This will be by 19th year in a row racing triathlon. Before that I was a competitive swimmer. Despite having injuries along the way, I haven’t missed a year of competition in the past 28 years! In my early years as a triathlete I would be a mental wreck when I got an injury. My world would be rocked knowing that my training would be disturbed. My confidence in my season would plummet. I would be devastated.
Over the years, I have learned to take injuries in stride. I have come to the realization that you WILL get injured at some point if you are an active person. It is inevitable, and I have learned that it is the way in which you deal with those injuries that makes all the difference in the world.
I have seen many athletes with nagging injuries who refuse to take the steps necessary to get better. They are so afraid to stop an activity, that they will justify doing that activity on an injury just to get it done. Meanwhile, they are hobbling along making the injury worse! This can be a vicious cycle that can lead to an injury lingering much longer than it needs to. As a coach, I try to “nip it in the bud” by prescribing rest and when necessary, recommending the injured athlete to the vast network of professionals that I have developed over the years!
This is what I have learned over the years as an athlete and coach:
-
Stop and rest! Most of the time the injury is something minor that will get better after a few days of backing off! You are better off stopping and resting a bit rather than finishing that run that’s on your schedule!
-
If you find that the injury is not getting better after a few days, see a professional! That might be an Orthopedic, Podiatrist, Active Release Therapist, Physical Therapist, Massage Therapist, Acupuncturist, etc. I find that an early diagnosis and treatment can make all the difference in the world! If rest and rehabilitation is needed, the earlier you can do this and get back to your training the better! Too many times, I see athletes training on an injury for months before finally get diagnosed. Had they gotten the diagnosis and/or treatment earlier they could have already been past the injury and back to training! This can literally make or break your season ahead!
-
Don’t panic! In most cases, if you have an injury that needs rest, there is always some activity you can do to stay fit! I have been in the situation where I had to rest from running for 8-12 weeks, however, water running; swimming and biking were OK to do. Staying fit has always helped me to get back to running in no time. As triathletes, we are lucky to have the ability fall back on the other sports to stay fit!
-
Have faith! Your season will NOT be ruined from having to take some time off! Like I said before, it'll all part of being an active individual. get past it and move on!
-
Silver lining: In most cases, I have found that having to rest from a particular activity forced me to focus on some other aspects of my fitness which helped in the long run. That could be a focus on strength when you otherwise do not, a focus on cycling if you cannot run or maybe a big swim focus that gets you stronger in the water!
I wanetd to congratulate Jose Hernandez on his fantastic performance on the "Sayville Running Company 10 Mile Run to the Brewery" last month:
Also, congrats to Frank Fiorello down in Florida with yet another 1st place in his division! Great way to start out 2016!
Dont forget to register for the NY Tri Expo! This is going to be an awesome event held on March 19th at Citi Field. There will be vendors, workshops, elite Triathlon Coach Matt Dixon will be there as the keynote speaker as well as Matt Long, inspirational speaker, author, athlete and just an incredible person! I am fortunate to have the opportunity to speak on a few panels at the expo and am looking forward to the day!