Forced to stop running? Struggling with injury, illness, or just a lack of time? Here’s how to cope
(This article is an updated version of one I wrote for Trail Running Magazine back in lockdown)
Illness is abound. Every person I know either has, or has had, the lurgy – this hideous flu, Covid, or they’re just feeling plain run down. January has a strange effect on us, too. A lack of motivation, the post-Christmas blues, the sense that any get up and go has got up and gone.
I’ve been here myself, I had two stints of strict ‘rest’ enforced on me after I broke my foot, twice.
Even weeks before Coronavirus was even in the public consciousness, a stress fracture had put paid to my scheduled races that year, and suddenly the goals that I’d slogged over for the previous year were pulled like a rug from beneath me.
Just a few short weeks later and I was sharing life in isolation with the rest of the world.
Time to Grieve
Chartered Sports Psychologist and author of Performing Under Pressure, Dr. Josephine Perry, was training for Paris Marathon before Covid hit. She says it’s ok to be demoralised if you’re out of action through illness or injury – for a bit.
“We need to acknowledge that we’ve missed out on stuff, the plans we’ve made have changed, and it’s absolutely ok to be really upset. It’s ok to throw your toys out of the pram and sulk about it for a day or two, but then get into proactive mode, and start making a plan.”
Training for the likes of the Bob Graham Round, and Spine race, Dr. Perry’s athletes had no idea how long it would be before they’d pick up training again – and it’s just as hard for recreational trail runners as it is for the elites when they’re grounded.
She says: “What tends to help most runners is having some kind of plan; it’s about setting goals but also being realistic about what’s possible.
“Don’t do anything that’s going to reduce your immunity – we don’t want people doing hours and hours on turbo trainers or going out for really long runs. For someone who is running an ultra every weekend, a two-hour run is very easy for them; it won’t stress their physiology too much. For someone who does Parkrun, an hour run is going to be pushing them a lot more than they’re used to, so it’s about really keeping within yourself.”
Getting the Buzz Back
Maintenance – not improvement – is what you can concentrate on when you’re out of the training game.
Focusing on what we’re not so good at, rather than mourning what we can’t achieve can actually give us a real sense of achievement.
“Think about the beginning of your season and work out where you fell down most in terms of weaknesses,” says Dr. Perry.
“Take the next eight weeks, or longer, turning that into a strength.
“When you’re working on something that you have low confidence in, or you’re not very good at, you can improve quite quickly, and when we find ourselves improving our brain releases a chemical called dopamine which is our reward chemical – it gives us a little bit of a buzz every time we improve, so when we’re trapped inside and we can’t do what we normally do it’s a really nice way to make ourselves feel good.”
Eat well
Nutrition plays a huge part in feeling good and staying healthy.
Ben Adkin, personal trainer and vegan nutrition coach at Planted Strength and Fitness, has a few simple steps to maintain condition.
“Stay hydrated,” he says. “Try to drink around 1L of water for every 25kg of body weight. Make sure you eat enough protein – around 1.8 to 2.2 grams per kg of body weight, and if you can, download a calorie tracking app to workout your total daily energy expenditure.
“Limit processed or junk foods to a minimum and really strive to get as large a variety of fruits and veggies in your day to day nutrition as possible.
“ Prep your food. Know what you’ve got in the house and start the day with a game plan.
“These nutrition strategies should keep you as sharp as possible while you’re getting back on track.”
Growing Resilience
There’s nothing we can do about getting ill or injured, but we have to make the best of it. Dr. Perry says: “We have to be resilient because we’ve no choice. Resilience is a really interesting concept. It’s not necessarily something we think we’ve developed, in the midst of it. It’s only on reflection when we look back, that we’re able to see how we grew.
“There’s a whole area of research in psychology around growth through trauma. Some elements of trauma can stretch us, we can grow through them, we can see how strong we actually are.”
Light at the End of the Tunnel
My broken feet mended, in fact, I got stronger overall. I can’t say I won’t break again, but I’ve learnt techniques to get through if I have to take time out.
“People shouldn’t feel like they’re failing,” says Dr. Perry. “It’s important that we’re kind to ourselves. We don’t want anyone to feel like they’ve failed. If they’re deconditioned and they haven’t used the time productively, it’s not the end of the world, but if you have some time on your hands, then why not use it well?”
SURVIVAL HACKS
Julia Pizzichemi owner of Anatomy Matters, has help hundreds of athletes become champions, working on physical and mental resilience.
Here are her hacks for out-of-action trail runners :
Visualisation: Focus on where you feel you need to improve and hone those skills so weaknesses can become strengths.
Build a training plan: Whether your priorities are rehab, prehab, recovery, conditioning, or functional training, a plan is key so you can maximise the time you have and get specific.
Focus on Recovery: Fundamental to keeping your body in better physical condition, having a break from intensive training is good. Excessive training causes physical stress and can be detrimental to performance.
Injury Rehab: If you have an injury, take time to work on stability and strength of joints such as ankles, knees and hips and lower back, then build in endurance.
Stretch: Use stretching to reduce the build-up of tension and adhesions, and allow for an improved range of motion.
Self-improvement: No matter the challenge, if you look hard enough there is always a benefit. Athletes are naturally competitive and have a strong desire to win whether achieving a gold medal or improving on their personal best. It has to start with the mindset.
Vegan Fitness Runner 