Coach, Volte Endurance Training
Throughout my running career, I have been blessed to have very few times when injury kept me off the road.
Every year, my two “A” races are the Houston Aramco Half Marathon and the Woodlands Half Marathon.
In a lot of ways, these events defined my running season and set me up for the following year.
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| Cooper, though, has never, ever been injured during the Montgomery County Triple! (Photo courtesy of Jon Walk) |
Two weeks before this year's Houston Half Marathon, my world was rocked!
While doing my last hard track workout, I felt a knot in my calf.
It was a different pain I had never experienced before so I immediately stopped my workout.
A week and half later - after trying to run again, I found out I had pulled my calf muscle and it would take six weeks to heal.
Just like that, both my “A” races were wiped out.
It was the first time in 15 years I had suffered a significant injury.
Gaining A New Perspective
However, something changed for me this time.
The last time I was injured, I was in a state of depression for the duration of the time I was out.
This time, I decided to have a different attitude. I accepted it as God’s way of telling me my body needed to take a break.
So I chose this time to evaluate and educate on how to deal with injury.
And since I am a coach, I knew my experience could be passed on to others. That’s what we do at Volte Endurance! We help each other out.
As a runner, the first thing you wonder and probably ask God is “Why me Lord?!!!”
It’s my belief that everything happens for a reason.
How you deal with adversity is all about perspective.
With most injuries, the first step to recovery is rest. You have to allow your body to heal, otherwise it will only prolong the process.
I know this is hard.
Most runners are very stubborn and inpatient and want things to change immediately, but you have to be patient and let nature take its course.
The biggest worry is getting out of shape and losing all your gains.
Lesson #1 – Listen To Your Body!
There are different types of pain.
There are aches which come from training and then there is the sharp pain or as I term it, “This doesn’t feel right pain.”
Trust me, you’ll know the difference: The dilemma, though, is what you do about it.
Aches go away after rest and recovery; injury pain is persistent.
While it may lesson over time, the minute you try and run again it comes back and often with more intensity.
When you feel this pain, the most important thing to do is to take time and evaluate it.
If you have a coach, talk to them about what to do. You may not like what they have to say, but trust me they know what you should do.
Most of the time, it will probably mean taking a break.
A term I like is R.I.C.E., which stands for Rest, Ice, Compression and Elevation.
For soft tissue injuries this is usually the first step to treating your injury. (This is what I did for the first two weeks after I became injured.)
If your coach tells you to go see a doctor, do it! Your doctor will often prescribe rehab.
Of course, finding the right one is important.
My advice is to ask your coach or fellow training partners who they use for treatment.
Another option - especially for soft tissue injuries - is to seek out a good massage or physical therapist.
In my case, I opted to visit my massage therapist who was able to work on the muscle and do ultrasound and electroshock therapy to speed the healing process up.
One thing that is not an option though is don’t sit back and expect the injury to heal itself!
And most importantly, have a positive attitude.
As I said earlier, everything happens for a reason so use the time off to spend time with your family or help out in the running community.
Lesson #2 – Follow Your Training Plan!
If you have a training plan, follow it! Every plan has a purpose.
As coaches, we develop them to help our runners get stronger and faster throughout the period of the plan.
Each workout within the plan has a specific purpose.
So when your schedule says Rest, that’s what you need to do.
If it says Easy Run, then run easy.
In most training plans there are more Easy Runs and Rest days than high intensity workouts.
After every high intensity workout there is always a Rest or Easy Run day so the body can recover.
Lesson #3 – Don’t Take Your Running Too Seriously!
It’s all about perspective.
Throughout my career as a runner and a coach, I have seen running take over people’s lives and wreak havoc.
So unless you’re a professional runner, running should not consume your life.
Running is a gift from God and although it has a purpose, it's not the only one.
Running is a way for us to stay healthy and form relationships with others.
It’s a life enhancer! For me, running changed my life.
Twenty years ago, I weighed 250 pounds and smoked two packs of cigarettes a day.
Two years after I started running and 70 pounds lighter, I met the woman of my dreams and married her.
From that, everything fell into place: two handsome young sons and a great career.
So running can significant change your life, but it should not consume it!
Final Thoughts
Getting over an injury takes time, discipline and patience. It will involve making some tough decisions.
But remember this, you have to think about the long term objective!
If you come back too soon, it could make your injury much worse and set you back even more.
The end result for me is I’m back and slowly easing back into my running schedule, after all I have nine months to get ready for Houston 2018.
My body feels refreshed and ready to go.
And even though I know getting back into shape will not be easy, I know in the long term I will come back stronger and wiser.
The bottom line is overcoming an injury takes time and if you treat it correctly, you’ll come back stronger than ever!
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