Injury As Opportunity

We are running along the tops in the Tararuas, a westerly wind is whipping our cheeks, and nothing is breaking the panoramic views across the whole range. Our spirits are high after navigating Broken Axe Pinnacles for the first time (by the sidle rather than the scramble - we aren’t that hardcore) and after some early trepidation, all of our goals for the day are now within reach. I’ve just pointed out to Lucy the tiny two-bunk McGregor Biv below us to the west. We are still laughing about how desperate we’d have to be to spend a night there, when it happens.

Happy times at Broken Axe Pinnacles

At first, it’s just my left leg disappearing into a trench as some loose footing gives way, but then it becomes something much sharper as my right foot unexpectedly hits solid ground and takes all of my body weight. Before my reflexes have kicked in and braced for landing, my knee is bent at maximum flexion and a searing pain goes through the joint.

My immediate thoughts are of the dangers of being on windy tops while moving slowly, or not at all. Fortunately, the immediate pain fades within a minute and I’m able to get moving and we make our way back to Holdsworth car park. The following day at work though, I was in some discomfort and it was clear that the dreaded “I” word could be at play.

I’m now a week into being an injured runner and thought I’d share some of my reflections about the lessons and opportunities that I’ve been given over the past seven days.

Lean On Your Supporters

I knew waking up the next morning that something wasn’t right with my knee. I was fortunate that I already had one of my regular appointments booked for that day with my amazing massage therapist, Jo. I’ve been seeing Jo regularly for four years now and she knows when something isn’t right with my legs. Jo could tell straight away that four hours of running back to the car on my sore knee had thrown all sorts out of alignment in my glutes, calves and hips. By the end of the hour, Jo had convinced me to see a physio as soon as possible. When Jo gives me advice like this, I always listen to it. Having people in your corner who know you well and can give you timely and trustworthy advice, combined with knowing your own body well, is a great start to setting you on the right path.

Listen To Experts

The day after seeing Jo, I had an appointment with a physio. After a few tests, the physio recommended that I shouldn’t run for at least a week. For someone who compulsively puts in a minimum of ten hours of running each week, this is fairly devastating news to hear. There was enough bruising and inflammation in the knee that running was going to put other areas of my legs under stress. We also couldn’t be sure that there wasn’t something more serious until that swelling had gone down. By the Friday, through rest, ice and anti-inflammatories, the discomfort had fully gone and it was very tempting to head out for a run in the sunshine. I had made a promise to the physio that I wouldn’t run until my appointment the following week though. You’ll all know that I am a sucker for following a rule, and there was no chance I was breaking this one.

See The Big Picture

As I stepped out of the physio’s office, my big summer goals were looming into view and I was  looking at a minimum of a week off running. Ultimately though, I had months - years! - of good training behind me, and that isn’t lost overnight. The adaptations that take the longest to build are also the stickiest - they take the longest to detrain as well. If it was going to be a short lay-off, the smart thing was to focus on the adaptations that are the quickest to gain and to lose - aerobic conditioning and blood volume. Of course, if it was going to be a long lay-off from running, I’d have to rethink the whole training routine, but that wasn’t the immediate problem.

Focus On What You Have

In any sort of consultation with a medical professional about an injury or illness, they are going to give you a list of things you can do and things you can’t do. This is a big test of whether you are a glass-half-full or glass-half-empty kind of person. I’m generally a fairly positive person, but I am as capable of a pity party in the face of adversity as the next person. I knew that I wasn’t running for at least a week. I also knew that this gave me a lot of time and energy to put into other things. There were two words on the “can do” list that stood out - core and swimming. These are two activities that I know are beneficial for my long-term fitness, but that usually get squeezed out. A plan was immediately hatched: swimming for at least 20 minutes every day to preserve aerobic conditioning, follow it with sauna or spa every second day to promote blood volume (something I’ve tried before when tapering for an event with good effect), and extra core strength exercises to keep building for the long-term.

Dusting off my goggles

It’s OK To Not Be OK

In case everything here sounds like I was all sunshine and rainbows for the first week after damaging my knee, rest assured that there were plenty of moments of grumpiness and negative thoughts. Everyone on Strava is having fun without me! I’m missing out on some of Wellington’s best ever running weather! What if I have actually shredded my whole meniscus in half and I’ll never run another step in my life?! These sorts of thoughts are completely normal and natural. As a coach, I’m always going to uplift how my athletes feel about any sort of setback. You are still going to get solutions and we will find a way to turn your lemons into lemonade together. As is always the case in endurance running: it doesn’t always get worse!

Thanks for reading. I’m still pretty new to blogging. If you have any feedback on this, or have subjects you’d like to see me write about in the future, drop a comment below or email me on yrpcoaching@gmail.com. Keep moving forwards!