Worried about Injury

Week 6 is complete and I am actually feeling pretty good.  Despite this fact, I am constantly worrying about the potential for an injury that would ruin my race plans for New York.  Stressing about an injury  isn't really that strange for most distance runners especially amateurs.  When I talk with other runner friends of mine, they too are always on the lookout for any little ache or pain that could lead to an injury that would prohibit them from participating in the sport they love.  During the first 6 weeks of training I haven't felt any abnormal ache or pain during any of my runs.  God, I hope I didn't just jinx myself.

Over the years I have learned that I can thwart injury by simply training smarter.  I never increase my mileage by more than 10 per cent in any given week.  I also separate my speed workouts, tempo runs and weekend long runs by 48 hours.  This separation allows my body to recover better between hard efforts.  The key advice I can give any runner is to remember that more doesn't always translate into better performance.  In fact, if you push yourself too hard during training you could potentially cause the injury to yourself.  As Bill Dellinger (Olympian) said, "Good things come slow - especially in distance running".  Be patient and build a solid base before starting a hard training schedule.

I have always felt that if you give into your fears they tend to come true.  In the case of running, I know that if I am constantly stressing about getting injured, I am tense.  This tension spreads throughout my body which ultimately could cause the injury to occur.  To avoid this I make sure that when I set out on a training run, I take the first half mile slower than normal.  I remind myself that I have the ability to complete the training without injury.  I have learned to listen to my body and will back off the pace if I am not feeling right.  I also know that it is okay to take some extra rest if that is what I need.  Taking a day off is not going to affect my ability to race but not resting when it is needed is worse.

Here is the truth about running injuries. When I look back at the few injuries I have sustained they can always be attributed to a few things.  They were more often than not caused by simply doing too much in my training than previous weeks.  It could have been adding too many miles too fast or trying a new workout without proper preparation.  They were also caused by pushing myself too hard even though I wasn't really feeling up to the effort that day.  This simply meant that my injuries (including my hamstring) were caused by simply doing too much, too fast, and not taking time to properly recover between hard efforts.

While I have found that it is absolutely normal to feel some effects from my training (especially building up to a marathon).  What every runner should do is be on the lookout for any ache or pain that  is getting progressively worse.  You will need to try and isolate where they problem stems from and take corrective action.  In most cases, simply reducing your mileage or taking some time off will let your body heal itself.  Most of us cannot fathom taking the time off as we feel we will lose fitness.  Nothing could be further from the truth.  Remember we are doing this for fun and because it is what we love.  I am not going to push myself to the point where the injuries are more frequent and potentially end my running career.

Aug. 8 – 6.20 miles (01:07:52, 10:57 pace) - Hill Repeats
Aug. 9 – 6.30 miles (57:37, 9:09 pace) - Speed Work
Aug. 11 – 9.20 miles (1:22:53, 9:01 pace) - Tempo Run
Aug. 12 – 6.20 miles (55:33, 8:57 pace)
Aug. 13 – 14.20 miles (2:14:09, 9:27 pace)
Aug. 14 – 8.20 miles (1:13:03, 8:55 pace)

Total Miles:  50.3 miles
2016 Total Miles:  1,212.5 miles