Training Through Pain vs Injury or Just Plain Stupidity

So I'm sitting here writing this in pain. Why am I in pain? I'm injured. Why am I injured? I'm stupid. But let me explain a bit.

I'm in a bit of physical pain because my right calf popped (tore?) during a run the other day. That happened because I fell during a trail race ( as I wrote about earlier on my blog ) and only took one day off from running before getting back to my marathon training. I banged up my left side pretty badly, so my gait was off, and I quickly started to develop shin, calf and Achilles pain in both legs. But...

Training Through Pain versus Injury or Just Plain Stupidity

...I'm a tough guy who is training for my first marathon which I'm running for charity, so I pushed through it. Things got better, but my left calf kept bugging me. Soldier on, man! Right? Wrong. More like stupid.

So I was doing a training run that included miles at my tempo pace (a faster pace that's basically where you aren't at racing speed for a shorter distance, but it's definitely higher effort), and my calf was really bugging me. I was nearing the end of the faster pace part and felt a strong snap or pop in my calf as I came down a hill. I literally stopped dead in my tracks, partly because of the pain, partly because of the fear of moving, and partly because, well, ok, the pain again. It was really bad. I stretched it for a while, and started hobbling the 1.5 miles home.

By the way, did I mention I was out without a phone, and the sky had just gone black?! And then the downpour started.

So you may think the stupidity is all the issues with this injury situation. But in fact the stupidity goes back to my post-injury period where I didn't take even one or two extra days off to let my body repair itself better.

And it escalated, and now I'm paying a price.

Pain is the Price of Pushing through Injuries when you Train

That price is pain.

It's not just the physical pain, which is thankfully getting better each day. The real pain is mental. I imagine many of you have dealt with this - you make great progress, you work toward your goal, and one bad move sets you back or sidelines you. You get a case of the 'shoulddas'. You know what they are. They're the times you sit there kicking yourself with all the things you should have done.

[caption id="attachment_19306" align="aligncenter" width="600"] Shoulda, woulda, coulda? Nope... just DID it![/caption]

You get a case of the 'shoulddas'

I'm also dealing with the pain of anxiety. How long will I be out for? How will this impact my marathon training? How much am I atrophying? What if I tore the muscle, and it never really works right again? What if I can't finish the marathon? What about all the kids I'm raising money for? What about the people who generously donated if I can't run or finish the race? And the most common one as a former 'fat kid' - what if I gain a ton of weight and end up back where I started?

So what do I do?

I do what I 'shouldda' done two weeks ago, and giving my body as much time as it needs to recover. I won't run on an injury like this or it will worsen. So I'm listening to my body, heeding its advice, and giving up the battle of my training for the near future to win the war of completing the marathon in the fall.

Mindfulness, Meditation and Daily Rituals to deal with the Stress of Injury

I'm not one for sitting around doing nothing. It's easy to feel that is the case when I'm literally doing zero exercise. Instead, I'm focusing on my mind and the non-physical pain I'm facing because that is 100% in my control. That pain is pain I'm creating (not consciously or maliciously, but it's still pain created by my mind and the interpretations I'm making of my situation or what I think my situation is).

I'm meditating (a huge thank you to Rich Roll for introducing me to Headspace ). I'm seeing my amazing acupuncturist. I'm continuing to eat right (I eat a clean, vegan diet) and make sure I'm getting the nutrient balance I need so my body can repair. I'm trying to maximize my sleep (what better way to take advantage of no morning workouts than to sleep in a bit later, right?). And I'm trying to actively speak positively and hopefully in general, and especially when talking about my injury and training.

You're intelligent. you're capable

Look, we all face adversity.

We all can make bad decisions that cost us. That's not the question. The question is how smart we are in the face of that adversity and in the aftermath of those bad decisions. You're intelligent. You're capable. Put those two things to good use to make the right decisions to protect yourself, give your body what it needs, and keep your head above water mentally and I promise you will thrive through any adversity you face.

[tweet_box design="box_12"]Adversity toughens you, teaches you, and helps you enlighten.your.body. ~ Bryan Falchuk, @Newbodi[/tweet_box]

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Author Bio

Bryan Falchuk is the founder of newbodi.es health and fitness coaching and training. He spent the first 2/3 of his life overweight or battling being overweight before transforming his life into one focused on health, fitness and happiness. He coaches and trains people looking to change their lives, has an active  YouTube channel  and  podcast , and shares his own health journey and inspiration via his blog ( http://www.newbodi.es/blog ), Instagram (@newbodi - and Twitter ( @newbodi ).