Ability To Suffer- by Sue Aquila
I started my triathlon journey over ten years ago believing that to be successful I had to train my body. As a “mature” triathlete with success both in our sport and ultrarunning, I now realize that everything I have achieved has been the result of training my mind.
What we choose to do day in and day out as athletes is hard. And some days are so much harder than others. I remember the Ironman race rehearsal where I cried on the transition run as the heat index was over one hundred degrees. Or the five-hour training run for my ultra where I spent one hour of it with my hip flexor screaming to stop. The ability to win often comes down to our ability to suffer more.
Today I have noticed a lot of new athletes in our sport much more concerned with their recovery than their training. If we focus on only the things that make us feel good, we ignore the things that make us great. This includes the ability to continue to train despite hurting physically and emotionally.
What do you do when your body is screaming to stop? My protocol now:
If the pain happens during the workout, ask yourself if you are hurting OR if you are hurt. If you are hurting, finish the workout. If the pain is acute and specific, stop the workout.
Take the next day as a rest day from that training area (running or swimming or cycling).
Resist the urge to stretch it to death. Light stretching for no more than ten minutes.
Foam roll the area if possible and one to two joints above and below. Just a short ten to twenty minutes.
Resist the urge to foam roll it to death.
Do something fun and different with your time.
After your rest day, if it is a training day in that area, keep it short, easy and flat.
Build your training back from there.
And what if the pain turns into a full-blown injury? Don’t stop training. What? Seriously. The biggest mistake people make when injured from running is stopping. This has been a radical shift from the old days of RICE (rest, ice, compression, and elevation). I love that MD’s and physical therapists now embrace continued movement for treatment.
If your pain becomes an injury, how do you keep moving?
Water running or gravity treadmill or water treadmill.
Walking and working towards walking fast.
Walk run method. Perhaps you walk 10 steps and run four very easy. Over time you will walk less and run more.
Elliptical or similar trainers. They can keep your muscle groups active without the impact force.
I have watched too many friends let an injury lead to a false conclusion that they can no longer run. Friends don’t let friends stop doing activities they love. We may get slower and our runs get shorter, but I believe a runner lives on in each of us. And our lives and health are better for it.
No easy way!
*I am not an MD or a physical therapist or anything else. Get great help from qualified professionals and then get a second opinion.
~Sue Aquila