Injury & Cross-Training - Heather Ogg Blog

Well I’m already in week 6 of our 18 week training program. It’s hard to believe. Part of me feels like I just started and part of me feels like I’ve been doing this all my life.

I am training with a bunch of great runners, some of whom have run marathons before and they are faster runners than I am. I have to get a grip and run my own pace. During the last two weeks I felt like I’ve lost ground and am running worse that before I started training. It has been a bit discouraging at times but I do have to factor in that the heat is brutal and I am running a much faster pace. Why? Adrenaline maybe? Could it be my head is getting wrapped up in the more competitive world of marathoning..?! Nah. But I did set two personal bests, otherwise known as PBs. (Not to be confused with PB&Js.) So that part’s great!

My first injury

Had my first running injury in only week 3 of training. It was a sharp pain between my achilles and the inside ankle, and shin splints. I have never had any running injuries so I was a bit freaked out. I mean that’s pretty early in the training to get an injury. It hasn’t even begun to be really intense yet and I get injured. Then my head started messing with me; Can I really do this? Running is so mental, of course I can do it!

Lucky for me I know a lot of great people. So at work one day I cornered our friend and elite runner Rob and off came the sock, foot up on the desk and before you knew it we were doing stretches right there in the office. Because that’s what runners do. Thank God I’d shaved my legs.

I think I was over striding, not really realizing I was trying to keep up with my group and that faster pace. Well no more of that for me.
Lessons Learned: Running is personal, listen to your body.

Do you have running injuries that prevent you from running?

Please don’t give up. Many problems you experience may be caused by simple things from wearing the wrong shoes to how you sit at your desk all day. There are lots of things you can do to stay healthy and running, so before you give it up, visit a physiotherapist.

Training will make you paranoid

I didn’t realize that training would make me paranoid. Seriously paranoid about getting sick or injured. Suddenly everyday things become impending threats to my running. If I get put off my training it could ruin everything I’ve been working for. For example, the hay showed up this week. 160 bales. My hubby and I unloaded them, but they are still strune all over the barn waiting to be stacked. I may do 10 or 20 a day for the next week, because there’s no way I’m going to risk hurting my back. No way! Nothing’s going to stop me. Not even hay!

I also stepped on a razor fish at the beach and sliced the bottom of my foot open. Again with the paranoia! With lots of Polysporin and band aids I was back running in 2 days. So from now on I’ll always cover my feet at the beach just in case.

And the gastroenteritis going around? So far so good. Whew!

So what if you get injured? Cross-Train!

A great idea to keep training if you get injured is to cross-train. Swimming and cycling are great. I love cycling. It’s so much fun. I love the coasting part. There’s no coasting in running.

So a bunch of us cycled the marathon route together on Saturday. It’s a great route and was lots of fun.