Injury is part of the whole deal for runners and anyone who tells you it isn't so is either very lucky or doesn't train enough. From minor tendonitis to major tears and breaks, the spectre looms over all training plans, archly whispering caution, the devil to ambition and ability's angel.
I'm not going to use this post to whine about how much I miss running. Six weeks ago my foot exploded whilst on a flat road route. A sudden bloom of heat and pain which I foolishly ran on for another 15 minutes. Diagnosing a stress fracture I now know isn't easy but a process of elimination led there. Thanks to Global Therapies
Due to my four months off last summer I was able to bypass the rage and gloom stage (well, mostly!) and once able to actually walk without wincing (about 3 weeks in case you're wondering) launched into my plan. The aim: keep the engine running at full capacity whilst strengthening my core and trying as much as possible to keep my legs in condition.
Motivating myself to swim is a bit of a challenge now openwater's out of the question but improving my stroke is some kind of carrot, and the meditative calm and silence of the water goes a little way to replacing the wind on my face and the scenery spooling by.
And then there's this years newest game - the bike. Twenty years since I last rode on the roads and its taken about a month to feel anything like comfortable. I'm not going to rant about traffic or car drivers, I've not experienced that yet. I am going to rave about how good it feels when I get to the die-straight flat last two miles of my ride home from work and my second-hand ladies folding bike becomes a charging yellow Pinarello. I can almost feel the sideburns growing.
Suffice to say, the triathlon is becoming more and more of a reality.
So to the point. It's tragic and horrid to be disabled from doing the very thing which defines you. Settling for second best can be a stack of fun though, deftly kidding the inner sheepdog that its getting its exercise whilst feeling good about learning a new skill.
I'm now taking my first baby steps in my Nikes, looking forward to running next season, though I'll be listening to that spectre. I think it has some kind of grudging respect for me now.
I'm not going to use this post to whine about how much I miss running. Six weeks ago my foot exploded whilst on a flat road route. A sudden bloom of heat and pain which I foolishly ran on for another 15 minutes. Diagnosing a stress fracture I now know isn't easy but a process of elimination led there. Thanks to Global Therapies
Due to my four months off last summer I was able to bypass the rage and gloom stage (well, mostly!) and once able to actually walk without wincing (about 3 weeks in case you're wondering) launched into my plan. The aim: keep the engine running at full capacity whilst strengthening my core and trying as much as possible to keep my legs in condition.
Motivating myself to swim is a bit of a challenge now openwater's out of the question but improving my stroke is some kind of carrot, and the meditative calm and silence of the water goes a little way to replacing the wind on my face and the scenery spooling by.
And then there's this years newest game - the bike. Twenty years since I last rode on the roads and its taken about a month to feel anything like comfortable. I'm not going to rant about traffic or car drivers, I've not experienced that yet. I am going to rave about how good it feels when I get to the die-straight flat last two miles of my ride home from work and my second-hand ladies folding bike becomes a charging yellow Pinarello. I can almost feel the sideburns growing.
Suffice to say, the triathlon is becoming more and more of a reality.
So to the point. It's tragic and horrid to be disabled from doing the very thing which defines you. Settling for second best can be a stack of fun though, deftly kidding the inner sheepdog that its getting its exercise whilst feeling good about learning a new skill.
I'm now taking my first baby steps in my Nikes, looking forward to running next season, though I'll be listening to that spectre. I think it has some kind of grudging respect for me now.
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