Today's guest post is from Wells L @ My Story... Chapter 2!
She is constantly battling every running injury I could imagine, but pushes through each one to continue racing 5Ks & Half Marathons. I asked her to share a little about her injuries with you. Be sure to check her blog out HERE!
Running with Aches, Pains, and Injuries: How to stay in the game!
Hi, I’m Wells L from be-amazing.net. Stephanie asked me to write this guest post about running with injuries something I know a little a lot about. In the past several years, I have had:
-Sartorius (quad) pain
-Shin Splints (these were the worst)
-Knee Pain
-Patellar Tendonitis (back in 2000)
-Intermittent Piriformis pain
-Blisters, blisters and more blisters!!!!
My running mentor, who is a physical therapist, says that perhaps the universe is SCREAMING at me to STOP running! That’s one possibility and more often than not, I agree that what I’m doing does seem to come at an incredibly high price; however, giving up because of an ache or pain is not in my nature-besides, I have a BLING addiction. Besides testing my own limits, I love the social aspect of running not to mention the health benefits it provides.
Here is what has kept me “in the game”:
1. R.I.C.E. is my BEST FRIEND!
2. The internet is my 2nd BEST FRIEND! (I have learned a LOT about how to tape, how to stretch, and how to “fix” aches and pains)
3. Chiropractor, Massage Therapist, and Physical Therapist are my 3rd BEST FRIENDS! These 3 people have gotten me through EVERY ache/pain/injury!! My massage therapist has been able to pinpoint several issues that the orthopedic surgeon couldn’t even diagnose. I’ve learned that Chiropractors aren’t just about your back- they can adjust lower leg bones to improve shin splints or foot bones to improve foot pain for example. I’ve also learned that MANY pains are a result of/made worse by a muscle tension that can be improved by a massage, strengthening, and stretching.
4. The local running store has been an invaluable partner in helping me to address my pain by finding socks and shoes to “fix” many of the issues listed above. Finding the right combo takes a lot of patience!
5. Blogging has truly been invaluable to me. Between insightful comments about the origin of my butt pain (Piriformis), to learning training tips, to the supportive followers – the emotional “boost” I need to get me over the painful hump has come from blogging.
6. As an injury prone person, a sensible training plan that increases weekly mileage very slowly over many weeks and is conservative in adding higher intensity sessions is an absolute must!
7. Know when a pain is just a pain (such as with PF – it just hurts REALLY badly but the actual PF is not going to get worse by running) or when a pain is coming from something that can get worse (i.e. a stress fracture or a tear will get worse with running). If there’s any question about the nature of your pain, I encourage you to consult a healthcare professional.
How about you – had a running injury that has challenged your commitment to running?
What did you learn as a result of going through the injury?
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7 comments:
Very nice job Wells!
Great guest post! I am still amazed at how many different types of injuries "Wells L" has run through. As a new runner, she would be the first person I would go to with an injury/pain question!
As someone who is sitting here with my second injury this year, I have learned too much about them, trust me. My biggest advice is to tune in and back off when you feel anything that might be leading to an injury. Not worth pushing through one last run!
@ Miss Zippy - you are SO right! One more run, one more mile - just not worth it! Hope you recover quickly so you can get back in the game :)
#7 is news to me, thanks for sharing! I get pain on the top of my feet sometimes if I run for a really long time or when my shoes are too tight. Is that what you mean?
Awesome guest post! Knowing when a pain is a pain and when it is something more is a very valuable lesson. I'm sorry to hear about all of your injuries, but power to you for pushing through them and persevering! You are such a role model chica!
I think that once you fall in love with running (as you have!) no injury could stop you for good. I have been lucky enough never to have a MAJOR running injury to stop me, but have had several bouts of PF. When it first flared up, I was ready to throw in the towel! So glad you have these amazing resources to learn more and keep running!!!!
:)
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