Learning from Injury
I often joke that a person is not a "runner" unless he or she has experienced an injury. While this is not true, the reality is that most runners will experience an injury at one point or another. Whether it is merely a shin pain that lasts for a day or two or a fracture, injuries still suck.
I am proud to say that I made it through a marathon training season without any injuries. I don't think this was by chance or luck. I think that based upon my previous injuries I have learned how to keep myself healthy. Of course accidents happen and no one can plan for the worst, but I truly believe I was able to run a half marathon, 10 mile race, and marathon in 2016 without injury because I implemented some lessons learned from my previous injuries. Here are some things I did right this training season:
I committed to a few goal races. In the past, I wanted to sign up for every race that looked fun. I wanted a medal or I wanted to achieve a new PR. I was greedy in 2015 and wanted to earn a 3 year legacy medal at the Naperville Half Marathon. Despite the fact that this race was 3 weeks after my first marathon, I signed up anyways. I still ran the race, despite not running much since the marathon and with a severe un-diagnosed at the time hamstring strain that I had been dealing with for 4 months (another lesson in itself). I could barely sit in my office chair at work. Sitting in the car on the way home from work was torture. A week after the half marathon I saw a Orthopedic doctor who diagnosed my hamstring strain and soon I was headed down the path of PT and slow recovery. In 2016 I decided to commit to just two races - one half marathon and one marathon. I knew that if I wanted to stay healthy and truly commit to big goals for both races, I needed to stay focused on those races and not overextend myself or ask too much of my body by racing often. I would say 6 minute PR's for both races were worth it.
I focused on active recovery. One of the greatest decisions I made in 2016 was to sign up for Jasyoga. If you are an athlete and not signed up for the videos or bought the book, do it. I have always liked yoga, but in the past I may not have always had time for a full yoga session. What I like most about Jasyoga is that I can pick and choose the videos that I have time for as they range from 5 minutes to 40 minutes, and I can chose specific areas of my body that need some love. It was easy in the past to tell myself I did not have time for another workout after a run. I proved that this is simply not true and I committed to a Jasyoga video every day. Whether it was a video before a run, after a run, or on a rest day, I did it. If my legs were feeling heavy, I did a leg rest video. If my hamstring was acting up or feeling tight, I would do a hamstring recovery video. After long runs when all I wanted to do was lay down, I would do a post run video where all I had to do was put my legs up on the wall and relax. It works. Not only does this style of yoga give you clarity and peace of mind, but it addresses imbalances and weaknesses in your body, and promotes recovery. When you push yourself hard, you need to recover. The fact that I made this a priority really helped me get through some of the toughest training weeks. For some of the other things I do for active recovery, check out my previous R&R post here.
I followed through on my PT exercises. I actually liked going to physical therapy, and one of the reasons for this is because you are forced to do the exercises every time you go. It is very easy to stop doing this once you are discharged. In addition to continuing with the discharge exercises, I incorporated at least a day of strength training to my routine. One day does not seem like a lot, but when you are doing a plan like Hansons with 6 days of training, it is hard to fit even one day in. Even if it was a short 20 minute sequence, I committed to focusing on exercises to strengthen the areas I know are my weaknesses. I have weak hips, quads, and hamstrings. I worked on these areas as well as my core. I watched my form improve each week. Additionally, I continued with monthly massages outside of PT with a licensed professional who specialized in athletic therapeutic massage. Massage is not just a luxury indulgence. I always felt more aligned and fluid in my runs following a massage.
I listened to my body. I did not do too much too soon. My first injury was not a running one, though it happened while I was running. I fractured my elbow while running and falling on ice. It killed me not to run and as a result, I started running again to train for a half before I was out of my brace. While you don't need your elbow to run, running with immobility in my arm caused a huge imbalance as my body started to overcompensate in other places. I jumped back into training aggressively, afraid I would not be ready for the half. Not surprisingly, I did not do well in the half at all and that was the start of many injuries to come as a result of the stress I placed on my body before it was ready. I struggled with an IT band injury that almost took me out a few weeks before another half, and a hamstring strain that I ignored for months because I was afraid to go to the doctor. This time around after my hamstring injury, I started to ease back into training slowly. I built extra weeks into my training plans. If something felt unsafe or my body was tired or hurt, I took a rest day or stayed indoors to do some core or strength work. On days it was very hot this summer, I skipped a run. None of these things hurt me one bit, and as my PR's reflect, only helped make me a stronger, healthier runner.
I learned to run easy. One thing I really appreciate regarding Hansons is the fact that it taught me how to learn to run differently. In the past, I would go out for every run and complete it the same. The same pace, the same effort level, no matter the distance. I thought that all runs should be completed as fast as possible as a reflection of my ability. Hansons taught me that most runs should be run easy. I truly learned what it meant to run easy and on most "easy" days, I really needed that. The speed/strength workouts gave me an opportunity to learn how to run faster and better. The tempo runs taught me how to maintain an even pace. The long runs taught me to run slow, and that was OK. I found I could run much longer without getting fatigued at an easy pace. Sometimes easy felt too easy, but other times it was just right. Then I could let it rip on speed days. The easy days gave me a break and let me enjoy running, and I know that compared to the past with every run being the same effort and intensity, I was able to complete this training cycle physically and mentally healthy.
These are some of my experiences which I know differ from others. What you may need may be different based upon your injury or past running history. I think a lot of these lessons come with time the longer you run. Some of them need to be learned the hard way. A year ago, I ignored advice to see a doctor regarding my hamstring. Having learned the hard way, I now know what to change and do differently and would never do that again.
Injuries suck and it is hard to sit on the sidelines and watch others accomplish their goals. It is important to not rush your recovery and to follow your prescribed recovery plan. Find other things you enjoy that you are too busy to do when you are training. When you do start running again, be kind to yourself and honest about your ability at that point in time. Do not jump into training quickly to make up for lost time. Learn from your past history and make changes to your plans that fit where you are today.
I am proud to say that I made it through a marathon training season without any injuries. I don't think this was by chance or luck. I think that based upon my previous injuries I have learned how to keep myself healthy. Of course accidents happen and no one can plan for the worst, but I truly believe I was able to run a half marathon, 10 mile race, and marathon in 2016 without injury because I implemented some lessons learned from my previous injuries. Here are some things I did right this training season:
I committed to a few goal races. In the past, I wanted to sign up for every race that looked fun. I wanted a medal or I wanted to achieve a new PR. I was greedy in 2015 and wanted to earn a 3 year legacy medal at the Naperville Half Marathon. Despite the fact that this race was 3 weeks after my first marathon, I signed up anyways. I still ran the race, despite not running much since the marathon and with a severe un-diagnosed at the time hamstring strain that I had been dealing with for 4 months (another lesson in itself). I could barely sit in my office chair at work. Sitting in the car on the way home from work was torture. A week after the half marathon I saw a Orthopedic doctor who diagnosed my hamstring strain and soon I was headed down the path of PT and slow recovery. In 2016 I decided to commit to just two races - one half marathon and one marathon. I knew that if I wanted to stay healthy and truly commit to big goals for both races, I needed to stay focused on those races and not overextend myself or ask too much of my body by racing often. I would say 6 minute PR's for both races were worth it.
I focused on active recovery. One of the greatest decisions I made in 2016 was to sign up for Jasyoga. If you are an athlete and not signed up for the videos or bought the book, do it. I have always liked yoga, but in the past I may not have always had time for a full yoga session. What I like most about Jasyoga is that I can pick and choose the videos that I have time for as they range from 5 minutes to 40 minutes, and I can chose specific areas of my body that need some love. It was easy in the past to tell myself I did not have time for another workout after a run. I proved that this is simply not true and I committed to a Jasyoga video every day. Whether it was a video before a run, after a run, or on a rest day, I did it. If my legs were feeling heavy, I did a leg rest video. If my hamstring was acting up or feeling tight, I would do a hamstring recovery video. After long runs when all I wanted to do was lay down, I would do a post run video where all I had to do was put my legs up on the wall and relax. It works. Not only does this style of yoga give you clarity and peace of mind, but it addresses imbalances and weaknesses in your body, and promotes recovery. When you push yourself hard, you need to recover. The fact that I made this a priority really helped me get through some of the toughest training weeks. For some of the other things I do for active recovery, check out my previous R&R post here.
 |
| Erin from Jasyoga |
I listened to my body. I did not do too much too soon. My first injury was not a running one, though it happened while I was running. I fractured my elbow while running and falling on ice. It killed me not to run and as a result, I started running again to train for a half before I was out of my brace. While you don't need your elbow to run, running with immobility in my arm caused a huge imbalance as my body started to overcompensate in other places. I jumped back into training aggressively, afraid I would not be ready for the half. Not surprisingly, I did not do well in the half at all and that was the start of many injuries to come as a result of the stress I placed on my body before it was ready. I struggled with an IT band injury that almost took me out a few weeks before another half, and a hamstring strain that I ignored for months because I was afraid to go to the doctor. This time around after my hamstring injury, I started to ease back into training slowly. I built extra weeks into my training plans. If something felt unsafe or my body was tired or hurt, I took a rest day or stayed indoors to do some core or strength work. On days it was very hot this summer, I skipped a run. None of these things hurt me one bit, and as my PR's reflect, only helped make me a stronger, healthier runner.
 |
| Do not run on ice! |
I learned to run easy. One thing I really appreciate regarding Hansons is the fact that it taught me how to learn to run differently. In the past, I would go out for every run and complete it the same. The same pace, the same effort level, no matter the distance. I thought that all runs should be completed as fast as possible as a reflection of my ability. Hansons taught me that most runs should be run easy. I truly learned what it meant to run easy and on most "easy" days, I really needed that. The speed/strength workouts gave me an opportunity to learn how to run faster and better. The tempo runs taught me how to maintain an even pace. The long runs taught me to run slow, and that was OK. I found I could run much longer without getting fatigued at an easy pace. Sometimes easy felt too easy, but other times it was just right. Then I could let it rip on speed days. The easy days gave me a break and let me enjoy running, and I know that compared to the past with every run being the same effort and intensity, I was able to complete this training cycle physically and mentally healthy.
These are some of my experiences which I know differ from others. What you may need may be different based upon your injury or past running history. I think a lot of these lessons come with time the longer you run. Some of them need to be learned the hard way. A year ago, I ignored advice to see a doctor regarding my hamstring. Having learned the hard way, I now know what to change and do differently and would never do that again.
Injuries suck and it is hard to sit on the sidelines and watch others accomplish their goals. It is important to not rush your recovery and to follow your prescribed recovery plan. Find other things you enjoy that you are too busy to do when you are training. When you do start running again, be kind to yourself and honest about your ability at that point in time. Do not jump into training quickly to make up for lost time. Learn from your past history and make changes to your plans that fit where you are today.
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