Thursday, September 26, 2013

Careful Running

Growing up, I had the mentality of “Play hard or don’t play at all” when it came to softball. You know, the “Go big or go home” way of thinking.

warriors softball

I took practice seriously, I took summers off seriously, and I took games seriously. I loved the sport and I enjoyed being on the field. Softball didn’t come easy to me as I didn’t being playing until 7th grade and I was scared to death to transition to fast-pitch. Finally, it came to the point where I had to make a decision – either switch to fast pitch or don’t play at all. I trained hard, played on several all-star teams, and by the end of senior year, I made the All-District team. 

Pushing through pain wasn’t a question – we all did it, even if our coach wasn’t aware at the time. A teammate of mine used to tape her hand/wrist so tight, she couldn’t feel her thumb anymore. I once jammed my finger during a tournament and borrowed her tape for a “quick fix”. When I first began playing fast pitch, I can’t tell you how many times I crowded the plate so I could get hit by the pitch – that was an easy ride to first base. We did what we had to do to stay in the game.

This mentality followed me as I grew older. A couple of summer ago, I found myself on a softball field once again only this time, I was surrounded by adult women and men. While running to 2nd base after hitting a double, I was hit by a wayward ball. I heard someone yell “heads up”, so I reached 2nd base, ducked my head, and the ball hit me on the foot. No big deal, right? Wrong. The ball hit my foot in such a way that it split one of the phalanges in two –aka, I had a broken bone in my foot. Thankfully it was a clean break – I knew something was wrong when I couldn’t seem to “walk off” the pain. What do you think I did after that? My hard headed self and I finished playing the game. I finished the inning (running into home), then played the last inning in the outfield – I was in terrible pain but again, I did what I had to do to stay in the game.

With running, this “Go big or go home” mentality doesn’t always work, and I definitely learned the hard way when I dealt with my ITBand injury. If I could have taped up my knee so tight I couldn’t feel it and continued running, I would have. In the world of running, you have to listen to your body. Every ache or pain that goes ignored can lead to weeks and weeks of no running at all, perhaps even physical therapy or surgery.

Injury

I’ve noticed since my injury, I’m a more “careful” runner. I don’t always push myself as hard as I used to (which is not good for me or my sub 2 hour half marathon goal). Perhaps in a way, I’m scared to death of being injured again. I’ve told myself time and time again, some running is better than no running at all. Maybe I’m scared of being injured again? Maybe I feel as if my injury will resurface if I push myself too hard?

I’m still trying to draw the fine line between “go big or go home” and “careful running”.  In reality, maybe there really is no fine line to draw – maybe it’s ok to have a little bit of both in the mix. It IS possible to push yourself, but know your limits at the same time. I’m going to work on moving out of the comfort zone I’ve cornered myself into. I CAN be “careful” without being “overly careful”. 

Where do you fit into the picture? Are you a go big or go home kind of runner or do you find yourself more on the careful side?

20 comments:

  1. I was just talking to Rey about this yesterday! In the fitness world we hear so much about "no pain, no gain" and "your body can do more, it's your mind that's holding you back...push more!" but I have learned the hard way that I have PLENTY of mental strength and if I do this, I injure myself. I am learning that I MUST be more careful and if I push to my mental limit, my body breaks every time. I would rather be able to run three times a week than run 5 or 6 and then end up injured for 5 weeks (just happened) so I've modified my training and I'm taking it slower and more carefully, even though I don't want to. It's better than being sidelined and not being able to run at all!

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    1. You are exactly right!! There's a difference between "injury" pain and "pushing yourself" pain - I've definitely learned that the hard way! Haha!

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  2. This is an interesting post and probably a hard thing to answer for most runners. I do try to "go big or go home" and that is not always the best way to approach training. I have gotten good at keeping my long run pace slow though which I struggled with for a while wanting to beat goal pace! sad, right? Injury is always in the back of my mind and since I am kind of accident prone (this week I stepped into a rose bush in bare feet). I try to be extra careful when I am out running.

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    1. I completely understand! It's not sad at all. Oh goodness I hope your foot is ok!

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  3. I'm definitely more of a careful runner. I just want to be out there running injury free...even if I'm the slowest one!

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    1. That's it! Being able to run un-injured is definitely better than not running at all!

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  4. I'm totally with you on this one, Karen. I've always had trouble approaching workouts with a moderate or easy mentality... I want every run or every session to be hard and kick my butt! It definitely stems from having an athletic background and living with that go-hard mindset for years. Now I'm learning to be more cautious, just like you are too.

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  5. I have TOTALLY turned into a careful runner. I used to run 4-5 days a week and now I run 3 with the occasional 4. I realized running more than that gets me injured. I realize this means I may never be much faster than I am now, but as you said, I would rather run some than not at all, or keep hurting myself that I have to stop running in my 40's as opposed to my 80's :)

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    1. Agreed, I would love this running thing to last "long term", not stopped short because of one injury after another.

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  6. This hit home! I've noticed that since I tore my MCL (a few years ago), I'm much more of a careful runner. I probably back off too soon if I even think I feel a twinge in my knee. I've been working on trying to gently push myself instead of being so careful and cautious. It is hard to find that balance!

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    1. It was hard for me to decipher twingy-knee-pain from actual ITBand pain for a while so I feel your pain! I agree, it's hard to find that balance!

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  7. If I have signed up for a race, I tend to go big or go home, but if I feel any little injury another time, I tend to err on the side of caution!

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    1. I tend to be a bit stubborn at races, especially if it's a good day (good weather, I feel good, etc)!

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  8. I completely agree! I used to be a "go big or go home" kind of athlete...until I tore my ACL and had to have surgery. Nothing has been the same since then, least of all my running. I was forced into slowing down and you know what? I'm a better runner for it. I no longer take running for granted and I cherish every sweaty mile I complete! Great post, Karen!

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    1. This is awesome!! (Not the injury and surgery part, of course.) Cherishing every sweaty mile...love it!

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  9. Good post. I'm so careful, especially since I'm dealing with PF. My feet hurt non-stop, no matter what. Until I get better, I will continue to run bare min, to keep running.

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    1. Ugh I'm sorry...I hope your feet recover soon!!

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  10. Well, weren't you a cutie patootie! Love the pic!
    I am soooo much more cautious now. In some ways I feel like a wimp... a failure... but I've been running now for several months without injury, so I'll continue to live with my wimpiness. I still am not as fast as I was last year (when I first started) but I now know to approach training as a lifetime prospect instead a 12 week sprint. so far, so good!

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    1. That's good...and I feel you on that one. I'm definitely not as fast as I was, but that's ok because I'm running (as opposed to being injured)! You are definitely not a wimp or a failure!!

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