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Running can be emotional. Ask the injured runner how it feels to be on the elliptical stationed behind the row of treadmills and you’re putting yourself at risk for a major @$$ whooping.
On the contrast, approach the runner who, physically spent after crossing the line after a new PR is miraculously able to overcome full lactic acid overload and jump around like a giddy school girl.
Something about all those endorphins coursing through a runner’s veins can sure bring out the emotions. Running just makes everything else feel more ‘real’.
‘Normal people’ can’t quite understand the unique ecstasy experienced after a run that was just ‘on.’ Conversely, ‘normals’ can’t wrap their heads around why a bad run can put you in such a crappy mood. “It’s just a run, right?” they ask scratching their heads. But it’s not…it’s more.
At least it FEELS like more. Running isn’t most of our jobs, it doesn’t make us billionaires, it won’t snuggle us late at night (but we can spoon with our Nike running shoes), but dang-it it sure brings a nice sense of purpose to things.
Running is black and white. It’s a constant when all other things may feel totally off the wall chaotic. It’s about working towards something, watching progress, seeing hard work PAY OFF. Not in the monetary sense, the worth of miles is, as MasterCard can tell us, ‘Priceless.’
I often say running keeps me sane. It’s reliable. You can always count on the run being there, it’s YOU that has to show up.
Injuries are unavoidable, as are set-backs, but eventually the run will be there for you. It’s like the welcome mat that never gets tossed out.
Dealing with the emotional side of running is what tests the HUMAN in us. Struggling with an injury is the greatest test of a runner’s will. But you CAN get thorough it. Just as you CAN persevere through the ‘low’ points in your running career. The sh*tty workouts and despicable races. They have their place…they teach us lessons.
Savor the euphoric moments running will grant you, they are free of charge (well, unless you count the INSANE amount races seem to cost these days!) but more rewarding than anything those green presidents can buy you.
Remember those moments to get you through the brutal stretches of injury rehabbing. With everything, keep your perspective.
Running can sure bring out some strong emotions, like the pregnant women who instantly tear up at a sappy commercial…a runner can’t help but feel moved to cheer like mad, be pumped up on adrenaline, riding the high of motivation upon watching an inspirational feat of a fellow runner. [Heck, it's even okay for you boys to admit that's not just your allergies. ]
———– Post on the MENTAL survival through an injury.
Unless you’re racing on a track, there’s SOME kind of terrain you’ll need to be prepared for come gun-time. Even during track season athletes have much to gain from varying the terrain on their workouts.
Power and Speed: Hills build strength and when taken to flats that translates to speed. That same kind of logic applies to doing repeats on grass, the times may be ‘slower’ but you’re working harder and building strength.
Injury Prevention: Running on softer, more forgiving surfaces helps reduce impact and thus lowers your chances for injuries in the long-term.
Diversity: Running is a very repetitive action and mostly only working in a single, horizontal plane. At least by varying things slightly you’re able to give your body a bit of diversity; if you fail to do this, smaller muscles get weak and imbalances become injuries in waiting.
Those are all general reasons why mixing up your running terrain is a good idea, but if you know your actual race course will have key elements you’ll need to be prepared for, it’s even more important to introduce those same obstacles in training. Hilly Courses
Uphill Repeats: It take power to get up those hills; including uphill repeats into your routine may seem like an obvious but not all runners actually DO hill work, or they don’t mix-up the kind of work that they do. Think of hills in a three-pronged approach, similar to your regular running workouts. 1) Do 100-200 meter hill bursts, allow for full recovery between each repeat; this is your speed session for the week. 2) Longer, 600-1600 meter hill repeats for your endurance-focused interval sessions. You could also do tempo runs uphill (on a treadmill set on a grade if you don’t have an actual course). 3) Including rolling hills into your easy days ‘sneaks’ hill work in.
Downhill Repeats: Many can overlook just how taxing a lot of downhill on your race course can be. If your race has a significant amount of downhills (Hello, Boston Marathon!), be sure to get used to running on the decline; your quads will be working even if you don’t ‘feel it’ right away. You can include some downhill repeats in your training; just be careful in terms of injury because downhill running does increase the forceful pounding of running.
Form: Running hills makes it even more important to have good form; when running uphill maintain the same effort that you would but decrease your stride length. When running downhill, make sure that you’re not tensing up and causing yourself to ‘brake;’ rather, relax and let the momentum of the decline help do some of the work for you.
Trail running
Ankles and lower legs:Trail running is about as diverse as running can get, twists, turns, awkward foot-plants aplenty. Here is where you need to be sure your ankles and feet are used to landing in various positions. The way to do that is, well, running trails, taking turns, and including mobility work outside of running.
Core and Mobility: To reduce your risk for injury when running, you want to have a strong core, be flexible, and have as much range of motion as possible. Schedule time for strength training, dynamic stretching, and drills; not only will it help safeguard you against injuries it will improve your running performance.
Tangents: Some math logic here, but running longer adds more time to your race results. Road races are measured off of the shortest possible marked distance, so look for those tangents and don’t run wider around turns than you have to. On the track, unless you’re going to be boxed in, do your best to not needlessly wander into outer lanes.
Drafting: Even on the calmest of days drafting makes a difference, mentally it’s much ‘easier’ to sit behind someone else and let them do the work. If it’s especially windy, find a body and tuck in behind them!
Weather Conditions: The conditions of race day can make a HUGE difference in your performance; not only should you take these into consideration for your race-day pacing goals but train in the same kind of conditions. For cold races be extra certain you do a full warm-up to make sure your muscles are properly warm and ready to hit those faster paces.
Until the day that all races are held on treadmills, runners should be mixing up the terrain of their workouts and runs. By tailoring your training to your specific race course you’ll be setting yourself up for even better results. And hey, who doesn’t want to run that much faster and have a bit of an edge over their competition?
1) How do you train for your course? If it’s for the track, how do you add diversity to your workouts?
2) Do you prefer road races, track races, cross-country, or trail races?
3) How do you plan, adapt, or prepare for various weather conditions?
After my last post I think we can all agree that distance runners have a warped perception of tired. Muting out the body constantly telling us, “I’m tired, can we stop please?” is all part of our sport.
Run-Up Grill…not serving any wussies.
However, that post also touched on the ‘sanity line’ and runners sometimes having trouble tuning BACK into what feeling tired really means. There’s a difference between telling your brain to ‘shove it’ in order to push through that last interval and then straight up digging yourself into a hole and being a glutton for punishment. Runners often see admitting they are tired as a sign of weakness.
Like so many other things in our sport, here is yet another ambiguity. Pushing enough, but not too much. Training hard, but not too hard. Doing more, but no, not too much. Sheesh, there seems to never be a definite answer! The truth is, it usually comes down to knowing yourself. With running, a whole part of the process is learning to read your body, be more attuned to it than the average person. To sense things others wouldn’t even notice. To a runner, a slight 5% dip in how you feel is magnified because that may translate to a 40% drop in how you feel when you’re actually running, when you want to PERFORM. We’ll call it the performance magnification…to the Average Joe, they may not notice that 5% because they’re not doing anything to where that margin is an issue.
BAD TIRED
* Prolonged:
If you’re in training mode, it’s fairly normal that your ‘easy days’ sort of sound like a contradiction. Or at least the recovery runs after a hard workout. Still, you go easy and come back strong a few days later. However, if you notice a prolonged period where every run is feeling like you’re pulling bricks something may need to be adjusted. A few days, normal, a few weeks…not.
* No Snap: If your hard workouts FEEL harder than the paces should, and you’re running above the effort level for multiple workouts/weeks then something may be off. Here it is often a case of going too hard on your recovery days and not being fully recovered for the days that matter: the HARD workouts.
* All Day: Running fatigue is usually normal, but there is that kind of bone marrow deep tired that lasts all day and is more intense, obviously, when you try to run, that indicates a problem. Here it’s smart to get some blood work and check to see if there is a medical issue, like low iron.
Be a runner down to the bones, but don’t be bone-tired.
DIG OUT OF THE HOLE
It usually takes us stubborn runners LONGER than it should to finally admit that we are tired and something needs to be adjusted. It’s always easier to catch it earlier, because it makes turning things around a LOT easier.
* Easy Days: Make sure those easy days you REALLY make the effort easy, forget about the pace and run for effort. It’s honestly amazing how many people could turn things around or be better if they took their easy days easier…that allows you to get more quality out of your hard sessions and THOSE are the workouts that count come race day.
* Regroup: If you’re flat for workouts, take a few more recovery days. A small step back early isn’t going to cost you that much if it gets you out of the hole and back on track.
* A Break: The deeper the hole, sometimes a full break is necessary. A break should come after a really hard, intense season or race anyways. If you peaked much too early in the season and you’re nose-diving, maybe just take a break and regroup for next season. HERE is my article on peaking too early.
* A Mini-Break: Sometimes you don’t need a full two weeks or ten days off, mini-breaks lasting a few days, or at least a few days of just really backing off or cutting your mileage and intensity, can work some mini-miracles.
So yea, runners can ignore tired like it’s nobody’s business. I’m proud of that, you should be too…because we can push past what most people would even bother with. It makes us better runners, and better people, I believe too.
However, as with all the other running ambiguities, it’s important to be able to tune BACK into tired when you’re, well, too tired…lol.
1) Finish the sentence: I’m proud that as a runner I can push through pain and fatigue, one time I pushed through to a new level of pain was…
2) Finish this sentence: I’m proud that as a runner, I realized it was NOT mentally weak to admit I was tired and I…
3) What is one way you have dug out of the hole of fatigue?
For an injured runner, the HARDEST part of recovery is all mental. Okay, yes, there will be the cross-training, the physical therapy, any necessary strengthening exercises, stretches, icing, massage, etc…that stuff is never easy but the TORTURE is all mental.
Strip the miles from a runner and they feel naked. Half of themselves. A shell. The mentality a runner takes and holds throughout their recovery will either make them stronger or cripple them.
Running is wrought with highs and lows, injuries are unavoidable, as are the lows. Retaining sanity entails keeping the right perspective during the lows and the crappy injuries…because an injury never comes at a ‘good’ time.
Faking Rainbows
I just wrote an article for Competitor.com: “The Mental Side of Recovery”. Do read it but what I’ve said time and time again is that a positive outlook allows an injured runner to 1) be proactive in their recovery 2) gather the strength to keep moving forward 3) makes them even tougher when they do get back to running. * Staying Productive: Hey, cross-training does suck; but it’s the medicine we suck down. It feels overwhelming imagining yourself ellipticalling away for months, so DON’T. Think of making it through this single workout and that’s it. Deal with this moment before you tackle the next.
* Money in the Bank: Doing that cross-training makes a world of difference when you get back to regular training. You can bust out some dang hard workouts on a cross-trainer; remember EFFORT is what counts.
* Appreciation: These injuries should give you a renewed appreciation for healthy running. When you eventually DO get back to regular training, when you catch yourself feeling ‘greedy’ take a moment to remember that your running is NEVER a given. Also remember on the days you’re thinking about wimping out on those 400′s, remember the hours spent on the elliptical where you thought, “Gosh, I can’t WAIT for the day I can tear it up on the track!” Then…follow through on that.
* The Key to Staying Positive: Faking it. Laughing. Laughing at yourself. Making light of the current suckiness of the situation. Do it. Because it does suck, but turn the suckiness into an ironic, sarcastic, snarky joke rather than let it build into a depressive black hole that sucks you in.
* Runner Mentality: It’s always easy to keep working hard when things are going right. Injuries and the tough stuff is what tests us; an injury is one of the greatest MENTAL tests of a runner.
Will you let it break you? Don’t, because it’s an opportunity to PROVE how much of a runner you are, you’ll get back to your miles. You will again feel like ‘yourself’…even better, instead of a shell you’ll be all that much stronger than the pervious you.
———-
There are more tips in the Competitor article.
Please forgive me if this posting takes you longer to read than usual. That'll be because I'm typing it very slowly.
The reason for that is that I'm only using one hand.
And the reason for that is that on Sunday afternoon I broke my left wrist. Rather badly.
I'm not telling you this just to get a bit of sympathy, although quite frankly that would be nice. Rather, I thought I'd use this opportunity to share with you an opinion that just about everybody - including me - has voiced in order to cheer me up:
"Oh, well, you can write about it in your next book."
To be fair, not everyone has assumed it'll be the next one: only that the experience will be useful source material at some point. But it is intriguing, this general assumption that when a bad thing happens to me I'm likely to write about it.
Equally intriguing, by the way, is that nobody's mentioned money. There's no sense of, "Shame you broke your wrist, but you'll get a few quid out of it when you put it in a story." The feeling seems to be that the writing itself will be the silver lining, a compensation in its own right.
I don't know if I will ever write about this sort of injury in a story; but it's noteworthy that - while it has been and continues to be painful and inconvenient - more than anything, I've found it interesting. It's all an experience: the moment of sharp, sudden, numbingly wrong pain; the first sight of the swollen question-mark of my once exclamation-straight wrist; the jarring pangs as every speed-bump takes me ruthlessly closer to hospital; the strange blurring of the world as the morphine takes effect; the peculiar internal disassociation as the doctor and orderly take hold of an end each of my twisted forearm and pull it back into shape; the hot rush of blood back into my veins after the bier block... I've lived it all, but I've also noticed it all, and noticed it in a way I don't think I would have done, once upon a time before my working life was taken up with stories.
So perhaps Anne Rooney was right, when she said in Saturday's entry that "Writing is our way of making sense of the world" - or perhaps writing teaches us to make sense of the world. Whatever the truth of it, I'm going to leave you with a question posed to me in sympathy on Sunday evening, by the lovely Katie Fforde:
How do people who don't write deal with it, when terrible things happen to them?
Agreed! Every sympathy to you and your left hand, John. (And possibly to your guitar?)
But how exactly did you do it - or is that what you're saving for the future fictional moment?
Aha! I see! You're keeping the sense of dramatic suspense in your tale even when badly broken-boned. I am most impressed! Hope the arm gets stronger & more comfortable soon.
Ouch, the description made me wince, John. Sympathy coming your way. I agree we take more notice of the small details when things like this happen to us, and even if we don't write directly about them they can be stored up until we need to use part of the experience or perhaps have it happen to some poor character in a book.
oh John, you have heaps of sympathy from me. I managed to break my ankle a few years ago, missed all sorts of non-repeatable treats, never learned how to go up stairs on crutches, watched lots of afternoon TV, and generally didn't learn anything useful from the experience. Oh, I did give a character in my last book a broken ankle and for once didn't have to look up the details. Still, injuries do mend and life goes on.
Poor John! Has no-one thought to check that you are not left-handed and can still type? That would have been my first reaction - after ouch! Lots of sympathy.
How horrid! I've no idea about an up-side to a broken wrist, unless it's getting you out of the washing up. It would just make writing annoyingly slow and guitar playing impossible. Hope it mends very soon. How on earth did you do it?
Thanks, everyone! Firstly: no, I'm not left-handed, so I can still type; but I'm between projects at the moment, so I don't quite know what to type (and the pain-killers are making me drowsy, so I'm not feeling terribly inspired, either). And, worse, I'm having to postpone school visits and speaking engagements!
Oh - and when I can get back on the circuit (hopefully in a couple of weeks) I'll probably have to leave the guitar at home for a bit.
As to how I did it: playing football with the kids in a muddy park. Slipped; hand went down; ouch.
Hope your wrist heals well and soon - sounds a nasty injury.
I don't know how people cope with nasty events if they don't write about them. I've been trying to think what I used to do before I started writing, but I can't remember!!
The first thing I did when I landed in hospital with an ankle in plaster a few years ago was send my husband out for a notebook and pen / I was so furious : a cancelled holiday, etc., writing was the only way I could deal with it. I wish you better, John.
This is a rip stick. This is what I fell off of....
...causing me to have a BROKEN ARM. Yes, you read that correctly. When I went into the emergency room after the accident last weekend, the doctor assured us that it wasn't broken, just "badly bruised". Well. We called her a few days later to get the final report of the x-rays from the radiologist and lo and behold, my arm has indeed been broken.
Sigh. I don't have to get it put in a cast, at least. So that's a good thing, I guess. (Apparently casting it would only hinder the healing process.)
I have figured out a way to type with two hands....it's not the most comfortable, but I can deal with it. Reading is also tiring when you have to hold up the book with one hand, but when it's a really good book I barely notice.
9 Comments on Oh rip stick, how I hate thee!, last added: 6/17/2008
I'm sorry, I just have to laugh. Back in fourth grade, I fell on the driveway and really hurt my wrist. The nurse at school I thought I should have doctor look at it, and the doctor said that it wasn't broken. My mom took me to an orthopedic that she knew. Hairline fracture. *rolls eyes*
Ooh...and when my younger brother did something to his wrist. The doctor was sure that there was something dreadfully wrong and he had to have a special splint made and it was pretty expensive and it turns out that there was nothing really wrong with my brother's wrist at all. And my mom was just really angry.
So it must be a doctor thing: give your patient the wrong diagnosis for a couple of days. *rolls eyes again*
Aw, sorry Miss Erin! I hope your arm and typing fingers are back in working order soon. Love the image of you playing bocci ball with your grandfather, the two of you in matching slings. So cute. I'm going to picture your sling as being sunflower yellow with little flowers embroidered on it, if that's okay.
get better soon! I love bocci ball, but I haven't played it in ages! For only using one hand, that was a pretty long post... i am typing this with one hand to sympathize with you, and I'm already tiering!
;_; Poor Miss Erin. I'm gonna make a video about Out of the Wild and its gonna cheer you up ^_^ ... provided I make it. Before the class its due in tomorrow.
Action-packed illustrations crammed with hilarious details and subtle humour betray the impish reality that is missed by the earnest narrator in this snappily rhyming adventure in learned compassion.
When it comes to generously illustrated sing-along staples, more is more. Boasting eleven extra verses of the classic toddler tune and thirty-two pages of captivating illustrations, this book has always left our girls eager for more.
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Sympathy coming your way....
Agreed! Every sympathy to you and your left hand, John. (And possibly to your guitar?)
But how exactly did you do it - or is that what you're saving for the future fictional moment?
Aha! I see! You're keeping the sense of dramatic suspense in your tale even when badly broken-boned. I am most impressed! Hope the arm gets stronger & more comfortable soon.
Ouch, the description made me wince, John. Sympathy coming your way. I agree we take more notice of the small details when things like this happen to us, and even if we don't write directly about them they can be stored up until we need to use part of the experience or perhaps have it happen to some poor character in a book.
oh John, you have heaps of sympathy from me. I managed to break my ankle a few years ago, missed all sorts of non-repeatable treats, never learned how to go up stairs on crutches, watched lots of afternoon TV, and generally didn't learn anything useful from the experience. Oh, I did give a character in my last book a broken ankle and for once didn't have to look up the details. Still, injuries do mend and life goes on.
Poor John! Has no-one thought to check that you are not left-handed and can still type? That would have been my first reaction - after ouch! Lots of sympathy.
Mary
How horrid! I've no idea about an up-side to a broken wrist, unless it's getting you out of the washing up. It would just make writing annoyingly slow and guitar playing impossible. Hope it mends very soon. How on earth did you do it?
Thanks, everyone! Firstly: no, I'm not left-handed, so I can still type; but I'm between projects at the moment, so I don't quite know what to type (and the pain-killers are making me drowsy, so I'm not feeling terribly inspired, either). And, worse, I'm having to postpone school visits and speaking engagements!
Oh - and when I can get back on the circuit (hopefully in a couple of weeks) I'll probably have to leave the guitar at home for a bit.
As to how I did it: playing football with the kids in a muddy park. Slipped; hand went down; ouch.
Ow, John! Six weeks of sympathy...
Lots of sympathy from me, too, John. I hope it's better soon.
Hope your wrist heals well and soon - sounds a nasty injury.
I don't know how people cope with nasty events if they don't write about them. I've been trying to think what I used to do before I started writing, but I can't remember!!
Julie xx
Oh no - hope it heals up quickly.
The first thing I did when I landed in hospital with an ankle in plaster a few years ago was send my husband out for a notebook and pen / I was so furious : a cancelled holiday, etc., writing was the only way I could deal with it. I wish you better, John.
Hope it heals quickly. Funnily enough it was fracturing my ankle that started me writing again. I still call it my 'lucky break.'