Everything seems to have been derailed.
One of my favorite things about training, and specifically training with my team, is the very structured schedule. I know exactly where I am supposed to be when and how much I am supposed to do. It is wonderful. No guesswork. I can put all my effort into working out and none of it into really thinking or planning or trying to control things or predict outcomes or any of that crazy stuff. It is great.
Until something happens, like life, and my training schedule no longer wins and something else takes over.
Sometimes that something else makes sense and is a legitimate reason to trump -- like my sprained ankle. Yes, it is STILL hurting. And yes, I tried running on it too soon and probably biking and I am sure that is the primary reason it is not doing as well as it should be. But this weekend the universe stepped in and literally gave me every sign and every test to show me that I really need to rest. I took a quick trip to New York to see a friend's show (by the way, if you are in NYC go see Here Lies Love. It was awesome.). On the way up, I read the new issue of Triathlete Magazine which happened to be all about injury and recovery. I also finished reading The Complete Nutrition Guide for Triathletes, where, it turns out, the only remaining chapter I had was on illness and injury. The message was loud and clear -- REST. REST. REST. REST and REST. Respect the healing process. As triathletes, we thrive on pushing past pain so it is really difficult for us to not do this and heal properly.
I was supposed to do a 12 mile run around the bottom of the island. AND the weather was perfect. AND it turns out the Five Boro Bike Ride was going on while I was there. And all I could do was limp my way back to Penn Station and get on a train.
I have a race next weekend, the swim portion of a half relay (which will be my longest open water and non-stop swim in my life) and a sprint the next day. So I have declared this week "Baby my ankle" week and I am not doing any other activities other than swimming and aqua jogging. No bike. No run. Limited walking. Lots of ice. I am not even going to ask myself each day if my ankle is better or if it hurts. I will check in with myself on Friday because I know what I will tell myself -- it is fine. Go running. When it is not. I have learned enough about myself during these injured weeks to know I cannot trust myself in honestly evaluating the pain.
Not having my training as a guide to fill up my days gets me in trouble. I take the extra time and fill my head with crazy thoughts about work and boys and negative thoughts. One of my favorite things about training is that it quiets my mind. It's my way of doing nothing while doing something. I am terrible at doing nothing. My mind runs a million miles a minute. But when I am physically working out, I can clear it. Or at least calm it.
This week's challenge is to live outside of my training plan without beating myself up. I am afraid of the space it will create and what I might fill it with and fear that once the imposed rest is over I won't be able to get back to my routine.
Strategies for coping: Fill time with other activities that prioritize training besides training -- nutrition plan, self-care, reading, swimming, reaching out to teammates. Acknowledge fear and counter it with positive thoughts -- especially that I will NOT lose a year's worth of fitness in a week of rest.
Labels: injury, plan, training, triathlon
