THE AGONY OF “THE FEET”

Bone spurs, shin splints, plantar fasciitis, tendonitis, ankle sprains, IT band syndrome. These are common injuries suffered by runners.

I’ve been fortunate to not experience a single running injury in all my years of running…until now. People go through injuries all the time, but you can never really understand the magnitude of the pain until it affects you. The pain that I am referring to is not just physical, it is emotional.

It’s been 2 weeks since my achilles on my right foot started acting-up. A slight jogging step will trigger the pain. The sharp pain radiates from the base of my achilles to the sides of my foot whenever I take a step harder than a walk. Imagine the effect it had on my emotions.

“Oh-no, I can’t run!”

“What am I going to do?”

“My event is only a month away!”

“Will I have enough time to train for my event?”

“What if I can’t run my event?”

I’ve been feeling a bit down about not being able to run. But you know what? My injury has helped me realize that there are things you can control and things you can’t. I can’t control the fact that I have an injury, but I can control how I feel about it. I am telling myself that I will heal, and I’m going to do everything I need to help my achilles heal quickly as possible.

I’ve been stretching my calf muscles, using my foam roller, icing my ankle, and putting a hold on my running until I’m completely healed so I don’t make it worse.

Instead of running, I have been biking. Biking doesn’t hurt my achilles so I feel it’s a safe alternative to getting a good cardio workout and gaining strength. My quadriceps is getting stronger and that will help me with my runs once I’m healed.

I’m not going to let my injury beat me down. I’m going to stay positive. Optimism is good for the mind and soul.

In life, I have choices. I can choose to be depressed and bitter about my injury, or I can choose to redirect my focus on getting better. I can choose to quit running or I can choose to try a different workout that will compliment my running. It’s all about having a good attitude.

I may be weary, but not defeated.

I may be in pain, but not destroyed.

I may be beat down, but not crushed.

I may be suffering, but not dead…

Keep on running my friends…

~Walking/biking-girl (for now)