Dealing with a Running Injury

By Laura Cummings

What could be more infuriating for a runner than an injury…?

After completing a half marathon in June, I have had a tendon injury ever since and I am currently awaiting physio. I always plan to jump straight into my next event’s training as it can be difficult to rebuild momentum once you lose it. However, I have been forced to slow right down!

However, it is not always a bad thing – it is important to rest and recover from long-distance events, something I never quite listen to myself about as I always want to keep pushing. I haven’t run with my team for a few months now as I can only manage around 5k comfortably, but this has meant that I’ve been attending a lot more parkrun events in my local area.

The parkrun is how I started running and I remember when I couldn’t run 2.5k without stopping to walk. Now I love the parkrun; it is a nice way to compete for speed, as I am usually training for long distances at a slow and steady pace and really enjoying being surrounded by the running community! It also helps to kick-start the weekend feeling; something I’ve achieved whilst others sleep in! I recently ran the parkrun in Adelaide, South Australia and was amazed at the community spirit and how welcome I was made to feel – it’s nice to be reminded of how fun these smaller events really are! They are also really inclusive of all running abilities, and it is so nice to be cheered on by fellow runners or supporters and watch yourself improve as a runner.

When a running injury strikes, it can be useful to partake in other exercises which can help to keep you strong, whilst not straining the injured area. As it is usually my ankles that I manage to injure, I like to go spinning – a fast-paced cardio exercise, great for a leg workout and building stamina, but it also doesn’t have the hard ankle impact of road running. I used to find spinning once a week drastically improved my weekly training runs and my breathing ability.

Another form of exercise I find really useful is yoga! Not only is it very relaxing for your mind but it's also so great for your muscles and joints. You are able to stretch all those tight muscles that form from running – I also use a foam roller (not my favourite thing!) so I find yoga really rewarding in general and as a treat for my body for all its hard work running.

I am very eager to get back out to long-distance running with my team and in my local area, as I’m sure all runners are when they have an injury, but you have to listen to your body and remember to enjoy these times when you can appreciate other events or sports, which are often forgotten about when a race is on the mind.