Adventures in Health (Volume 9)

Facing setbacks.

Setbacks are common, it’s how we handle them that determines our level of success. I had my first setback since getting back into the swing of things and I have to admit I was scared.

It started two weeks ago with a strange pain. That strange pain turned into a different but seemingly related pain. Then last Thursday I had to abandon a workout for the first time EVER. I couldn’t breathe and trying to get a good deep breath left me in agony, seeing spots.

Of course this all happened while I was over a mile from my parent’s house. It was a long, cold walk back with nothing but my thoughts. The music was playing but I didn’t hear it, all I heard were my thoughts on how disappointed I was in myself for “giving up”. All I could hear were my fears that there was something wrong that would cause such intense pain. Add to all that the fact that I was nearly hypothermic from being good and sweaty when I stopped to walk a mile home.

I figured I should make an appointment with my doctor but hey, ignorance is bliss and if something is wrong I don’t want to know about it.

That is until the next day

I went to yoga and it felt great. I left relaxed and feeling good. As I was walking, WALKING to get Logan, I got that sharp, stabbing cramp again and I couldn’t breathe.

That was all I needed to go home and immediately call the doctor. I’m not going to mess around with something that could potentially leave me on the side of the road. Thankfully they took me right away and the doctor was very nice. After some listening, a lot of deep breathing and some poking around she told me I had damaged the cartilage that connects my ribcage to my breast bone.

OUCH!

The good news is that it wouldn’t leave me sidelined and I can continue to run. I’ve been instructed to take it a little easier, which I translate into maybe going slower and listening to what my body is saying before it’s screaming at me.

I’ve also been instructed to take a few ibuprofen before my run.

It’s not just physical, it’s mental too.

Facing an injury can be much worse than the injury itself, there’s a mental aspect of the injury too. For me, the mental part is worse than the injury. Fighting to come back from the injury and not just throw in the towel and give up.

The run that I had to turn around and not finish left me completely deflated. I was so disappointed in myself and it was a long, sad walk back. I’m not (really) ashamed to say that I cried. I didn’t cry so much from the pain as the mental roadblock I hit when I had to abandon my run and go home.

Was I really cut out for all this running? Is it realistic to have the goals of The Broad Street Run this year and the Disney Half Marathon next year? Why am I even bothering to do all this work, I’m not losing any weight anyway? Why don’t I just give up now?

It’s amazing how big a role my mindset and attitude plays in my workouts. Bad attitude = Bad run

I’ve been working hard to silence my inner quitter and stay positive throughout my workouts. In my runs since last Thursday I’ve felt great! I’m running further and I think even a little faster…Shhh, don’t tell my doctor. There’s been no pain and I’ve been really paying close attention to how I feel and my form.

Have you hit any road blocks on your way back to fitness?