No race plan...and keeping sane?

Dawn Cass

I have taken a very difficult decision not to race Madison next weekend. I have been struggling with a hamstring injury since last October and have come to the conclusion that there is NO way I could actually run a marathon in my condition. Walking is no fun so I choose to bow out.

I raced one 70.3 in Boulder with a 40 min PR at 5hr 30 in June however apart from that, no other Tri achievements this year and feeling down about it.

Question to the group (as I am sure there are many of you out there who have been injured at some point in time)...

How do I avoid going crazy in the downtime it's going to take to get healthy??? Secondly, loosing fitness and gaining weight will be an issue as well if I am not careful.

Going for MRI on Friday to tell more however everyone so far is saying at least 3 months recovery for high hamstring tendonosis.

Appreciate thought on how to keep sane!!

MattAaronson

This is really tough. I was on the shelf with my foot in an immobilization boot for 6 weeks this winter and then had to do run/walk after that for another 6 weeks. I was forced to DNS at 70.3 Florida and virtually all I could think about was my totally-planned season slipping away and that I would never recover to a level where I would get PRs.

During my recovery time I did a few things:

1. Focused on recovery only and didn't try to do any exercise at all. I wanted to come back at 100% not struggling with an incompletely-healed injury.

2. In the one exception to (1) I did some new and totally different things that would have zero impact on my injury recovery. In my case this was strengthening and core, and pushups (which I literally had never done in my life...I went from 10 to 45 in a month!).

3. Watched my diet like a hawk, including going back to weighing food which I had not done since I started logging my diet in 2010.

4. Went from weekly to daily weighing.

I found that focusing on the above and keeping an attitude of "I can only control what I can control" minimized the unavoidable disappointment and low points and helped me manage the recovery process.

Wendy Watson

Hi Dawn

Very sorry to hear about the injury and the change of race plans!!  Matt had some very good suggestions.  I was sidelined for 9 months during my trail running days with a stress fracture and in 2009 for a year with a back diagnosis.  They both sucked, that is for sure.  Especially when people were telling me I would never run or bike or ski again. The layoff in 2009 turned me into a swimmer, though, and has allowed me to experience the wacky world of triathlon which probably wouldn't have happened other wise.  Turns out the run / bike /ski predictions were a bit premature.  There is a lot of suffering to be had living in an imagined future!!  Giving your body what it needs to heal right now is the ultimate in race execution IMHO. Maybe composing a formal written "recovery plan"  just like the "race plans" might be interesting.  This is as much of an "event" to get through as a race.  You are strong, you will come back stronger.  The little voice that says "I will go crazy now" is a very close relative of the little voice that says in the middle of a race " I can't do this, this is too hard".   I am guessing you are pretty good at not believing the second one!!   Speedy recovery!!

Wendy

Dawn Cass

Thanks Matt and Wendy, appreciate the posts. Gives me dome things to think about. I am now taking swim lessons to try to better myself there...no impact and doesn't stress the injury. Maybe I try yoga/more core as you mention.

Want yo try to find some cardio stuff if possible but as you mention, don't want to risk pushing things...