How I kept my running mojo whilst benched.
When you run for your mind, becoming injured takes on a whole new meaning.
After being diagnosed with a tendonitis on my shin after the Manchester Half Marathon, I really struggled as the anxiety that is kept at bay by regular running came back x 10. Bubbling up into my throat, I felt like I couldn’t breathe. How on earth would I manage without the escapism of lacing up and heading out? Suddenly everything felt harder, days felt longer, the slightest worries loomed up into my brain like a nightmare, my little boys’ tantrums seemed worse than ever, work was more stressful, I couldn’t cope.
Worst thing was, I felt so angry with myself. I KNEW I shouldn’t have entered so many races. I KNEW I hadn’t trained properly. I had no real right to be upset, I had to take rest and it was my own fault.
Just because I wasn’t running didn’t make me any less of a runner. I could still do all of my usual runner-y things, just not the actual running. So, the following tasks kept me busy, got me through six weeks of rest (I ended up doubling it to be on the safe side), and has seen me starting my marathon training feeling strong, happy and positive.
Social media
Not many of my ‘real life’ friends are runners, so I spend a lot of time on Twitter and Instagram geeking off with fellow runners. Twice a week I join in the #ukrunchat hour on Twitter, and regularly post training updates, too. When I was first injured, I didn’t feel like joining in, I felt so jealous of the medals and PB’s in my feed. But I persevered, and was honest about my frustrations. My Twitter runner family gave me a real boost, lots of them offering great injury recovery/prevention tips, most of them having felt my pain at some point or other. I didn’t feel like I was missing out, and really appreciated the support, so I was glad that I didn’t huff off into online silence for a few weeks, which had been the temptation.
Diet overhaul
Sometimes I struggle to focus on both diet AND exercise and tend to be all about one or the other. Being unable to exercise at all at first gave me time to really think about what I was missing, where I was overindulging, and what changes I needed to make. I saw Lee-Ann at DNA Nutritional Therapy, who came up with a personalised plan for both training and non-training days. I am gradually changing my mindset from counting calories to eating for my health and performance. For example, it turns out I wasn’t eating ANY fat — good or bad. So I am going all out on the nut butter and avocado and have lost 5lbs. Win.
Explored ‘other stuff’
Once my leg had healed, and lovely Lisa at Leam Therapy Centre had done her magic and said that lower leg strength stuff would be ok, I introduced some other training into my routine. I started doing Body Coach HIIT workouts 2–3 times a week (20 minutes in my bedroom whilst the kid has his bath) and am really feeling the difference already. I’ve also tried hiking, spinning and yoga — all of which have helped keep my fitness and flexibility from dipping too much. Marathon training means that strength is more important than ever so I am going to work hard at keeping this going.
Quality time
Don’t get me started on ‘mum guilt.’ I work full time and spend a lot of it feeling guilty about dragging my little boy from childminder to nursery to relatives whilst I go to work, do the shopping, go running, etc. Thankfully he is a lot more chilled out than I am. I’m working hard on stopping feeling guilty for having my own time, but having a whole weekend free with no Parkrun/long run interruptions meant that I enjoyed more lazy, fun time with my son and husband instead of dashing off to run or do other jobs.
New kit
No explanation needed for this one. Buying new kit made me excited to run again and determined to get better. The New Balance/J Crew collab is just my style, so this long sleeved training top has really been a light at the end of the tunnel for me.
What next?
So I am easing back gently into running. I have found this article by Lazy Girl Running offers realistic guidance on how best to do this, plus I have taken the advice of my physio. I am loving running pain-free, with no pressure and I really believe that being injured has given me a different perspective on running. Yes, it is important to my wellbeing, but I also know that I need to give myself a break. By making running the only answer to my problems, I was setting myself up for a catastrophe when I suddenly couldn’t do it any more. I have learned that eating and sleeping well, and enjoying other types of exercise, plus quality time with my family will all contribute to a happy and healthy runnerbird.
So my plan for the next few weeks is to enjoy lovely wintry running, enjoy downtime, enjoy life…before marathon training officially starts in January.
