A Guide to Coping with Running Injuries

When it comes to being injured there isn't much advice available on how to deal with the emotional impact it can have on the athlete. This article seeks to fill that void with recent lessons from my own experience.

When it comes to the vast pool of motivational or performance-focused content available on the internet about running, there are plenty to choose from.

Whether it be Zone 2 training vs interval sessions, the importance of hill reps, shoes selection for optimal performance, or nutrition strategies, to name a few popular topics, i.e. helpful information to help us when everything is going well.

But what about when our training isn’t going well?

What happens when our training is brought to a grinding halt?

What do we do when the dreaded phrases, I’m injured, passes our lips?

I have recently become one of those unfortunate souls.

I had a huge momentum coming in to 2024, after a winter of solid training. I’d hit PB’s with my newfound love for road roading, a welcomed change, while avoiding my local muddy trails; I’d also fulfilled my 2024 goal by becoming a top 10 finisher in the ultra-distance, during a cold, blustery Cymru 42-mile trail race, by January.

I was on a roll and in the shape of my life, excited for a fully stacked season ahead of me, with plenty of races already in my calendar.

However, during my ultra race I picked up an injury on my knee from the bounding competitive stop/start pace later in the race. Running in the countryside is by far the best way to race, but the endless Welsh Coastal Path, gates, and stiles, every few hundred meters took their toll on my knee, as I chased the 4th and 5th place runners ahead.

This resulted in an injury that, like the good hardy trail runner that I am, I obviously ignored, passing for nothing more than an inconvenient ‘niggle’.

Charging straight back into my rigorous training schedule, eyes fixed on the upcoming road and fell races I had planned, my ‘niggle’, I thought, would fix itself.

Anyone who runs regularly has replicated this exact scenario many times before. I was no different. Many times, it had worked.

Until of course, my momentum was brought to a grinding halt. On an easy mid-week recovery run, I was forced to succumb to the dreaded walk of shame, hobbling home, one mile into the session. I was officially injured!

During my immobility, and as a way to distract myself from the copious extra hours I had accumulated, while not running, I ventured down the rabbit hole of injuries. I was surprised by how little content there was on the subject, other than the obvious information that even a non-runner would recommend.

Elevate your injury, suitable rest, ice, ibuprofen, rehabilitation stretches etc etc etc. I spoke to my doctor and physio, who provided much of the same information.

However, there was nothing I could find that really captured the essence of my problem, which was the emotional impact of how not being able to run had started to have on my mind.

Fortunately, I had the gym to fall back on, rechanneling some of my energy to seeing improvements in my strength gains. But as the gym was something I already did consistently in addition to running, I still found a gaping void in my schedule.

This is where this story begins.

In searching the internet for anything to help me deal with the impending doom I was feeling, often at 3am in the morning, because I couldn’t sleep (this was probably due to the fact that approximately 10-15 hours a week of clocking solid miles in my legs, had been stripped from my schedule) I struggled to find anything that gave me encouragement during the growing anxious ruminations that dominated my mind. Of how my perceived season was slipping through my fingers.

What nobody tells you when you’re injured is how isolating it can be. As the days and weeks progressed, the realisation hit me, that I was alone.

I could no longer partake in my weekly training sessions with my newfound athletics club, which brought with it that friendly competitive camaraderie that gradually edges you along.

Instead, I could only spectate the world of Strava or Instagram, as I watched my friends progress further and further in their running, leaving me behind; Or so I told myself, in my depressive state. I watched as they achieved PB’s in their own races or arranged trips to bank the long miles in the Peak District at the weekend.

When you are used to being right in the mix of it, but not out of a lack of consistent determination, you can no longer partake, being an injured athlete can have an effect.

My doctor, physio, or even my fellow athletes, who continue to run in peak form, can offer you no advice to deal with this, unless of course they too have experienced athletic setbacks themselves. How could they understand?

What I have learned about runners regarding injuries, is that when someone tells another they are injured, the internal self-dialogue is identical with us all.

Too bad. I genuinely feel for them. I hope they recover soon. But it won’t happen to me! 

I have been guilty of this so many times.

We think that we are invincible, especially when we are feeling strong. But the truth is, if you are continually pushing the limits of your own capability, it not a question of if, but when you are likely to get to injured.

During my obsessive rabbit hole exploration of injury rehabilitation, I read as much as I could on the subject. I watched Youtube videos and even stalked notable top elite athletes’ historic social media pages, to see how they maintained a positive headspace during injury.

What I discovered is that some of the best athletes in our sport – the likes of Tom Evans, Kilian Jornet, Sara Alonso, and even Iron Man champion athlete, Lucy Charles-Barclay – is that injury seemed to sneak up on them when they were at the pinnacle of their performance.

Moreover, the underlying theme with each of these athletes, was that only in hindsight did they recognise the telltale signs that led them to their injury.

I have also recently interacted with a few people I like to call the Hindsight Police. People great at offering advice on what should have been avoided after the event. Not hugely helpful when mental stability is already fragile.

After reading everything I could on the topic, there was one common theme.

The overarching feeling of strength and momentum that carries the athlete forward, can result in a neglect of some of the essential components that provide the basis of their success.

While that feeling can work for a while, the more of the foundations of recovery you neglect, you start to create a time bomb, waiting to explode.

Up until my own injury, I had followed almost everything correctly. My nutrition was dialed perfectly. I took a concoction of recovery focused supplements. I had great sleep. Limited alcohol consumption. I had a regular gym programme that kept me strong and ache free – the days following my ultra I had zero muscular aches.

However, I have now learned the valuable word ‘absorption’, which is where your body can take a few days to absorb the intensity of an event – I.e. you can be deceived into believing everything is ok.

On the surface I felt everything was great. However, in that feeling of strength, I neglected the one essential component, rest.

Whenever I talk to runners who are struggling with the regular occurrence of aches, pains, and niggles, I am regularly surprised at how little strength training they do, and how it is often an afterthought in their schedule.

My calves are tight, I better do some strength exercises. By which point it is too late.

The pain is usually an indicator of another neglected component, recovery. While these things alone will not eliminate the chances of injury, they will certainly reduce them.

Conversely, although the telltale signs are often recognised in hindsight, this is a great opportunity to learn from the experience of being injured. From reading and watching the content of the elite athletes above, I was encouraged by their positive approach to getting fit again.

Instead of wallowing in self-pity, the best thing I learned was to keep looking forward.

I made the decision that I would limit the number of depressive feelings by taking a break from social media. This helped me to focus only on what I could control, on getting better.

Kilian Jornet explained how injuries force you to think about what kind of an athlete you want to become in the future; the break grants you the perspective to focus on what is important to achieving that goal (Above the Clouds, 2018).

What I learned is that although I couldn’t run, I could focus on developing and strengthening the imbalances I had elsewhere to become a stronger, more resilient athlete. Nothing changed in my immediate situation but my goal.

My perspective shifted from running fast PB’s, to developing the capability in my single-legged balancing and plyometric power.

These are vital often neglected skills but will provide the foundations for a stronger performance on my return. Oftentimes, it is just a change of perspective that can give you the motivation you need.

I was encouraged to retrospectively follow the journey of Tom Evans who underwent a debilitating knee surgery, with six months of rehabilitation; before returning stronger than ever, winning Western States in 2023 (How Tom Evans Won the Western States 100 - Trail Runner Magazine).

I also learned a lot from Sarah Alonso’s story and the insightful Coros data readily available (Sara Alonso Comes Back From Injury to Win ETC From UTMB (coros.com)), who after winning the Mont Blanc Marathon, 2022, developed a stress fracture in her hip. After 8 months of cross-training and rehabilitation, she returned to win ETC of the UTMB series, 2023.

A similar story of Lucy Charles-Barkley, the current Kona Iron Man champion, 2023. She also developed a hip fracture in the 2022 season, before returning to dominate the sport of triathlon (Lucy Charles-Barclay on her 'pain cave' training for Ironman Kona | indy100).

When you’re injured it is so easy to follow Strava and become upset with how everyone is achieving everything you can’t. As explained, I certainly fell victim to these ruminating depressive thoughts.

In the moment when your goals for the season are seemingly in jeopardy, you can tend to believe that you will never get back to your prior fitness.

However, my biggest lesson has been to take a step back and find the blessings in my current setbacks.

The message I began to tell myself was, it is of no benefit to wallow in what you cannot control. Instead, focus on what you can achieve, now. By becoming determined to replace any current discrepancies with strength; by deciding on what non-negotiables I can implement in my schedule going forward.

By following Kilian’s advice, I started to think about what kind of athlete I envisioned myself to be in the future. By finding inspiration from the stories above, I started to believe that I too could return in the same way. My 2024 season is not all but lost; in fact, if I’m patient, it could turn out to be my best season yet! I strongly believe that.

My injury has also given me a fresh perspective that will enable me to help others in the future. Because I know how isolating it can be, I will be sure to keep a watchful eye out for others who are injured, offering them support and encouragement where needed.

Don’t assume that because someone is injured, it is the pain that affects them. From my experience, I have learned that pain is secondary to injury, It’s the emotions that impact the athlete the most.

Likewise, an injured athlete doesn’t need reminding on what mistakes they made. This is the work of the Hindsight Police. They need encouragement to fix their attention forward, and support in trusting the process of recovery that will help them through it.

On returning to running I am thankful that I get to run, as cliché as it sounds. Will I slip back into relying on my perceived feelings of strength and momentum? Probably. But I will maintain a watchful eye on ensuring I don’t neglect the essential components of rest and recovery.

Afterall, I know now that I am not invincible.

The Best is Yet to Come!

Much love,

Rossi

PS - If anyone is struggling with injury feel free to reach out. I will be happy to provide any encouragement where needed.