Until spring of last year, my short little running career had been injury free. As an avid new runner, I read every word of Runners World and running blogs, and I knew of the range of injuries that lay ahead of me. And I was waiting. But all that reading did little to prepare me for when I actually faced my first injury. I found myself frustrated and convinced that I would never recover and I would always be running with this twinge of pain. But LO AND BEHOLD, with rest and smart recovery/return to running, the pain disappeared and I ran a marathon that fall.
Which brings me to winter of this year. Coming off of a successful marathon, I did not want to see my current level of fitness decrease. I think this mindset made me push myself more, when I should have been taking it easy post-marathon. I mean, maybe not, but I'm on a self-critiquing binge right now. So. Long story short, I had a pain in my calf muscle that came and went, would disappear when I was running, but sometimes not! Would sometimes stick around after a run, sometimes not! Well when it finally got too painful to continue on a run (okay, I should have made this decision sooner) I decided to take a break and get rid of the pain.
And taking a break did not come easily. I would get antsy after a day or two of not running and hop on the elliptical. Or take a spin class. And I would do this for a few days, attempt to run again, and be in shock when my calf still hurt. I wanted to have pain-free runs. So, hopefully you can see where this is going, I went cold turkey. No exercise, nothin. For five days. (Forgive me for being dramatic, but) Five whole days. Five days where I spent every second wondering if I should maybe try running just a little bit because maybe, just maybe, my calf would be better and healed. After the fifth day I ran! And it was slow and awkward, but it was virtually painless and I was happy.
I hope this second time around I can finally learn my lesson. When I do get an injury I need that rest. And I will not lose my fitness, but if I do, it's really not the end of the world because I will be able to come back strong. Right now, I have an extremely positive outlook on my running future (and nothing hinges on how much I blog and what I blog about). I'm easing back into running. I intend on cross training/lifting a little more in order to mix things up and make myself strong. And my dad and I have signed up for the Flying Pig half in May and the Chicago full in October. I have a lot to look forward to, including good health and happy running.
