Sad But True: Being Injured Sucks
So you know how I got injured? Well, it’s been a bit of a learning process for me. While my body is showing progress and I am feeling much better (love ya, Dr. Tony!), I’m still a ways off from running on my own and at 100 percent of my body weight. So as not to set my rehab process back, right now I can’t lunge, squat, run or even power walk. At first I told myself that I would make the most out of this situation; that I would lift like a mo-fo and do core work until the cows came home.
And I did. And I have. But, for me, there’s nothing better than cardio. And there’s no better cardio than running. The endorphin rush that I get from running is unparalleled to biking, swimming or being on the elliptical. Sure, those activities make me feel good, but not like a run. After most runs I have more energy, feel like a bad ass and want to clean the house. Imagine that…I want to clean. It’s amazing.
Running is also my therapy. It allows me to work out problems or forget them entirely. It gives me a break from work, home and all of my other responsibilities. It is something that I do for me and only me. It is empowering. And I’m now finding that a life without running—or running just once a week on this fancy piece of technology—isn’t cutting it. Nor is weight-lifting a few times a week (albeit with a half-hearted effort, I’ll admit). Being injured sucks. Period.
I should feel lucky that this is the first time in my life that I’ve truly been injured and unable to be as active as I want. And I would never—in a million years—not have run the marathon, although training for that is what caused my issues. That feeling of accomplishment is exactly what I focus on now to remind me that I really can do anything, including being patient while my body is healing and rebuilding my broken bottom.
During the almost two years that FBG has been live (speaking of, our two-year birthday is coming up next week and we’ll have a TON of fun content and huge giveaways to celebrate, so stay tuned!), I’ve read readers’ struggles with injury and overcoming them. But I’d never experienced it. Well, from weight gain to being in a crappy, unmotivated mood, I feel you now.
Not all hope is lost though. A few weeks ago, Dr. Tony had me try the Graston Technique, a sort of extreme deep tissue massage facilitated by stainless steel tools to really break up adhesions in the muscles and tendons. It’s definitely not a pleasant experience (especially with your arse exposed) and my rear turned all kinds of funky colors the day after from bruising, but I could feel an immediate difference. It just made my butt feel more, well, normal. And normal is good. Very good!
I’ll have a few more treatments of Graston in the coming weeks, and will continue strengthening my glutes, so that hopefully this not-so-fun situation doesn’t “rear” its ugly head again (har har). I still hope to be up and running some short distances in the next month or so, but I’m listening to my body and not pushing it too soon. I’d rather be injured for three months now and not run, than run a few times and be out of the game for another few months.
And I’ve learned a very valuable lesson here. It’s called appreciation. Appreciation for what you do have and what you can control. I can get up every morning and lift weights for my upper body or do crunches. I can take my dog on lots of slow walks. And I can see this time as a break, as an extra 30 minutes a day for me, but not just time to be physical. I’ve begun meditating again. I am reading novels (and not just FitLit!). I even started a gratitude journal to be more thankful for what I can do and what I do have.
Patience, my running grasshopper. Patience. —Jenn