Running With Injuries

"You have to pick your battles. And not all the battles you pick are going to bring you victory."

I am not sure who, exactly, said that. And I am pretty sure they weren't talking about running. But I try to remember that every time I suffer a setback. For me, the important thing is to just forge ahead and keep on keeping on.

I have certainly, in my short running career, had a good share of injuries. Some I've managed to overcome. Some are a constant struggle. A few are daunting challenges and leave me fearful.
Hypothermia left me fearful, to be sure. Between the Polar Bear Plunge, where I learned that I could keep pushing myself in the face of extraordinary circumstances and the new running equipment I got, I've been able to largely put that behind me. It still creeps up in my mind from time to time, like for my long run tomorrow where the temps are expected to be in the 20s when I get started. But for the most part, it is settled for me.

I was once in the Army. I trained hard to go into the Army and worked hard while I was in. But the repeated stress took its toll and one day on a run, I was ordered to fall out because I was limping. I didn't want to. I wanted to keep on going. Eventually, the Army would determine that I had damaged my knees. When I got out of the Army, I stopped running and let my knee pain become my big excuse.

It wasn't until I had someone in my life who cared enough to drag me off my couch that I sat down and had a negotiation with my pain. And then we started training. She really showed me that she cares and even though things have come between us, there is not a day that goes by that she doesn't motivate me, even if she doesn't know it.

Early on in my training, I had a plantar plate disruption (turf toe). I didn't have the right shoes and caused myself a great deal of discomfort. The Doctors at the VA wanted to put me in a post-op boot. Yuck! I declined and they advised me that it might not ever heal correctly. They gave me some inserts that helped a great deal and I've been dealing with it ever since. Almost 2 years later, it still aches a little, but that was a battle I chose and fortunately, I've conquered that one.

Over the course of the past year, I've had other problems. My IT Band would flare up on longer runs, I've had various heat-related problems, cold related problems and muscle problems. My current ailment is a pain on the front of my right heel. Is it a stone bruise? Is it Plantar Fasciitis? Or something else? I don't know. I'm not liking the idea of going to the doctor because I figure he'll say I should stay off it.

But taking a break from getting out there is the hardest part. I had so much help to build my motivation the first time that I constantly worry if I I take a break if I will be able to muster the motivation to get back out there after an injury. So I often run hurt. It's hard not to for me. I've run so often with various hurts that I do wonder just what I could do if I ran without injury.