I was really looking forward to entering the 4th week of my training cycle (for what I thought was to be my recovery week) because I worked my butt off the last 3 weeks and subsequently played even harder over the weekend to jam in as many snow filled activities before it all melted – long snowshoe run, followed the next day by a skate ski and classic ski (because why not?), followed the next day by a great Fit1 Outdoors class. I was physically ready to cut back the miles, mentally prepare for the upcoming holiday, and let my body and mind take that very necessary week to rejuvenate.
While playing in the snow all weekend felt great at the time, I felt fatigued during my Fit1 class, especially in my lower back. I sensed in the back of my mind that all that classical ski kicking trying to catch up to my friends as I chased them around the pond may not have been the smartest idea I’ve had lately. Turns out that I literally did work my butt off and sure enough by Tuesday morning, my back essentially gave me the middle finger – a sure sign there were some lessons to be learned in my coming days.
Lesson #1 – Emotion: Be it a minor injury, or one that changes an entire year’s plans, it’s okay to allow yourself to feel those ‘negative’ emotions, just as you allow yourself to feel that post workout runners high or shear happiness from being out on your favorite trails. This too is part of the process, of riding that thrilling roller coaster full of dips and peaks, twists and turns, as day by day you progress through your own personal journey. Sleep more, be sad, shed those tears, be frustrated, hug a loved one, find consolation in your best friend or trail sisters who surely can relate and provide that extra support you need, and perhaps that extra little push to get you back on that uphill climb. Processing these emotions and listening to my feelings made me realize how much running means to me now. I just wanted to run.
Lesson #2 – Patience: Day by day. This is my general outlook on life lately, be it an in-season or off-season training period, but it certainly applies when a significant activity is removed from your daily routine, no matter how temporary. Working your way back to that regular routine is often a struggle for strong, determined, self-motivated athletes (heck, I’ve seen so many comments and articles recently on athletes having difficulty managing a recovery week!); hence, therein lies the difficult practice of taking things one day at a time. Although we know in the grand scheme that a week or two won’t be a major setback to that longterm goal, let’s face it, we all know that it feels like we are missing months of training. Instead, focus on the present. This is the time to take a deep breath, let the body heal, find some peace in the activities we are often too busy to accomplish. As I told my husband while his broken pelvis was healing, and he in turn reminded me this last week when I felt I was doing nothing over my 5 day holiday vacation, “You aren’t doing nothing. Resting and healing your body is your task now. You are doing something.”
Lesson #3 – Trust: It’s a hard thing to do, whether the process is working to increase your speed, or working through injury. For me, it is a dip in the roller coaster due to injury. Now, to trust my husband who says that that pain will go away soon yet I’m hurting, to trust my coach who says that this too shall pass when next week seems so far away. Even if you have previously experienced injury and know that you come out the other side ready to fight, it is hard to think of a few days or a few months ahead, or certainly for some a year later. Be calm and surround yourself with those you can lean on for support and trust. They are there to help you through.
Fortunately my injury is temporary. After processing the emotions and exercising (ahem) some patience, the pain dissipated, my range of motion increased, walking started to feel normal, and best yet – I got the thumbs up to go for a run.
“Trust the process you must.” ~Chris Dunn, Ascend Endurance Coaching (or Yoda, whomever said it first)
Life Love Outdoors 