Coping with Injury
Hello all, for those that don’t know me – I’m Phil. I’ve been running with the club for a couple of months now, but due to the sheer numbers haven’t even come close to introducing myself to everyone! Still, it’s a pleasure to be involved with a club where membership is ripe, as opposed to struggling for numbers.
Over the last couple of weeks I’ve had to take an enforced break from training, due to a very painful injury. Maybe it’s running within Gordon’s ‘Zen’ group on a Wednesday, or maybe it’s reading Murakami* – but I thought there might just be some Porty runners/readers who’d appreciate a few words as to how a fellow runner copes with not being able to run.
I last attended a club training session on the 1st April – an apt date as it would turn out, as I’m convinced the man upstairs was having a wee laugh at my expense! I was indeed running like a fool that night, and had to cry off half way through the session with what turned out to be a nasty stomach bug.
“Big deal” I hear you say. Well, that’s what I thought too! The idea was to give myself a couple of days for the bug to disappear from my system, and then get back to training. 2nd and 3rd April passed without incident – but the 4th brought the most incredible pain in my lower right leg. What is this?! Shin-splints? Stress-fracture? I couldn’t get my head round it at all – I hadn’t knocked my leg in training, or outwith either. I wasn’t trying any new footwear, and my road-runners had plenty of cushioning to spare. Last, but not least, my training was providing plenty of variation of surfaces.
In the end – this injury has had me completely stumped. It turns out it is inflammation of the tendons below the right shin – but no explanation as to why it has appeared with effectively no warning signs at all. What I do know for sure is that walking had become just as problematic as running – and it brought with it a comedy limp for good measure…
So, a week and a half of no running at all brought some alleviation of the pain – but a niggle still persisted. Having spent a relaxing few days in the sunshine in Aberdeenshire around the 10th April, I returned, very tentatively, to a run on the 13th. Normally I would give this kind of inflammation every chance to clear up – but unfortunately I am tied in to a family commitment to run the ‘Highland Fling’ (as part of a relay team) on the 25th April. As a result, quitting is not an option at this point. If I pull out, our team would have to pull out too. As well as that – I really want to do this race, it looks incredible.
Happily I can report that my return to running the past week has been at race pace, though it is not pain-free. Thankfully I have fashioned an effective ‘Runner’s repair Kit’ (see accompanying photo).
What has struck me over the past two weeks is how I am a much more irritable person when not able to run/exercise. I was so desperate for exercise I even went to the Commonwealth pool – if you want some idea of my swimming ability – remember Eric the Eel? Well he would absolutely destroy me!
Do other runners feel this way? If you can’t run for a few days do you get what I like to call ‘the itch’? ‘The itch’ could best be described as a complete inability to sit at peace… It drives my wife crazy.
Anyway – the lesson I am taking from the last couple of weeks is “How on earth would I cope if I had a real injury?” But more than that, a couple of weeks without running has given me a sense of perspective. It allows me to see just why we all value it so much – whether it be for physical exercise, mental well-being, or simply to revel in the social nature of it all.
It’s reminded me why it’s right to run with a smile on the face.
Happy running.
PO* - Haruki Murakami – ‘What I talk about when I talk about running’. This excellent book takes in running, philosophy, and a real insight as to how even world-famous novelists are just like all the other runners we know. It’s currently available half-price at Waterstones.
Phil Owens
