There's no other way to describe being injured, other than, it sucks. When you bring running into your life and it becomes part of your daily ritual, getting out there in the fresh air, feeling a post-run high and seeing progress, it's really hard when you suddenly aren't able to get out there. I've been pretty fortunate, in that, I haven't had any major injuries. All of my injuries, I think are just overuse injuries and taking time off has allowed me to make a full recovery.
Currently, I'm dealing with what I'll call a wonky left ankle. It hurts the most when I've been sitting for awhile and then attempt to go down the stairs. Sometimes I think if I lived in a ranch house, I'd never think I had any injuries. So for the last few days, I haven't gone out for a run. I don't really know how I got the injury, although, I suspect that pushing the pace post MAF runs has contributed. Typically, I'll run at a period of time at MAF and then let my heart rate go. It just feels so good. I'm finally warmed up and it feels great to run fast around the track. But I think that this does lead to more pounding, or maybe I lose the good form while I'm running more quickly. Or, it's possible that on one of my trail runs, I turned the ankle, didn't really notice at the time and strained it more than I thought I did. I haven't been as diligent with the slant board exercises because I've mostly been on the track and just recently started putting the slant board time back into my strength/core workouts.
This morning I plan to test out the ankle. I've been diligently icing it twice a day and elevating it. And I haven't done much besides walking and biking. I did go to the farm yesterday and ended up shoveling for an hour, so my lower back is feeling it. My plan is to go out there and stick with MAF heart rate for the entire run, walking if I need to stay below MAF. I'd also like to go back to nasal breathing during the entire run. I feel like this is another re-set for me. In less than 10 days, I'll be starting my training block for the 50 miler so I need to make sure I go into it healthy, with a solid plan to keep building my aerobic fitness without getting injured.
If you're dealing with an injury, depending on how serious it is, rest is always a good option. We can always do other activities including walking, biking, swimming (if you have access to a pool), strength-training, but depending on how you feel, and as hard as it is, sometimes the best thing you can do is just rest. Get some ice and/or compression on the injury and rest. Netflix and chill is allowed. Or read that book that's been collecting dust, or journal as you ice your injury/injuries for 20 minutes. Or listen to a podcast. If you feel like the injury is getting worse, definitely seek professional help. The sooner you get help, the sooner you can get back out there.
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