and make yourself and everyone around you miserable-or get busy! Here's the plan.

No Whining

If you love to run, there's no denying that injury downtime can be brutal. But try to keep some perspective. Most running injuries are relatively minor and will heal in due time. It may seem catastrophic when you can't run, but a bad case of shinsplints is nothing when you compare it with friends who have real problems, real illnesses and real pain. Some of those friends may not recover; you will. So don't complain, because no one wants to hear it. Not your spouse, not your kids, not even your running friends. Besides, complaining is counterproductive to getting healthy again.

The payoff: You'll stay positive during the layoff, thus speeding your recovery.

Be Patient

Every runner I've known has been injured at one time or another. And every one of those runners-even a 72-year-old friend who broke his hip-was able to run again. My point is simple: There's a cure for practically every running injury, and most injuries heal with time. Unfortunately, no magic pill will instantly cure you. Nor is a simple change of shoes the likely answer. Instead, be confident that regardless how bad your injury may seem, it's only temporary. You will run again, if you're patient enough to allow the healing process the time it needs.

The payoff: You'll give the injury adequate time to heal.

If You Have a Routine, Stick To It

That is, if you normally run at lunch, continue to get some sort of exercise at lunch. If you're an early-morning runner, go for a walk early in the morning.

I'm so anal about my routine that I try to maintain the same daily pattern even when I can't run. Particularly on Sundays. No one enjoys a long run more than I do. I love to get up early, hit the trail at dawn and cruise for 2 hours.

When I'm injured, I still head to the same trail and hike for a couple of hours (being more attentive to the hawks, deer and occasional wild turkeys). I follow this with my postrun ritual: some stretching, a session with the ice pack, a shower, warm bagels and the Sunday paper. From a psychological standpoint, this ritual is almost as important to me as the run itself.

Is this walk as satisfying as my long run? No way. But maintaining my routine is a whole lot better for my mind and body than doing nothing.

The payoff: By sticking with some semblance of your exercise ritual, you'll reap many of its mood-boosting benefits.

Do It Outdoors

Especially when you're injured, you need fresh air. You can scoop up a lot of it on a bike ride. If it's winter, or if the weather's too lousy to cycle, I walk. Or go for a hike. Or grab cross-country ski poles and pole-walk up and down some hills. Processing lungfuls of oxygen is one of the things that makes you feel good when running, and you'll get a similar effect by doing just about any other vigorous outdoor activity.

The payoff: Checking out the world around you will take your mind off your injury, and you'll get your accustomed dosage of fresh breezes and sunlight.

Sweat

If you normally run 45 minutes a day, make sure you do some activity vigorous enough to keep you aerobic for 45 minutes a day. This is critical for hanging on to your sanity, not to mention your aerobic fitness. It doesn't matter too much what you do as long as it doesn't aggravate the existing injury.

The only problem with things like fast-paced walking or even hard hiking is I don't sweat. Working up a big sweat is so ingrained in me that I desperately need the feel of a wet T-shirt after a workout. If only from an emotional standpoint, I must do something to jack up my heart rate and work up a lather every day. If I do, I've accomplished something. If I don't, I can feel myself slipping into that dark, gloomy abyss of worthlessness.

Swimming doesn't do it for me. Neither does running in a pool. Inline skating looks too dangerous. If I could play tennis without aggravating my strained hamstring, I'd do that. But I can't. So I'll hit the stationary bike or, better still, use a new device called an "elliptical trainer."

An indoor exercise machine, the elliptical trainer is something of a hybrid: part cross-country ski machine, part treadmill, part stairclimber. There's virtually no technique involved in using it properly, and it simulates the running motion to some degree, without any jarring. Therefore, it doesn't seem to irritate any of the common overuse running injuries.

I guarantee that if you put in 45 minutes on an elliptical trainer, stationary bike, stairclimber or rowing machine, you will be drenched in sweat. More important, several studies suggest that if you do these aerobic alternatives properly and with high enough intensity, they can maintain and even increase your fitness level.

Even so, it's mindless, boring stuff, so treat your cross-training activity like you do your running. For instance, I know every flat section, hill and pebble on my favorite 6-mile loop, so I try to simulate each section of this run on whatever machine I'm using. I start with an easy 10 minutes on the "flats," then pick it up over a series of three "hills." I'll recover for a bit, then go really hard at the point when I'd be hitting that steep hill on my run. You get the idea.

The payoff: You'll end up with a puddle of sweat and a saturated shirt-tangible evidence that you've done something to burn calories and maintain your aerobic base.

Strength Train

I don't know about you, but when I'm gearing up for a marathon, the last thing I want to do is throw lead around in the gym. I barely have enough time to do all the running and stretching I need, much less mix in weight lifting.

But when I'm hurt, weight lifting can be a real buzz. Since I'm often at the gym anyway riding a stationary bike or working the elliptical trainer, it's not a big deal to spend another 20 minutes with weights. And because I'm not running, I'll do more legwork than usual, along with some abdominal and upper-body stuff.

The payoff: You'll burn calories and maintain overall fitness and muscle tone.


Stay Connected

For me, one of the worst aspects of being injured is not being able to run with my friends. The only time I ever see some of them is when we run together. So when I'm out of action, I make an effort to stay in touch and at least feel like I'm still part of the running scene. A good way to do this is to volunteer at races or go to club meetings.

I also try to hang with my family in better ways. Normally, they make all sorts of concessions to my running idiosyncrasies, so when I'm injured I do the activities they want to do. During layoffs, I no longer have convenient running excuses ("I'm too tired, I'm resting for a long run tomorrow") for begging out of things like playing soccer with the kids, going to a late party or visiting the aquarium.

The payoff: Instead of becoming too self-absorbed, you'll keep lines of communication open with friends, family and the running community.

Do Something Every Day To Get Your Running Health Back

While injuries can be markedly different, most of them respond extremely well to rest and self-treatment. If there are things I can do-see a chiropractor or podiatrist, get a massage-I do them, even if they seem like a hassle. If all I need to do is ice the injury or take anti-inflammatories, I do it religiously. If muscle inflexibility or imbalance may have contributed to the problem, I make a point of stretching carefully twice a day.

The payoff: By taking action, you'll speed recovery and achieve peace of mind.

Eat Properly

When I'm running, I tend to eat large quantities of anything that gets in the way of my face. When I'm not running, I can gain an extra 10 pounds in a hurry. A layoff calls for exerting a little more control over what I eat.

That's not to say I recommend going on a crash diet; reduced nutrition lessens the body's ability to repair itself. It's inevitable that I'm going to gain weight during an enforced layoff, but by focusing more on low-fat goodies and fruits and reducing my intake of a few staples (namely, beer, chips and salsa), I can exercise some control and keep from blimping out. When I start running again, the few pounds I put on will come off quickly.

The payoff: Staying lean will keep you out of a self-image slump.

Focus On Today

Don't set an arbitrary deadline for when you'll be ready to run again, and then start, whether you're healthy or not. With any luck, you'll only be out of action a few weeks, but you never know how quickly you'll heal.

Simply because an injury took four days to heal last time doesn't mean that same injury will take four days to heal this time. The older you get, the longer it takes your body to heal. You may also have to forget about that upcoming race (particularly if it's a marathon) you'd planned on running. Just because you signed up for it doesn't mean you'll recover by then. And if your injury does heal before the race, be prepared to lower your expectations on race day. Be happy you're on the starting line and in one piece, and enjoy the race.

The payoff: By not setting strict deadlines, you won't get frustrated when you miss them. More important, you won't start running before you're ready.

References

http://www.runnersworld.com