As runners we tend to put an awful lot of pressure on ourselves when training for a big race. And the more time and effort that is required to train for it, the greater the chance of something going wrong during that training cycle – which in turn leads to anxiety and doubt.
If our training does suffer a set back, it’s how we choose to handle these emotions that is most important.
Why we get injury recovery wrong
When injury strikes, it’s critical to remain positive and to be proactive in how you work to recover from it. Speaking from recent experience, I was hit with an injury that flared up fairly quickly and seriously during a long run. It severely inhibited my training, right when I was due to hit peak mileage and volume for an ultra I’m training for.
What was worse was the fact that it was an injury I didn’t have experience with, meaning the unknowns were more prevalent. I then committed the cardinal sin of going out for a training run when I knew I wasn’t 100%, when I knew I hadn’t recovered, and this more than likely made it worse. As a running coach myself, I have been known to display tendencies within my own training that I would certainly never prescribe or advise to my clients.
I know I’m not alone here, and I’ve heard from other coaches and professionals – not just in the running world – who have done the same in the past. Even my sports therapist admitted to me that she is often guilty of not always training wisely and not always maintaining strength work as part of her training, despite being an expert on the benefits of doing this.
Patience is a virtue
So the first thing I would say is to have patience. If you don’t feel 100%, running is really not worth the risk as you could simply be doing more damage to yourself and further prolong the recovery time. Patience is hard to come by when as runners we’re generally built on drive, determination, action and motivation – but there comes a time when restraint is all-important.
The other main danger to look out for, and which often precedes injury, is overtraining. This is a particular risk when increasing training levels or pushing too far beyond the appropriate level for your body (and mind).
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