Article for NW Runner, Sept. 2012 issue: Coping With Injuries

Here's an article I recently wrote and illustrated for Northwest Runner Magazine (Sept. 2012 issue), about coping with running injuries:(click to enlarge)

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HOW TO COPE WITH A RUNNING INJURY

Two years. Actually, closer to two and a half years. That’s how long I’ve been perpetually ‘recovering’ from my most recent running-related injury. During this time, as I’ve attempted to rehab and get back into running, I’ve experienced setbacks and triumphs. I’ve worn a walking boot, had x-rays and MRI’s, gone through two physical therapists, stopped running completely for months at a time, decided that running isn’t for me, decided that I can’t live without running, and continued to hold on tight as the emotional roller coaster whipped me around like a…well, like something that gets whipped around a lot. The injury-in-question came about partially due to genetics, and partially due to biomechanical issues. It manifested during a period of high mileage and hill training in preparation for my first (and only, thus far) marathon. I completed my marathon, but ever since, my injury has been hanging on like a stubborn cowboy riding a psychotic bull. And not just for eight seconds. And with no rodeo clown in sight. I think I’ve successfully hog-tied this simile…

I’m currently caught in a cycle of trying to gradually increase my training distance and frequency, while my body protests whenever it thinks I might be pushing just a tad too much. I'm also caught in a cycle of recording ridiculous TV shows on my DVR that I know I'll never watch. But that's a story for another publication. Or a therapist.

If you’ve run for any significant length of time, you can probably relate to my story. We runners get injured. It comes with the territory. Running is good for our health, fitness and well-being, but it can also be hard on the body, unless you're one of those genetic freaks that never gets a calf twinge or an achy knee. If that’s your story, I am in awe of you…and I despise you. I’m kidding. Come back!

For the sake of argument, let’s assume we’re all currently injured (which would make me feel better, actually, since I could probably jog my way to an age group victory on any given weekend. But then…you probably could, too. There goes that theory). How, then, do we navigate the rough waters that lay ahead? Allow me to propose a few Do’s and Don’ts.

DO: EXPECT TO GO THROUGH THE ‘STAGES OF GRIEF’

If running has been a major part of your life (an ‘addiction’, in some cases), and you’re suddenly unable to do it due to a serious injury, you might actually have to work your way through the so-called Five Stages of Grief…at least to some extent. I did. Initially, I thought I could push my way through the discomfort (fig. 1). “I’ve had aches like this before,” I reasoned, “so I'm sure this will go away if I just keep running.” Once it became apparent that I’d have to quit running, I became frustrated (the ‘anger’ stage). Soon after, there came a period when I tried to bargain with my body; running lower mileage, fewer days per week. When even that approach proved unsuccessful, I entered a state of mild depression. Not clinical, but a definite sadness due to the fact that I couldn’t continue doing something that was such an important part of my life. The final stage—acceptance—is something I’m still working on, as I continue to test and discover what my body will allow me to do.

DON’T: LET YOUR DIET GET OUT OF CONTROL

Going from several hours of running per week to virtually zero will have a big effect on your caloric needs. Your caloric wants, however, may not be in compliance (fig. 2). While your body was once a fuel-burning furnace, stoked by piles of pasta, pancakes and ice cream, the heat has been turned down out of necessity…or, more accurately, a lack of necessity. Unless your goal is to bulk up (yes, I’ve done it a few times), then more care must be taken in selecting both the quantity and quality of food that’s eaten while you’re sidelined.

DO: CROSS-TRAIN

Doing other activities, if cleared to do so by your sports doctor or PT, will not only help you to stay fit while you’re recovering from injury, but it can also help to fill the mental and emotional void that running used to fill. If you’re new to cross-training, you may find a new sport or exercise that you enjoy. Just make sure you choose an exercise that actually resembles an athletic activity, with some physical benefits (fig. 3). Good choices include aqua running, lap swimming, cycling, rowing, elliptical training, weight lifting and walking. Again, make sure your choice doesn’t affect your injury or delay your recovery.

DON’T: NEGLECT P.R.I.C.E. AND STRETCHING

Injuries are good reminders to be more fastidious about maintaining our bodies, especially as we get older. For most injuries, consider using the P.R.I.C.E. approach to treatment. According to sportsmedicine.about.com, “one of the most popular acronyms to remember if you get a sports injury is PRICE, which stands for Protection, Rest, Ice, Compression and Elevation. Using these immediate first aid measures is believed to relieve pain, limit swelling and protect the injured soft tissue.” Stretching, flexibility and strengthening (again, if cleared by your physician) can also play a vital role in both rehabilitation and further injury prevention. Being consistent with these programs is vital. It’s easy—for me, anyway—to be gung-ho about icing, foam-rolling and stretching for a while. It’s also easy to get lazy and forgetful after that initial zealousness fades. Be diligent and you will notice the benefits.

DO: ENJOY FAMILY TIME

When I was in the full throes of my injury and unable to run, I made a conscious decision to pull away, if just a little, from the running community. Not because I didn’t want to see or communicate with my fellow runners, but because it made me more frustrated that I couldn’t join them on runs and/or compare notes online. Moping around and feeling sorry for yourself is both counterproductive and aggravating to others around you. Consider filling that void with more family time. Just remember to refrain from whining about how “I could be out doing my long run right now.” Chances are, your non-running friends and family have missed you. However…

DON’T: GET CARRIED AWAY

Remember, being competitive during a half marathon is one thing. Beating your wife and kids, at all costs, in a game of Monopoly (fig. 4) is another.

DO: CONSIDER A NEW HOBBY

Why not explore some non-athletic interests while you’re on the mend. Grab your camera and learn how to become a better photographer (fig. 5). Read some biographies or fiction. Do some gardening. Learn to cook. Those of us who are in love with running can become a bit myopic while we’re immersed in our marathon training programs. Expanding our horizons with a new hobby or two will not only make us more well-rounded people, it’s also a great way to take our minds off the fact that we’re currently unable to put miles on our running shoes.

DON’T: HAVE FEAR AND SELF-DOUBT

When you’re finally able to gradually start running again, don’t let fear keep you from moving forward. Being gun-shy is understandable when coming off an injury. If a walk-run program is appropriate, stick with it until you’re ready to slowly decrease the walking and increase the running. Don’t let the feeling of being out of shape discourage you. If you have been keeping fit with cross-training, the running-specific fitness will likely return sooner than expected. But, by the same token…

DON’T: OVERDO IT 

We runners often share an “all-or-nothing” personality. Patience isn’t always a character trait we possess in abundance. I, for one, am guilty of this familiar pattern: a slow, measured return to running…gradually reintroducing my body to the associated stresses…monitoring how the injured area(s) respond. A couple of easy weeks go by. After one or two good-feeling runs, I wonder how just one itty-bitty tempo run would feel. Pretty good! One leads to another, which leads to a premature long run, and here comes the pain once again. Rinse and repeat.

Err on the side of caution. Despite it being a cliché, listening to your body is crucial, especially in the early stages of your comeback. Think of running as a lifetime pursuit. There will be speedwork, long runs and races in the future. Don’t rush the process.

DO: APPRECIATE WHAT YOU CAN DO

What if the aforementioned speedwork, long runs and races aren’t in your future? If your injury permanently affects your ability to run as you once did, learning to be thankful for what you’re able to do is vital to your peace of mind. If you can only run a couple of miles two or three times a week, embrace them. Enjoy the outdoors and forget the stopwatch. Personally, there has been more than one occasion in my running ‘career’ when I thought I’d never run again. I had to walk away from running altogether, sometimes for a year or two at a time. Even though I’ve been injury-prone—even after returning—I’ve come to realize just how amazing our bodies really are. Do what you can do now. Who knows what the future will bring?

DON’T: COMPARE NOW TO THEN

The anal-retentive, record-keeping nature of some of us runners isn’t always a helpful attribute. I’ve got spreadsheets and logbooks filled with every imaginable running record, going back to 1983. Tracking your training is good. Living in the past…not so much.

One thing I really like about 5-year age divisions in most road races is that I not only get to compete with other runners who are close to my age, but I get to set new PR’s every five years! As much as I’d love to run as fast as I did in high school (attempting to do so has sidelined me before), it’s healthier for my mental well-being to set aside the race times of the past and look forward to what I’m able to accomplish now and in the future, no matter how much slower it may be.

So, if you’re a runner who rarely or never gets injured, count your blessings and please, in the name of all of us who ARE injury-prone, don’t take it for granted!

And now, since I’m able…at least today…I’m going for a run. Afterwards, as I'm icing and stretching, I’m going to start deleting those ridiculous shows on my DVR.

Hang on…Barbara Eden Biography. Hmm…

Colin Hayes is a freelance writer and illustrator. He lives in Everett, WA with his wife, two daughters, and a crazy—yet uninjured—Labrador retriever. His running blog can be found at www.resurrectedrunner.com.

Random Thoughts

To start the week, I thought I'd jot down several running-related topics that have been rattling around my brain lately.

• I think I'll wear my new Brooks Adrenaline GTS 12's for every run this week. That should give me a pretty good idea if the additional support will have an effect on how my foot feels. I ran 19.4 miles last week (sadly, the most since August of 2010), and I'm feeling some soreness in my heel, my ankle and the arch of my foot (a hint of plantar fasciitis, me thinks). As always, I'll report back.

• Is the 2-hour marathon this generation's version of the 4-minute mile? Before Roger Bannister broke the 4-minute barrier in the mile in May of 1954, it seemed unlikely that it could happen. Once he accomplished the feat, the floodgates opened and several runners duplicated it. I'm no prophet, but my guess is that the 2-hour barrier in the marathon will be broken within the next 5 years and, once it is, several (Kenyans?) will follow suit.

• Who else is excited for this year's Olympics? I watched more of the Olympic Trials recently than I ever had in years past. I think it'll be an exciting one, and here's hoping that the American distance runners (finally) raise some eyebrows among the always stiff international competition. To do that, they'll have to run some smart, tactical — and gutsy — races. That said, I'd bet cash money that the Kenyans will sweep the medals in the Men's Marathon. Well, an Ethiopian could sneak in there, too. I hope I'm wrong, but they're obviously in a class by themselves.

• Along those lines, I'm thinking of posting a short series, profiling Olympic distance runners that had an impact on me when I was just getting into running in the early '80s. There were several that I followed. Even if nobody else is interested, it'll be fun for me to rekindle those memories.

• I've had the privilege to do some "professional" writing recently. I just completed my third article for Northwest Runner magazine (due out this fall). This was a fun one, about the do's and don'ts of dealing with injuries (that was a real stretch for me ;-)). I also illustrated the article with some pretty humorous drawings. If you're local, keep an eye out for it. I'll try to post it here on the blog as well.

Outdoors NW magazine also commissioned an article (and accompanying illustration work) for their winter running issue. I'll be writing about — you guessed it — winter running. I'm looking to do more writing and, if appropriate, accompany the articles with illustrations. If you're a magazine or newspaper editor and you're interested in my running-related prose & illustration work, email me!

• It looks like I'm done "racing" until mid-September. I put "racing" in quotes because I'm nowhere near race shape. Still, I'm enjoying my 5k circuit this year, even though I can't race to my potential. Having been "coming back" from injury for over two years now, I'm taking the concept of "baby steps" to an entirely new level. For now, the Zone 2 heart rate training will continue, along with one quick-ish run per week (either in the form of a race or short speed work). At least it's running. I am, however, planning on running one or two 10k's later this year. I want to first get my long run beyond that distance, along with getting my weekly mileage consistently above 20.

Have a great week, my friends, and Run Happy!

THIS, THAT and THE OTHER

THIS
It has now been three weeks since my last run (which sounds eerily like a Catholic confessional session. Six Hail Marys and the Rosary, coming up). I've had trouble getting into full-blown cross-training mode. Taking a page out of Dumprunner Matt's book, I planned on taking it easy the first two weeks anyway. I managed to get in one lap swim (800 yds), three bike rides (45.5 miles total) and few stretching sessions. I also got back into a strength training routine, which brings me to…

THAT
This morning when I walked into our kitchen, wearing a short and relatively tight short-sleeve shirt, my youngest daughter looked at my arms and said, "wow, Dad, you look buff!" (if only every day started the same way). I'm not sure about being "buff", but I have noticed a bit more muscle showing up, thanks to a little circuit training routine I've been doing. I have a set of eight exercises - some utilizing weights, some using just my body weight - that I run through non-stop for 20 minutes. I start by warming up on my Schwinn Airdyne for 2 miles (usually 7-8 minutes), then I run through the exercises, one after another, until my 20 minutes is up. By the end, my muscles are spent and I'm gasping for air. My intent is to make it as much a cardio workout as a strength workout. I use the same weight every week so I can compare my results, in terms of how many total reps I can complete. While I also do some miscellaneous strength work a few times a week, I only do this workout once a week. I alternate pulling exercises with pushing exercises. Today was my fourth week. In my first week, I managed 192 total reps, 200 reps in week 2, 236 reps in week 3, and 251 reps today. I'm thrilled with the progress, and with regaining some of the strength I sacrificed while running a lot of miles earlier this year. I've never been good at maintaining a strength training routine while running. And finally...

THE OTHER
At the risk of tooting my own horn (it was the dog, not me), I wanted to mention that I'm excited about a new opportunity I've been given. I'll be the new High School Cross-Country correspondent for Northwest Runner Magazine, at least for part of the state. I just finished writing my first article (XC season preview) and will be taking some photos this afternoon to accompany the article. It will appear in the October issue of the magazine. I enjoy writing and, although I'll have to behave myself and stick with a pretty dry and straightforward writing style, it might lead to other opportunities. Even if it doesn't, it'll be a fun experience. I enjoyed the heck out of track and XC when I ran in high school, so it'll be cool to be a part of that atmosphere again, even as an outsider. Wish me luck!