Dealing with an injury

Ugh, I knew this would happen!

I over did it, as usual. I push too hard and then hurt myself and derail everything I’ve been working for.

A 9-mile run on Saturday has left me on my butt for the last two days.

Suckfest.

And instead of going to the doctor, I decide I’m fine and should wait.

Then, I like to plug my symptoms into WebMD and self-diagnose.

That website is the worst idea ever. It has completely turned me into a hypochondriac.

All of a sudden a migraine becomes a possible aneurism.

A pain in my side becomes a potential tumor.

And this pain in my foot that kept me from walking was most certainly a fracture.

Good news: my foot isn’t broken.

(Full disclaimer: I’m not entirely sure since I haven’t been to the doctor. If it is broken, my body has magical healing powers apparently, because I can walk now.)

Anyway this made me think about injury prevention.

I’ve done everything they said I was supposed to do: increase my mileage slowly and steadily, wear good shoes, warm up properly, stretch afterward, hydrate blah blah blah.

And let’s be honest here… I don’t run with the grace and speed of a cheetah. I’m slooooooow and clumsy,  but the miles get done.

Here are some tips from Livestrong.com on how you can prevent injury if you’re taking up a new physical activity for the New Year.

1. Warm-up. Give yourself 5-10 minutes to get your muscles warm. Make sure if you do stretches you do dynamic stretching and not static stretching. Static stretching is best for after a workout.

2. Lift weights: Building muscle mass will help protect your bones. Period.

3. Stretch more:  Being more flexible is good for your joints and can protect you from injury. Toss in some yoga a few times a week, if you can.

4. Learn the right way. According to Livestrong, even running sometimes needs a little guidance to ensure you aren’t hurting yourself when you pound the pavement.

And here’s a final tip added by yours truly:

5. Sometimes, you just need to sit one out.  Now that I look back, I think my injury was simply overuse. I was doing things right but pushed it too hard.  In my opinion, It’s OK to take a break once in a while and can actually be beneficial for your training.