It happens. Here’s how to get better. Credit: Resie Waechter

Having completed a half marathon in February and a triathlon in April, I am confident, capable and strong. I’m at the top of my game, seeing small transformations in my body as well as my finish times. Most importantly — and the biggest reason of all I run and do triathlons— is how training makes me feel. Mentally and emotionally, training has changed me. Nothing can compare to the healthy balance I get from training and crossing the finish line.

Which is why it almost breaks me when I get hurt.

Right before the St. Anthony’s Triathlon, I begin to notice some tightness and sensitivity in my Achilles. Having never experienced Achilles issues before, I take note of it and keep pushing myself. As the tightness begins to increase and grow into pain, I start to worry. I mention this to some athlete friends, all of whom squint their eyes, draw their heads back and suck in their breath. “Achilles? Ooph. That’s a bad one. Have you made an appointment with a physical therapist already?”

Their reactions make me nervous.

I have pushed through pain before in training, and what I got for it was being out of commission for five years between half marathons. I can’t go through that again. Right?

I fill the week of the triathlon with rest days, adding in light activities like yoga, walking and swimming to keep my muscles loose and my psyche from going off the deep end. I make it through the triathlon with tolerable pain, but I know if I’m still hurting after a week of rest, I need to take this more seriously.

Luckily, there are a lot of resources out there to take advantage of.

1. Prevent injury

Think of your foam roller as a necessary evil. Credit: Health Gauge via Flickr

The most important thing to do for injuries is to try and prevent them in the first place: Visit a local running store to get tips on your form (St. Pete Running Co. is a small, locally-owned business at the top of my list; they have workshops to teach you how to run, stretch and train). Increase your distance by no more than 10 percent per week. Stretch, stretch, stretch. And as much as I hate to do it, foam rolling is a great technique for injury prevention and healing; it just hurts like a mofo.

2. Rest

Resting when you want to run is hard work. Credit: Eugene0126jp via Wikimedia Commons

If you do get hurt, rest is key. Pushing through an injury on your runs (or bikes, or swims) until it is physically too painful to continue will only put you on the sidelines for a much longer time. Trust me. Don’t do it.

3. Wallow (but not much)

OK, fine. You can’t run, so wallow and let yourself feel bad. Maybe have a drink or two. But don’t get stuck here, OK? Credit: pexels.com

Combine rest with a couple days of wallowing in self-pity and drowning your sorrows in your poison of choice.

4. Yoga

Yoga — especially restorative yoga — can help you on the road to recovery. Credit: pixabay

Then buck up, pull it together and take yourself to a yoga class (my favorites are Restorative classes at St. Pete Yoga. Restorative classes were key in getting me through half marathon training).

5. Seek professional help

Often, a physical therapist will give you exercises you can do at home. Credit: U.S. Navy photo by Machinist's Mate 3rd Class Juan Pinalez via Wikimedia Commons

If your injury requires it, schedule an appointment with a physical therapist. There are some good ones around who will set you up with stretches and exercises you can do on your own time in order to heal current injuries and prevent future ones.

I know how hard it can be to do everything in your power to keep going forward with training, to feel at the top of your game, to feel the magical balance of physical and mental health — and then to be knocked off your horse by an injury. Resting is hard, yoga is hard, physical therapy is hard. Doing the right thing for an injury is hard, especially when you know you can technically push through the pain. But try to see the bigger picture — the long-term injuries that can occur if you don’t let yourself properly heal.

I am trying to take my own advice here.

So I grab my ice packet and my foam roller, sign up for extra yoga classes and some physical therapy sessions. I cut my run miles down and take it easier on the bike. I hate cutting back so much, but I know I am lucky to have caught an injury in the early stages and would only cause a great deal more damage if I pushed through just for the sake of a few more miles.

I am grateful for the finish lines my body has crossed so far; I am hopeful for the ones it will cross in the future. In the meantime I will sit tight and take the advice of the pros.

This article appears in Jun 29 – Jul 7, 2017.