My next topic for discussion and reflection is injury or injury avoidance. There is so much out there on injury and I think sometimes written in a 'clickbait' triggered way. Creating a more resilient you will be at the heart of the discussion.
Things to consider is that word resilience; one definition 'capacity to recover quickly from difficulties' or 'the ability of a substance to spring back into shape' 
. Resilience is like a tree that bends in the wind, it needs to otherwise it breaks. The root system is healthy, the nutrition is good. You can't see the activity of a tree but it is there. Likewise mental resilience does not mean toughness but an appreciation of the ebb and flow of life. Being resilient to injury therefore fundamentally is one about approaches and appreciation of our being.
That seems a tad 'out there' but how often do you run with a niggle, push too hard, feel the need to squeeze workout after workout otherwise you will 'lose' fitness. Creating the conditions to develop a mental and physically resilient body threads together a lot of considerations. Yes, I do understand if you fall over, break an ankle etc, that is something that cannot be avoided that is the first dart of suffering it is the second dart, the response to the injury physically and mentally that is under our control. 'a calm sea does not make a skilled sailor'. All the best everyone have a good rest of the week.
As I chat on about injury there is one element that I have met quite often and that is the 'fear'. 'What if I get injured again?' this comment usually relates to a chronic injury, the stubborn persistent niggle/pain that won't go away. The usual suspects are plantar, achilles, knees and piriformis but lower backs can rear their lumbar head! What is interesting is when I drill down a little more. These conversations I have with runners are so important, the background sets the tone. I might ask 'can you remember when you became aware of the injury?' good question. Usual response 'can't remember, been here, it feels like for ever!' Oh , I think not such a good question then:) 'Have you changed your training, increased miles/changed kit/shoes?" this sometimes gets a response but runners will change the obvious. 'these shoes are awful' and away they go to the EBay store. That is where I get my shoes from! I then ask 'have you visited a sports physio/researched?'. At this point the runners split into two camps 'No or Yes'. If they have I ask them about the exercises or diagnosis and really the killer question 'do they consistently do the exercises/strength work' 90% of the time the answer is no' .
The main observation I would like to share and these are observations, is that consistency and other work to support a chronic site is essential. I have a dodgy right knee, I perform little strength exercises most days. I am not going to scan my knee via an MRI. Some of you know that the pain discussion is so complex and I am going to avoid the pain chat.
There is quite often a resigned fate as well, to the injury, the niggle the pain. Is it form related, does the focus on movement help, yes it can for sure but not always. A supportive yoga/pilates/integrated movement session does work, honestly my lower back used to fire up at aged 17, you might have a fundamental weakness but ignoring the scaffolding and structure around the site is, I feel, to be avoided.
Without going on and on. Resilience is a word I discussed before, the word to consider now is consistency but not just running but form a consistent and habitual practice that supports your movement (walking, bending, functional) running is an extension of that and if you are more serious refine the areas to focus on. Stronger balance, spine and hips/glutes area although I tend to argue the body connects so a dodgy weak little toe is also to be avoided!! Running exposes us and also cultivates a more aware you. You do become sensitive to your body and how previous days intake of 'what ever' affected your morning's run. Developing a personal practice is at the heart of this chat, habits are habit forming and my final point and quote is 'good and what is not good, do we really need to be told' without doubt every single runner I have coached has had a gut feeling that they needed to either reduce intense sessions (they are getting injured), increase strength work (they are getting injured), rest (they don't rest enough), diet is shocking or could be improved (only good fuel in a ferrari!). This way you can enjoy your running at whatever level you are, from recreational to professional. If ever I was asked to offer opinion on professional coaching it would be the rule of 1% , micro changes that accumulate similar to the SKY team and the tour de france. Leave nothing to chance!
My next offering in some reflections on injury is 'decisions'. Don't be scared/frustrated by beginning a planned run and noticing a small niggle (It'll be fine) or feeling tired (I will get better, you might give yourself 20 mins easy running before making the 'fatigue decision). Even half way through and the niggle increases in intensity, make a decision and don't run through the pain. Ask yourself are you competing? If so, who with? Understanding why we decide to keep going when we really shouldn't is interesting. Nadal has just pulled out of Wimbledon(2022), amazing, there he was in a semi final he might not ever make it again to the semi final of wimbledon (he might
) put he pulled out! Why? I suspect because the injury would have been so damaging that he might not have been able to play again at such a high level. Top end athletes don't run through injury or compete. Why do we? Consider that thought, running to the point where your injury might mean months off or worse compared to a week off and pop onto a turbo, walk, and rest? A small post but perhaps the biggest one in terms of listening to your body and making a decision to change before the run/during the run and altering overall practice plans. Next post next week is about the quality of our rest. That word quality is key. Have a great weekend folks. Hydrate it is warm:)Rest, it feels like a rude word to some runners, but a few years ago as I watched another(!) documentary on Kenyan running one of the commentators mentioned that if there was a gold medal for sleep the Kenyan runners from Iten would win gold all the time. Sleep and rest are not to be avoided. in our busy lives we tend to squeeze training in and hence ramp up the effort 'just in case' we lose fitness. Resting is the only time your body can rebuild AND grow. As the Norwegian running community share 'you cannot make the cake and eat the cake at the same time'. I am not a fan of training tired, I have heard of this method and sort of understand it but I can't help feel you are placing your body under stress. You feel tired therefore rest. Pushing your boundaries if you are training for something takes time, give yourself the time, rest, recover and grow as a person and runner. The other issue is resting and sleeping for the mind not just the body. A Good sleep does wash the mind, it seriously does, you should wake up after a good nights sleep bright eyed and alert, not groggy and sluggish. This state of mind of course links to mindfulness and meditation which I am a big believer in. There are a few triggers which you do need to look out for and should alert you when you need to rest or you are in a state of fatigue induced by running/over training I know there are other forms of fatigue such as work fatigue or fatigue induced by chronic conditions! .
Make these triggers a thing of the past make rest part of your overall practice. Some triggers I have noticed and read about:-
a) increased heart rate, longer recovery time
b) infections and lower immunity
c) state of mind, sluggish, difficult to focus, distracted or too focused, need to switch off. You almost know this but just can't unless injury stops you!
d) performance decreases, if you are into this, I am a little I have noticed all that apparent effort has no effect! Time to rest!
I don't mind resting from running by doing some light turbo work, and I do various yoga practices that I can dip into for recovery, more active at times and my morning practice, which is a very personal practice, that relates and links to the wider Yoga aspects. But resting completely, allowing the body and mind to settle is not and should not just be for the holiday you have booked. Hence the retreats are an ideal time to understand the power of rest/activity and simply being present, the penny dropping moments where I see people actually soften, their faces and bodies relax, it is a palpable experience and very real.
I could go on about rest, but everyone I have spoken too all admit they could rest more and be less busy, find more time for themselves. You cannot pour from an empty jug. Rest is not laziness it is about being compassionate and being more aware of your needs. Place these first and you can give more!
The words I have used to weave together the injury discussion have been resilience. Aim to develop and create a resilient body and mind through supportive practices and overall running programme. The next word was consistency, I do meet a lot of runners who move in and out of running so their bodies adaptions to running are never entirely fulfilled. The next three words are clearly linked and substantially refine your running practice. These are strength, endurance and speed. Generally these words pair up;- so strength and endurance, think running up a long hill the fitter your body is (lactic management, the more sustained this is). Speed and strength, think power and acceleration here, the ability to change speed easily or sprint. Speed and endurance, the faster 10K or whatever distance linked to tempo runner.
A little more formal but next time you consider a running programme consider the two key words resilience and consistency and then underneath the three words that combine strength, speed and endurance. It is how these words combine and your response to the training do you begin to understand your own body type. MIne is definitely strength/endurance, I forget the three body types in Ayurvedic descriptions(I think my dominant type are Vata and Kapha) but some of you will be speed/endurance or other. Don't get too bogged down with this though, encourage a flexible training programme that has a little bit of all three. I love to try and run quick, over a distance if I was being super honest with myself and wanted to compete again it would be 400m or maybe 200m at the masters level of course! I just don't get motivated by the track as I prefer space/nature and stillness sod the speed:) That is it easy right:)
resilience<=>consistency developed through strength, endurance, speed mix. Complete runner and mover as well, includes walking by the way!! have a great day folks
