Rushing back from injury or illness.... Don't do it!

Welcome back to Unexpected Abundance! Look at us, 3 blogs in a month! I told you guys that I’m going to be posting on a consistent basis! All jokes aside, I’m so happy you’re back here for another conversation. Today’s post is a bit shorter, but great content nonetheless so let’s get into it!

We’ve all had injuries or have gotten sick in our lives. Both instances suck, and I am the worst at being patient when I’m recovering from an injury or illness. I always have the itch to get back out to run when I know I’m not healthy, simply because I’m not the smartest person. I have this fear that if I miss a few days of training, that all my conditioning will go down the drain. That’s just simply not the case. Our bodies will break down at one point during training, and honestly, it’s not the worst thing. I think it’s more of the mental backlash that we put on ourselves that affects us, more than the injury or illness itself. Stuff happens, and although that is out of our control, it’s up to us as athletes to make the necessary adjustments so we don’t prolong our injury or illness.

With that, I’ve had a couple of things going on in the last couple of weeks, which inspired today’s conversation. I had a cold that led into a prolonged cough that I’m just getting over, and this morning, I tweaked my back doing some lower body exercises. Funny how things work out! So Unexpected Abundance family, I need you to hold me accountable. Just as I was getting ready to publish this blog, an unexpected injury happened. Guess I'll need to take my own advice 😊

Let’s tackle the illness first. To be honest, I should’ve fully recovered from the cold weeks ago, HAD I taken the time to take care of myself and take rest days. But you guessed it, I kept telling myself “I’m fine”, and I prolonged the illness by running in the early hours of the morning just as the air is starting to get colder. Not the smartest idea. When it comes to taking it easy, I’m the most stubborn person you’ll ever meet. I KNOW that my body needs rest, that it’ll break down at some point, and that it’s OKAY to take a week off to recover from an illness or injury. But I have a hard time applying that, and it always comes back to bite. Last year, it was the stomach infection that I refused to attend that led to me being hospitalized, and this year, it was a lingering cold accompanied with a cough. The only difference is that after a few weeks, I decided to go to the doctor, and with a few days of antibiotics, I’m good as new. AND I did take a few days off from running to let my body recover quicker. After three days off, I went for a run this past Monday and I felt fresh, and even felt a little faster. So fast, that I tested my mile pace and broke my previous PR of 8:40! You get where I’m going. Rest and recovery are important all the time, but it’s especially important when you’re suffering from an illness or injury. Take the time to recover. You’d rather miss a few days than let your ego get in the way and you prolong your injury or illness.

Pre-Illness

Nobody can tell when they’re going to become sick. It can happen out of nowhere, and although we can take measures to minimize our chances of getting sick, the risk is always there. Getting sick is inevitable, so it’s important for you as an athlete to adjust whenever you feel an illness. When you begin to feel sick, do quick systems check of your body. If your throat is feeling itchy, try home remedies, such as gargling hot salt water, or drinking tea with ginger and lavender. See how your body responds and if it doesn’t work, then take medicine to cure whatever illness you’re going through. As far as training, I’d keep training as normal unless you notice your illness is progressing. Depending on what your doctor says, begin to take those rest days.

During Illness

While you’re sick and recovering, fight the urge to get back out on the trails and run. Even if you’re starting to feel better, don’t run until you’re at 100% again. If you start running before you’re 100%, you run the risk of prolonging your illness or making it worse. Get plenty of rest, drink tons of water, and take this time to focus on any soreness you may have from running. Get some stretching in as well, to loosen up the joints after running hard prior to your illness. I like to set goals for when I fully recover, such as a time or distance goal, just to get my body back into the flow of things.

After Illness

Okay, you’re healthy now! Time to run 10 miles! Kidding, of course, unless you’re a complete maniac and that’s your preferred run to get back into schedule. For the first run after recovering from your illness, consider a 25-30 minute easy run, depending on your conditioning. Odds are, you’re going to be a little fatigued, which is normal. Pushing through an easy run will not only help you physically, but it’ll serve as a mental victory as well. After a few easy runs, you should be back in normal shape. Don’t get discouraged if it takes a little longer to get your normal pace back, because as long as you lace up your shoes and get out for the run, you’ve already won the day!

Let’s move on to the injury portion. So you’ve gotten injured during training, and you’re feeling deflated. That’s totally normal, and you should give yourself space to process what you’re feeling, but also determine the game plan for what to do next. If you feel the injury is serious, like you can’t walk, or you feel something pop, head to the doctor immediately. If it’s not serious enough that it requires a doctor’s attention, but you feel you can’t train, take a couple of days to rest. Most of the time, it’ll be a pulled muscle, and those need time to recover. No need to rush back from those injuries because rushing back can worsen the injury and may delay your recovery time. If you pulled a muscle, try and do light stretching so your body doesn’t get tight. Once you’re feeling better and up to it, ease back into training.

Not much to say for today’s post, but I felt that it was important to talk about. I’ certain that many athletes either rush back too quickly because they’re in fear of losing their conditioning, but in reality, a few days of rest won’t kill you. In fact, it may be the thing you need to take your training to the next level. For me, I always feel like I’m one step behind everyone else and that I need to take advantage of every opportunity I can get to run. Although it’s a good mindset, it can backfire. Our bodies are different, and because of that, our training will be different. What works for somebody else may or may not work for you, and that’s totally okay. When you’re feeling sick, take the time to recover. If your lower back is hurting (like me), take time to recover. It may set you back for a few days, but if you’re looking at the bigger picture, you’d rather take a few days instead of a few weeks, which may impact your endurance for a longer period.

Unexpected Abundance family, I appreciate you for stopping by today. Even though it’s a shorter conversation, I’m grateful you stuck around. My offseason is coming to an end, and I’m currently in the process of picking my next races for 2024, so I’m excited to share that news with you in the coming weeks. Don’t forgot to follow Unexpected Abundance on Instagram at @unexpectedabundanceblog, and my personal photography account @shotsbybeto.

I have a lot of great posts coming soon, but until then, stay healthy!