For
a runner, an injury or surgery or ANY situation that prevents you from doing
what you love is hell. Plain and simple.
It
sucks reading blogs about running when I can’t run.
It
sucks watching runners run past my house.
It
sucks seeing runners on the treadmills at Planet Fitness.
It
sucks getting my weekly email from the Boston Athletic Association.
But
I am MAKING it through. There is a light at the end of the tunnel. And if I can
get through this hell, I know I will be able to get through it again. Because let's face it, if I plan to be active my whole life, I will probably be injured again at some point!
I
was doing crunches at the gym the other day thinking… “Wow, I’m proud of myself
for getting through all this and not going bat shit psycho.”
Here
are some things I am proud of…
1. I never broke down and just bawled. I
kept my shit together.
2. I didn’t turn into a big ‘ol bitch. At
least, I don’t think I did. I better consult my husband on that one…
3. There were low points… really low points, but only a few. I
somehow managed to not let my mind “go there” too often.
4. I didn’t push myself too hard. I
did exactly what I was prescribed and exactly what I was ready for.
5. I did not look at the injury/recovery as
an excuse to not work out. I continued to train, doing what I was
able to do. Even if I could “only” elliptical for 10 minutes, I drove to the
gym and I did it.
6. Thanks to the serious upper body
training I have been doing, I can now do more pull ups than
before!
7. I let go of my ego. I
really shouldn’t be “proud” of this one as there was no other choice. Being
stuck on the elliptical with the old ladies? Not fun. Watching the other girls
do squats and lunges? Boo. Running at a 9 minute pace while other treadmill
runners were doing 7s… torture. I guess we all need knocked down a peg once in a
while, right?
I am writing this in the past tense, but I am not totally through my recovery yet. It is still nice to look at how I am handling things and be thankful that I am taking this difficult situation as best as I can.
And now it's off to attempt a run on the ROAD. I've been on the treadmill for two weeks. I can't wait to see if my knee can handle the asphalt. If it can't, I'll try again next week.
How did you deal with being injured? How did you keep yourself from going nuts? Or did you go nuts!?
I
I am writing this in the past tense, but I am not totally through my recovery yet. It is still nice to look at how I am handling things and be thankful that I am taking this difficult situation as best as I can.
And now it's off to attempt a run on the ROAD. I've been on the treadmill for two weeks. I can't wait to see if my knee can handle the asphalt. If it can't, I'll try again next week.
How did you deal with being injured? How did you keep yourself from going nuts? Or did you go nuts!?
I
Those are all definitely things to be proud of! Glad to hear you're up to 18 minutes and some outside time, too!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Cassie!
DeleteI hope your road run this morning went perfectly!! You have handled the whole process of the injury and rehab with total grace! Christmas and Jelly must be really proud of their mom! :)
ReplyDeleteIt went as well as it could have! I am pleased! Update tomorrow :)
DeleteYou deserve to be proud of yourself. I'm not sure if I would be able to take the high road and let go of my ego...
ReplyDeleteI had no other choice!
DeleteYou're such an inspiration! I hope your run went well. :)
ReplyDeleteThanks Marissa!
DeleteYES. You should be proud of yourself, especially if you kept the bitchiness to a minimum while injured!!
ReplyDeleteOh I should add that I also didn't eat ALL the ice cream... just some of the ice cream :)
DeleteThanks girl! It was a success today!
ReplyDeleteI can relate to every single point! Going into the gym and training with my training partners was absolute torture as I was so limited in what I could do with my injury. And then trying out a new, proper strongman gym was also torture - I just wanted to show off and not look like a baby. Alas, I had to respect my body and lift light weights. Hopefully not for much longer!
ReplyDeleteI know that was prob so hard for you Tara... you had to use a different kind of strength to deal with all of that! But this is good.... being able to make ourselves hold back and heel. We are smart.
Delete"Bat shit psycho" is my new favourite term! ;) you are so amazing! You will be so strong from all your weight training too :)
ReplyDeletelol glad you like it!
DeleteYou most likely know I've been going "batshit" psycho, lol. Luckily my crazy work hours have been distracting me from thinking about it too much, until this weekend, since I had a race on the agenda. There have been tears, there has been bitchiness (my poor, poor husband!), and there has been ice cream and pizza. Lots and lots of pizza. As selfish as this may sound, reading your blog, and those of others who are also battling injuries (I'm learning there are a LOT of injured people right now!) is helping me. And seeing that there's light at the end of the tunnel definitely helps, too. So thank you for being so honest about everything, because it's helping me, too!
ReplyDeleteI totally understand that- it makes you feel like you are not so alone. I feel the same way. There is light at the end. There always is! And think of how much we will appreciate running when we are back at it full force!
DeleteThis is a very inspiring post!
ReplyDelete