For the past week I have been reduced to no running. My IT bands have all but locked up causing major discomfort in my hips and knees. At mile two of the Cherry Blossom 10 Miler, I finally throw in the towel. My mom and others tell me that trying to run 12 marathons this year is too ambitious and I was bound to hurt myself. I totally disagree…
Since my embarrassing walk back to the start line of the Cherry Blossom I have reflected on how I allowed my self to get to this point. Notice I said, “How I allowed myself.” It is my firm belief that we have total control over our injuries. In my opinion and experience thus far I have determined that it is not the training or the demand of the sport that causes injuries - it is a lack of focus.
Discipline and steadfast devotion to a long-term goal helps me stray away from over-doing one particular workout or ignoring a persistent soreness. My current injury is a direct result of my lack of focus on the long-term goal of running 12 marathons this year.
Here’s how…
Running Phoenix Marathon at a slow-consistent pace resulted in no injuries, no soreness, and (most importantly) no deviation from the plan.
While training for the Los Angeles Marathon, I hit the weights irregularly hard. This was a product of “feeling good” ONE day. I did too many sets of calf raises with too much weight, which resulted in a slightly strained calf.
Thinking this soreness would eventually work itself out, I continued to run harder. In the Los Angeles Marathon I set a PR. I ran way too fast for a sore body and calf. This effort, on ONE day, caused a chain reaction.
The continued training on this sore calf caused a shift in my gait, which caused other (stronger) muscles and tendons in my leg to work over-time. Eventually, my IT band and knees were so sore that I resorted to walking two miles back to the start of the Cherry Blossom.
My point: the entire chain of events can by traced to one common theme – loss of focus. I lost focus on that one day of weight training and I lost focus at the Los Angeles Marathon. Both incidents and my own stubbornness caused this injury, and as a result I will not be able to run the full 12 marathons. On the other hand, I now have new goals: to rebound from this injury and run faster in one specifically targeted race: Chicago.
The more I run (or more importantly, don’t run) the more I learn. Marathoning is an older person sport. This is true because it takes time to put aside youthful indiscretion and remain true to a lasting devotion to your goal.
Since my embarrassing walk back to the start line of the Cherry Blossom I have reflected on how I allowed my self to get to this point. Notice I said, “How I allowed myself.” It is my firm belief that we have total control over our injuries. In my opinion and experience thus far I have determined that it is not the training or the demand of the sport that causes injuries - it is a lack of focus.
Discipline and steadfast devotion to a long-term goal helps me stray away from over-doing one particular workout or ignoring a persistent soreness. My current injury is a direct result of my lack of focus on the long-term goal of running 12 marathons this year.
Here’s how…
Running Phoenix Marathon at a slow-consistent pace resulted in no injuries, no soreness, and (most importantly) no deviation from the plan.
While training for the Los Angeles Marathon, I hit the weights irregularly hard. This was a product of “feeling good” ONE day. I did too many sets of calf raises with too much weight, which resulted in a slightly strained calf.
Thinking this soreness would eventually work itself out, I continued to run harder. In the Los Angeles Marathon I set a PR. I ran way too fast for a sore body and calf. This effort, on ONE day, caused a chain reaction.
The continued training on this sore calf caused a shift in my gait, which caused other (stronger) muscles and tendons in my leg to work over-time. Eventually, my IT band and knees were so sore that I resorted to walking two miles back to the start of the Cherry Blossom.
My point: the entire chain of events can by traced to one common theme – loss of focus. I lost focus on that one day of weight training and I lost focus at the Los Angeles Marathon. Both incidents and my own stubbornness caused this injury, and as a result I will not be able to run the full 12 marathons. On the other hand, I now have new goals: to rebound from this injury and run faster in one specifically targeted race: Chicago.
The more I run (or more importantly, don’t run) the more I learn. Marathoning is an older person sport. This is true because it takes time to put aside youthful indiscretion and remain true to a lasting devotion to your goal.
3 comments:
My only disasgreement would be that injuries can come just as easily from a slow deterioration as from one day of losing focus. Setting a goal thats just a little too aggressive and not being willing to back off can put you on the sidelines regardless of your focus. I know thats why I havent run in two weeks.
Hey, sorry that it has taken me so long to respond...
I did have an injury before this - last June I struggled with calf tendonitis, but that was in the same leg as this injury is. It stinks too because I can't pinpoint exactly what is causing the injury this time around...
I've been fighting the catastrophic results of one over-zealous run for 3 years now. I'm just now touching a 40min 4mi. I'm dying to take off and run and not stop, but I know it would be my last. +<10% rules my life.
Stay focused on the long term, no matter how infuriating it is. I feel my legs getting better week after week after 100s of weeks. The progress is slow, but safe. I will be running ultras before I die. 3 years ago I was convinced I'd never be able to run again. That answer was unacceptable.
Stay conscious, stay focused. PRs are fun, but being able to run everyday forever may eventually be more appealing.
@TG "slow deterioration" -- Reasonable progressive use of muscles and joints causes the opposite of deterioration. Over-use and lack of rest, which can cause deterioration, come from a lack of discipline and devotion to a long-term goal.
@Everyone -- Keep running!
http://www.geoffreyhale.com/blog/
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