A perfect run for Hilary Corno has nothing to do with numbers and everything to do with opening her heart while she鈥檚 running.听

鈥淩unning has always been very spiritual for me; I find it to be very zenful. It鈥檚 a soul cleanser,鈥� says Corno, an elite Masters runner with a marathon PR of 2:42:14, who often slips out the door during the calm, quiet hours of the early morning, well before anything else can claim her energy.

As a full-time employee at a technology company and parent of a 10-year-old son, plenty can 鈥� and does 鈥� claim her energy. To manage the rigors of marathon training and life, Corno builds conveniences into her day, like working from home, living next door to her son鈥檚 school, and having her massage therapist come to her house 鈥� all things she鈥檚 incredibly grateful are possible for her. More importantly, Corno strives to be mindful in whatever she鈥檚 doing because, otherwise, she feels like she is running on autopilot, jumping from one thing to the next.听

鈥淚f I鈥檓 present in what I鈥檓 doing, I don鈥檛 feel like I鈥檓 sacrificing something else, but rather spending that moment the best way I know how and showing up for that person, thing, or experience that I鈥檓 involved with,鈥� says Corno.听

Corno grew up in rural New Hampshire where she was surrounded by the world鈥檚 biggest playground: nature. Born into a family who has a love for movement, she skied (cross-country and downhill), hiked, and biked, all of which formed Corno鈥檚 deep appreciation for movement and the outdoors, and likely built a strong aerobic base for her future relationship with running. That passion really kicked off when she moved to San Diego in 1999.听

鈥淎 group of women approached me one morning while I was running at the UCSD track and asked if I wanted to join their running club,鈥� says Corno. 鈥淲e instantly hit it off, and I was thrilled to have some friends to train and compete with within the XC series.鈥� Corno has been running with the ever since, and she continues to PR in all distances.听

To help earn those PRs, Corno began working with her current coach, about 10 years ago. Traditionally, when Corno is training for a marathon, she鈥檒l do a 12-week block (or longer), but this year hasn鈥檛 been remotely close to traditional. Worn down by all of the stressors of living through a pandemic, Corno was feeling less than motivated to do her usual aggressive workouts. Instead, she wanted a plan that would leave her sharp and fit, but not at the expense of driving herself into the ground. Fraioli and Corno landed on a 10-week training plan for Boston.听

鈥淭he main goal with the 10-week training block was to re-introduce structure back into Hilary鈥檚 weekly routine,鈥� says Fraioli. 鈥淗ilary had been running solid, steady mileage without any specific workouts. Once we got rolling in the buildup for Boston, I was careful not to complicate it: We kept her weekly mileage the same, brought a mid-week speed workout back into the mix, and then did either a tempo run or marathon-specific long run on the weekend.鈥�

The trust Corno and Fraioli have in each other has been instrumental to her running success. Fraioli understood that for Corno to successfully prepare for Boston, her training needed to be a bit more relaxed and lighthearted compared to previous years 鈥� like spontaneously jumping in races, including a third-place finish at the Surf City Half Marathon. Yet they also wanted to take into account everything they鈥檝e learned over the years. For example, when Corno got stuck in the 2:53-2:55 range, Fraioli changed the intensity of her workouts and increased the volume of her long runs, and they implemented those two principles in this training block as well.听

It appears to be working.

One week out from Boston, and Corno is feeling 鈥渟carily good.鈥澨�

鈥淭he perfect run is going to be the 2021 Boston Marathon,鈥� says Corno.听

And that has nothing to do with what she hopes her finishing time will be and everything to do with how she feels.听

鈥淕rowing up in New England, October was always a very special time of year for me,鈥� says Corno. 鈥淎n October Boston Marathon, which may never happen again, and my coach starting 15 minutes behind me. So special!鈥�

Here鈥檚 how Fraioli structured Corno鈥檚 weeks and four key workouts she repeated throughout her leadup to Boston.听

Typical Weekly Schedule

Monday

Rest/Recovery coming off a big weekend and an opportunity to recharge for the week ahead.

鈥淢ost of the time, I run easy,鈥� says Corno. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 six to seven miles at no specific pace, just getting out there and moving my legs. If my load was really heavy over the weekend, I won鈥檛 run and I鈥檒l go for a walk or easy bike ride instead.鈥�

Tuesday

Enjoyable, aerobic mileage at a conversational pace to improve/maintain general endurance.

鈥淚 meet a friend and at no specific pace, we go out for a 10-mile run,鈥� says Corno. 鈥淪he鈥檚 10 years younger than me, and her average pace is about seven minutes per mile, so we get a good run in on Tuesdays.鈥�

Wednesday

Interval session either on the track or on the roads.

鈥淒epending on the week and what we’re focusing on, the meat of the session will usually total 3-6 miles of work at a 5K-10K effort. These workouts improve/maintain running economy and help her run more efficiently at marathon pace,鈥� says Fraioli.

罢丑耻谤蝉诲补测听

Medium-long run (12-14 miles) at a comfortable effort.

鈥淭his is a good opportunity to absorb some of the work from the day before while still getting in some good mileage to build additional aerobic/muscular endurance,鈥� says Fraioli.

Friday

Recovery day, but lower on the mileage (around 8) to prepare for a big weekend of work.

Saturday

Depending on the week, Corno will either do 1) a tempo run or longer interval session totaling 6-8 miles of work at 10K to half-marathon effort or 2) an easy 10 miles at a comfortable, aerobic effort because she’s doing a demanding marathon specific long run the next day.

Sunday

Long Run听

If Saturday was a tough workout, the long run on Sunday will be similar to the Thursday medium-long run in terms of effort, but longer (18鈥�22 miles). If Saturday was an easy 10 miles, Sunday’s long run will be 18鈥�22 miles with between 6-15 miles worth of work at or around marathon effort in the form of longer intervals, steady-state, or a progression, which allows her to work on pacing, fueling, etc.

4 Key Wednesday Workouts During Marathon Training

10 x 800m

Run at 5K pace/effort. Corno starts at 2:45 and works down to 2:40, taking a 2-minute recovery between 800m reps.听

4 x 1.5 miles

Run at half-marathon pace/effort with recovery at marathon pace. Corno does the 1.5-mile segments at 5:55/mile and recovers for 0.5 miles at 6:15/mile pace.

4-3-2-1 miles

Start at marathon pace/effort and work down to 5K pace/effort. Corno does 6:10/mile for the 4 miles, 6:00/mile for the 3 miles, 5:50/mile for the 2 miles, “go” for the final 1 mile.听

3-5 x 3 miles

Run at marathon pace/effort.听 Corno hits 6:10-6:20/mile for the 3-mile reps, slowing to 7:10-7:20/mile for the 1-mile “float” recovery between reps.听

The post How Masters Competitor Hilary Corno Embraced Simplicity to Train for Boston appeared first on 国产吃瓜黑料 Online.

Gina Rouse is looking for redemption at Boston, a race that was unbearably hot when she ran it in 2017, and, when she returned in 2018, left her in the hospital with hypothermia. At 42, she鈥檚 not only looking for a top masters finish but aiming to be the best she鈥檚 ever been.

鈥淚鈥檓 planning on PRing at Boston,鈥� says , whose current marathon PR is 2:38:41, run at the hilly Atlanta Olympic Marathon Trials in 2020. 鈥淚鈥檓 thinking, the third time鈥檚 a charm.鈥�

Reviving a Dream

After running in high school and collegiately, Rouse took a big break from running until she ran her first marathon at 31, shortly after giving birth to her first daughter.

鈥淚 would nurse the baby and then go out the door and that was time for me,鈥� says Rouse. 鈥淚t was my time on the road. It was quiet. It was something for me to chase after that was non-mom time.鈥�

However, it didn鈥檛 take long for her husband鈥檚 coach, , to notice her talent. After Rouse had their second daughter, Holcombe told her that he thought she could make it to the Olympic trials. When Rouse heard this, her 12-year-old self lit up.

鈥淚n 7th grade, I said, 鈥業鈥檓 going to go to the Olympics,鈥欌�� says Rouse. 鈥淕oing to the trials was like going to the Olympics.鈥�

After talking to Rouse for just an hour, it鈥檚 clear that she鈥檚 an energizer bunny with the discipline of, well, a runner. Not only is she now a seasoned runner with 11 years of running under her belt and three daughters, ages 10, 8, and 6, she鈥檚 a temporarily paused nurse practitioner (鈥淚鈥檓 not done with nursing, I鈥檒l be back,鈥� she says), a salesperson for Rodan Fields skincare, and very involved at her church. To make it all work, she credits getting enough sleep, proper nutrition, and masterful planning.

Rigid Scheduling, Flexible Reality

鈥淚 run a very tight ship, but it鈥檚 the only way to get everything done and have time for some rest and recovery,鈥� says Rouse, who logs 90 to 110 miles each week. 鈥淢y kids are going to grow up and call me the drill sergeant.鈥�

On a typical day, Rouse is up at 4:00 a.m., preparing school lunches and responding to emails (she鈥檚 a coach for ) before heading out the door for a run after her husband, Matt Rouse, who is also training for Boston, gets back from his (yes, he was out the door at 4:00 a.m.). When she gets home, she throws a bunch of chicken breasts in the Crockpot and adds sweet potatoes in the evening for an easy dinner. After her afternoon workout, Rouse has food and drinks waiting for her in the car. As soon as her kids walk in the door from school, their track uniforms go straight into the washing machine.

鈥淚t鈥檚 a delicate balance of being rigid but flexible enough to stray from the perfection of the schedule,鈥� Rouse says.

And although Rouse seems superhuman, she is quick to acknowledge the community around her that makes everything possible. Her husband, daughters, parents, physical therapist, and coach all help her get to the finish line of each race. What once was about some solo, non-mom time is now about so much more than just herself.

鈥淣ow that my daughters are older and they see me competing and racing, it鈥檚 so much more than just me,鈥� says Rouse. 鈥淚t鈥檚 our family. It鈥檚 our community. All of us are in this together; it鈥檚 never just the athlete.鈥�

Sometimes they help her reign things in a bit because, otherwise, she鈥檇 constantly be going at 110 percent. Her coach is especially crucial for making sure she doesn鈥檛 overexert herself.

No two training weeks are the same, but Rouse can depend on seeing easy recovery days, long runs, long repeats, and tempo runs incorporated into each week. Here鈥檚 what a week often looks like for Rouse:

Typical Training Week

Monday: Easy recovery day

Rouse often meets running friends at a local coffee shop to run 8-12 miles at a conversational pace. In the afternoon, she might do another short run, depending on how she feels.

鈥淚 train with other people 80 percent of the time,鈥� says Rouse. 鈥淚 like a good solo run to clear my head, but I spend a lot of time running with others.鈥�

Tuesday: Long repeats

Tuesday is Rouse鈥檚 big workout day. Depending on her training volume, she鈥檒l do 6-10 long repeats, whether that鈥檚 800s, 100s, 1200s, or mile repeats.

On a recent Tuesday, she did 6 x 1-mile repeats starting at 5:50 pace and cutting down five to seven seconds per mile with one mile at 7:20 pace between each effort. (Roughly half marathon pace down to 5K pace)

鈥淭he idea is you鈥檙e blending speed and endurance, so you鈥檙e training your body to be able to carry that speed over the distance,鈥� says Rouse.

In the evening, Rouse might do a short shakeout run depending on how she feels.

Wednesday: Long run

Rouse鈥檚 legs are usually toasted from her Tuesday workout, so she鈥檒l log an easy long run (typically between 15-25 miles) the day after a hard workout, her pace dictated by how she feels.

Thursday: Repetition day

Thursdays are often hill repeats, ranging from 100m to 400m long. A common repetition workout for Rouse is 12 x 400-meter hill repeats at marathon pace with rest coming from jogging down the hill. These hill repeats, which are fairly long, train Rouse鈥檚 body to endure a hard effort, recover, and then return to marathon race pace.

鈥淭hey鈥檙e are just a beast,鈥� says Rouse, referring to the 400-meter variety. 鈥淔or this training cycle, it was the dead of summer, so I was sweating bullets, and you just want to get up this dang hill, which is kind of how you feel at Boston.鈥�

Friday: Easy recovery day

After another hard workout, Rouse returns to a shorter, recovery run (usually between 10-12 miles), giving her body a chance to recover.

Saturday: Long run progression

Rouse likes to get in a couple of runs that are nearing the marathon distance, so she鈥檒l run 24-26 miles on her Saturday long run. Her bread-and-butter workout is to run the first 10 miles at an easy, conversational pace and the next 10 miles at or near her goal race pace. Ideally, Rouse does this run on a terrain that mimics the actual racecourse.

鈥淚 live in the Smoky Mountains, which is great because I can stimulate Boston really well,鈥� says Rouse. 鈥淎 group of us will head out there and simulate running downhill, and then we鈥檒l have several flat miles before hitting another hilly section, which is very similar to the Newton Hills at Boston. We鈥檒l set up water tables and bring nutrition to practice our race day nutrition. We want to mimic Boston as much as we possibly can.鈥�

Sunday: Easy miles

Rouse and her husband usually run 12 miles easy on Sunday with their kids scootering or running alongside them.

Actual Training Week

Few weeks, however, follow the typical pattern exactly. Actual weeks have to wrap around life schedules and recovery realities. Here鈥檚 what the week of September 20^th actually looked like for her, three weeks out from Boston.

Rouse credits consistency for her high-volume weeks, injury prevention, and success. Over the years, she has slowly and steadily gone from 50-mile weeks to now sometimes as high as 110 miles. Any time she tried to bump up too quickly, she either became sick or injured, a clear sign that her system 飞补蝉苍鈥檛 benefitting from the steep increase in mileage. Instead, she鈥檚 able to maintain her higher mileage when she adds volume consistently but slowly.

鈥淣o matter what a runner is doing, if you鈥檙e getting out there running, staying consistent, I think that鈥檚 where you鈥檒l find longevity in the sport and see the most success,鈥� says Rouse.

As Boston quickly approaches, Rouse is feeling like her consistent training is going to pay off. She suspects she鈥檒l run in the low to mid 2:30s, which if she accomplishes, will indeed reward her with a PR 鈥� and very likely a top Master鈥檚 finish. Does that motivate her? Absolutely. After all, her personal motto is, Always Chasing for the Top.

鈥淚 love Boston, I love this city,鈥� says Rouse. 鈥淚t鈥檚 all so magical, and I鈥檇 really love to have a magical performance.鈥�

The post How Gina Rouse Trains to Be Her Best Ever at Age 42 appeared first on 国产吃瓜黑料 Online.

By all accounts, is an accomplished human: He鈥檚 a husband, father, pastor, and community activist. He鈥檚 also an accomplished runner. Mendoza鈥檚 running shifted from road running to trail running in 2010, and he has a long list of wins, podium finishes, former world records, and awards. If there鈥檚 one distance that Mendoza hasn鈥檛 cracked yet, however, it鈥檚 the 100-miler.

鈥淚鈥檝e only run three 100 mile races, and I haven鈥檛 gotten the best out of myself,鈥� says Mendoza. 鈥淚鈥檝e run really well up to the 100k, but the 100 miler still scares me.鈥�

Instead of shying away from his fear, he鈥檚 tackling it head on. The last week in August, Mendoza is racing what he calls 鈥渢he Tour de France of trail running,鈥� namely, the Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc (UTMB).

One way Mendoza is approaching this race differently is that he鈥檚 working with a coach for the first time: , who coached to third place finishes at UTMB in 2016 and 2017. Mendoza and Fraioli have identified four areas to focus on for improving his efforts at UTMB: becoming a better hiker, getting fast on the flats, and building a resilient body.

Become a Better Hiker

With over 30,000 feet in vertical gain across 105 miles at UTMB, runners will spend a large portion of their time hiking with poles.

鈥淚f you are not efficient when going uphill, you鈥檙e going to use more energy than necessary and be in a higher heart rate zone, which will cause you to fatigue early on,鈥� says Mendoza. 鈥淟earning to be efficient when going up hill is really, really key to these long ultras.鈥�

鈥淲e don鈥檛 have a lot of races like UTMB in the U.S. where you鈥檙e in big mountains and it requires you to hike as part of your strategy,鈥� says Fraioli. 鈥淚 think with American runners, particularly those who come from a traditional running background, some of it is almost a point of pride: 鈥業’m a runner, runners run, I want to run this whole course.鈥� It takes them a while to realize that it鈥檚 a different sport and you need to develop different skills. Being able to move efficiently uphill while using poles and carrying a pack is something you need to develop; you can鈥檛 just do it.鈥�

Training Strategy

To help Mendoza improve his hiking, Fraioli incorporated uphill repetitions on the longest, sustained, and steepest hill that he can find. Early in his training block, Mendoza didn’t use poles or wear a pack because he was focusing on developing his climbing ability and overall fitness. As Mendoza got within 6鈥�10 weeks from race day, he鈥檚 worn a full pack and use poles, like he will in the race.

Get fast on the flats

鈥淔or a race like this, running flats isn鈥檛 as important as if you were running a super fast course, but it鈥檚 still important,鈥� says Mendoza. 鈥淭he smoother you are in running, the more efficient speed you have, the slower the pace will feel, and you鈥檒l be able to move on that rolling terrain.鈥�

Mendoza benefits from coming from a road running background, which means he has natural speed and plenty of experience with smooth, flat, fast running. Although running flats is the lowest priority for Mendoza鈥檚 training given the highly-undulating UTMB course, Fraioli doesn鈥檛 want to get too far from what comes most naturally to him during training.

鈥淪prinkling flatter, faster running into Mendoza鈥檚 training can be just as psychologically stimulating as it is physiologically beneficial,鈥� says Fraioli. 鈥淚 think it鈥檚 important to literally switch gears every once in a while so he鈥檚 not getting too far away from his bread and butter, from what made him great in the first place.鈥�

Training Strategy

For faster, flatter running, Fraioli recommends runners get in 30 minutes worth of work, typically structured as two to five minute efforts with two to three minutes rest in between.

For example, he’s had Mendzona do three by ten minute intervals at a hard effort, or ladders, starting at one minute and building by one-minute increments until he reaches five minutes, and then coming back down in one-minute steps, totally exactly 30 minutes of work.

Dominate Descents

鈥�Descending is very tricky,鈥� says Mendoza. 鈥淟ooking at previous experiences, I鈥檇 pass runners on the uphill, and as soon as we鈥檙e halfway down the mountain, they鈥檇 fly right past me. Descending has been one of the missing pieces for these big mountain races, and it will be a key piece for me if I want to do well.鈥�

Besides not wanting to lose time while going down, the fatigue from the miles and hours will take their toll, and while he can rest his aerobic system coming down, his joints and muscles will be experiencing as much, or more, stress 鈥� so it鈥檚 important that Mendoza learns how to run efficiently and confidently downhill.

鈥淭he musculoskeletal demands on the body are much greater with descending than with ascending, and runners are typically going faster downhill, so their bodies are tiring more than their engine,鈥� says Fraioli. 鈥淭o prepare Mendoza for descending, we鈥檙e focusing on making his body as resilient as possible to handle the demands of descending.鈥�

Training Strategy

鈥淲hat goes up, must come down,鈥� says Fraioli.

To take advantage of the uphill intervals Mendoza does to build fitness and improve efficiency, Fraioli has Mendoza run down at a quick, controlled pace where he can let his heart rate recovery from the hard effort, but can still work on his footwork, cadence, and building more resilience in his muscles from the eccentric stress of running downhill.

鈥淚鈥檒l have Mendoza run downhill because it鈥檚 a great training stimulus,鈥� says Fraioli. 鈥淎t a race like UTMB, he鈥檒l be doing that the entire time, going straight up and straight down.鈥�

Build a Resilient Body

If Mendoza has a great race, he鈥檒l likely be on the course for 20-22 hours, which places incredible demands on the body.

鈥淓vents like UTMB require the runner to be a robust athlete because there鈥檚 a lot of running, hiking, and navigating tricky terrain,鈥� says Fraioli. 鈥淭he stronger you are, the more robust you are, and the better equipped you鈥檙e going to be to handle whatever the course throws at you, especially in the latter stages when body breakdown is inevitable.鈥�

Training strategy

On top of being a runner, Mendoza is a dad, active member of his community, and pastor. Suffice to say, Mendoza doesn鈥檛 have a lot of extra time for strength training, but he recognizes its importance. To that end, Mendoza has two programs he alternates between, both of which he can complete in less than 30 minutes.

Strength Program One

Mendoza started his strength training doing these four exercises 4鈥�5 times per week. After completing this program for a few weeks, he reduced its frequency to three times per week, and added in a more strenuous strength training program the other two days.

1. Split squats | 30 seconds each leg | 4 sets
2. Side planks | 30 seconds each side | 4 sets
3. Single legged Romanian dead lift | 30 seconds each leg | 4 sets
4. Single legged bridges | 30 seconds each leg | 4 sets

鈥淏y round four, you definitely start feeling it,鈥� says Mendoza. 鈥淵our own body weight starts to get hard.鈥�

Strength Program Two

After getting comfortable with the four exercise routine 4鈥�5 times per week, Mendoza started incorporating more strenuous strength training into his week. Today, he does this program on his hard running days.

鈥淚 don鈥檛 want to place a high amount of stress on my body on my easy days because I need my body to recover, so I鈥檒l do this strength program on my two days when I have a more challenging workout,鈥� says Mendoza.

Warm Up

1. Walking high knees 30 seconds
2. Backward lunges 30 seconds
3. Running in place 30 seconds
4. Jumping Jacks 30 seconds
5. Running in place 30 seconds
6. Butt kicks 30 seconds
7. Running in place 30 seconds
8. High knees 30 seconds
9. Running in place 30 seconds
10. Rope climbers 30 seconds

Main Set

45 seconds on, 15 seconds rest between exercises

1. Skater to squat jump
2. Mountain climbers
3. Jumping lunges
4. Russian twists
5. Single legged bridges
6. Plank with shoulder taps

Here’s a .

For a complete program to build a resilient, robust body, check out our online course, , free to 国产吃瓜黑料+ members.

The post Four Training Priorities to Become a Better Trail Runner appeared first on 国产吃瓜黑料 Online.

When I set out to interview runners about their injuries, I anticipated learning about their medical appointments, rehabilitation process, and return to running programs. Although I did learn about these things, the psychological impacts of injury were much more salient. Nearly every runner inevitably talked about how nearly impossible it was to stay mentally well during an injury.

Recently, while more attention is being paid to our mental health, especially in response to the impacts of the pandemic, it鈥檚 a far cry from the amount of information we receive on how to keep up with our physical health. And, no matter how much we talk about mental and physical health as separate things, they bleed over into each other. When we鈥檙e struggling with physical pain, it takes a huge toll on our mental health and vice versa.听

Hopefully we鈥檙e approaching a future in which we鈥檒l walk into our physical therapist鈥檚 or doctor鈥檚 office and be asked about our mental health, too. When that day comes, we鈥檒l all be better off.听

For now, three sports psychologists share different ways for us to start prioritizing our mental health alongside our physical health, whether we鈥檙e suffering from an injury or not.

Dr. Ashley Coker-Cranney, Certified Mental Performance Consultant听

is a Certified Mental Performance Consultant who holds a B.S. in Psychology, a B.S.P.E. in Physical Education, an M.S. in Psychosocial Aspects of Sport, and a PhD in Sport and Exercise Psychology. She currently teaches courses for West Virginia University; is the owner of MindRight Performance Consulting, where she works with athletes to enhance performances and life satisfaction; and is a therapist at Whole Brain Solutions.听

Here are Coker-Cranney’s strategies for staying mentally well as an athlete:

Have More Than One Identity

As a general, human psychology tendency, we like to protect our self concept, says Coker-Cranney. When our entire identity is in one thing, such as being a runner, we鈥檒l go to great lengths to protect it, including adopting damaging behaviors such as disordered eating and substance abuse. Furthermore, when we lose that sole identity, whether it鈥檚 permanent or temporarily, we鈥檙e susceptible to depression and anxiety and a host of other mental health injuries because our identity has been stretched and we lose sight of who we are.听

The differences between runners with more than one identity and those without are palpable. Those with multiple sources of identity tend to navigate injury well because they have a diverse sense of who they are, which helps them keep things in perspective. When injured, they鈥檙e better able to be patient with the process because they know that their injury is temporary and they have all the confidence in the world that they will come back from it. Because of this attitude, they鈥檙e able to turn their attention to other activities that were set aside for their running. In general, they tend to have a rather than a fixed mindset.听

For those whose identity is solely wrapped up in running, injuries are much more psychologically difficult, which tends to prolong physical recovery, too. Because these runners are less likely to have other ways of defining themselves, the only way they can feel like themselves is to get back to running. When they can鈥檛 run, this can bring on depression and a crisis of identity. In response, they鈥檙e less likely to accept where their body is and to push it past its limits. Their fixed-mindset approach can bring about maladaptive, inflexible perfectionism that often leads to a rigid approach to their recovery.听

鈥淚t鈥檚 a constant balance for all of us to learn to define ourselves in more than one way because if, for some reason, that one way is compromised, then we have other ways of protecting how we see ourselves,鈥� says Coker-Cranney.听

Coker-Cranney recommends that we regularly remind ourselves of the other identities our lives because we all have other roles whether that be a parent, co-worker, friend, neighbor or something else. She also recommends that we check in with our values regularly and figure out how to connect with things of importance outside of running.

Celebrate Your Past Self And Look Forward To Your Future Self

For various reasons, our athletic ability changes over time. Instead of making upward comparisons to your previous self, accepting where you are today and staying present focused can help you stay mentally well.听

Acceptance comes when we can be at ease with ourselves and find a way to be the person we want to be regardless of circumstance. Coker-Cranney calls this our unconditional commitment mindset.听

鈥淎cceptance is about saying, 鈥業 don鈥檛 love that this injury happened. In fact, I鈥檓 really angry that it happened. Yet, I can accept that it happened and I will be a different person on the other side of it,鈥� says Coker-Cranney. 鈥淚t鈥檚 about being open to what the new version of yourself might look like.鈥澨�

Being present focused is about being able to meet yourself where you鈥檙e currently at. Doing so doesn鈥檛 mean forgetting everything about previous versions of yourself. You can celebrate your previous self and hold that in the same space as your current self, who may not be able to do the same things anymore.听

鈥淲hen we stay in the present, it takes the judgement out of it,鈥� says Coker-Cranney. 鈥淔or example, I wasn’t any better when I placed first than when I am running recreationally with neighbors. It gives us space to experience what we are doing in any given moment and not judge any of it.听When athletes find that balance of acceptance and being present-focused, you almost hear a click of, wow, this is a whole different way of being, and I don鈥檛 have to judge myself anymore.鈥澨�

Seth Swary, Sports Performance Psychology Specialist听

is the Coordinator of Sport and Performance Psychology at Oakland University. Swary holds a PhD in Sport, Exercise, and Performance Psychology, an an MA in Community Mental Health Counseling. He鈥檚 worked with athletes from a variety of sports at the youth and collegiate levels.听

Here is one of Swary鈥檚 strategies for helping athletes stay mentally well:

Remember Why You Run

鈥淚t鈥檚 easy for our passion to become this job or task,鈥� says Swary. 鈥淲e start running because we like running, but that can slowly turn into it being about the next goal or competition, getting a scholarship or running professionally. When we get lost in that, there鈥檚 pressure to perform well.鈥�

While structure, goals, and even pressure can be helpful tools, it鈥檚 important to be aligned with our intrinsic reasons for running, not purely extrinsic motivators. As soon as we get lost in the outcomes of things and pressure starts to mount, our progress can be impacted negatively, as well as our mental health. When we stay connected to our personal reasons for running removed from external reward or affirmation, we often see the most progress.听

There鈥檚 a sweet spot in the amount of pressure we apply to ourselves called the听This says that athletes all have a different optimal level of optimal anxiety, where we are excited and focussed, but not overwhelmed. Often, if we apply too much pressure to ourselves, our stress gets too high and falls outside our optimal zone, causing negative impacts not only on our performance, but on our mental health, too.听

To help counteract the pressure we put on ourselves or receive from others, Swary comes back to remembering why you run.

Luke Patrick PhD, Sports Psychologist听

has a Master鈥檚 degree in kinesiology and a PhD in counseling psychology. He鈥檚 worked with teams and individual athletes at the high school, collegiate, Olympic, and professional levels. He鈥檚 currently on the sports psychology sub committee of USA Track & Field, the registry with the US OPC, the directory of the NFL Players Association, and is the Team Psychologist for the Portland Trail Blazers.

Here is one of Patrick’s strategies for maintaining strong mental health

Practice Mindfulness

Among other mental skills building tools, Patrick is big on , which over the last few years has become recognized as an integral part of the mental aspect of performance. Practicing mindfulness helps us stay grounded in the present moment, allowing us to let go of some of the anxiety, tension, and 鈥渨hat ifs鈥� that come with being injured. There are a myriad of ways to practice mindfulness, but Patrick suggests two simple methods to get started: focusing on your breath and scanning through your body.听

鈥淟earning how to do a body scan and recognizing that most of your body is still intact and feels good can be really helpful with injury because it鈥檚 so easy to get focused on the area where there is pain,鈥� says Patrick.听

Mindfulness works by facilitating a release of muscle tension that we carry around an injury as well as the general guarding, bracing, and tension that comes as a function of being stressed. By learning to be more present, the body relaxes, which reduces muscle tension and increases blood flow to the areas of the body that need it. Better blood flow brings better nutrients and oxygen needed for the body to heal. Furthermore, mindfulness helps with neuron growth in the areas of the brain related to confidence and social connection. It helps facilitate neuron communication in the brain, too, which helps move us from a fight-or-flight response to a more relaxed state.

The effects of mindfulness can happen immediately, but the more we do it, the better we reap its benefits.听

鈥淲hen you have a bout of exercise, there are positive things that come immediately, but then there鈥檚 the cumulative effect that allows for better conditioning over time,鈥� says Patrick. 鈥淢editation and mindfulness are similar. Endorphins respond from doing a single bout of mindfulness, but as you build the skill, you receive more consistent and deeper levels of benefit.鈥�

Patrick points out that it鈥檚 important to approach mindfulness with an openness and process oriented way rather than with a specific goal in mind.听

鈥淚t鈥檚 really about learning how to be in the present moment,鈥� says Patrick. 鈥淭he harder you try to make it happen, the more difficult it becomes.鈥�

—

All of the athletes I interviewed for this series struggled with their mental well-being during their injury, and yet none of them had any practices in place for addressing them. Instead, they more heavily engaged in their physical health until they reached a breaking point.听Instead of getting to that breaking point, we can do better by caring for our mental health right alongside our physical health.

This story is the sixth and final segment of PodiumRunner鈥檚 The Injuries You Can鈥檛 See series with elite athletes discussing how injury has helped them deal with larger issues in running and in their lives.听

听触听听触听听触听听触听听触听听

About the Author

Jennifer Kuhns is an Oregon native, where she graduated听from the University of Oregon and currently works at Nike. When she isn’t writing or working, she can be found exploring the outdoors by foot, preferably听with good people, good views, and good food.

The post The Injuries You Can鈥檛 See: Lessons From 3 Sports Psychologists appeared first on 国产吃瓜黑料 Online.

鈥淚鈥檓 not afraid of getting older, I鈥檓 afraid of not being able to run,鈥� says ultra runner . 鈥淭hat鈥檚 a great motivator to do the things I need to do to keep my body healthy and able to run.鈥�

Despite a storied resume that includes victories at many of the world鈥檚 most competitive ultras, Moehl鈥檚 relationship with running is purely and wholly intrinsic, seemingly leaving no space for unwanted feelings and maladaptive motivators that too often pollute others鈥� running. Since she began running 31 years ago, she鈥檚 had one overarching goal: to keep running. Her laser focus on consistency and longevity has guided her healthy relationship with running, most recently including how to manage getting older as a runner.

鈥淚鈥檓 43 years old now, and my body doesn鈥檛 fully recover from injuries anymore,鈥� says Moehl. 鈥淣ow, it鈥檚 about managing my body. That management over time is how I鈥檇 define the word acceptance. I鈥檓 working on it on a daily basis.鈥澨�

Moehl has responded very rationally to the unavoidable fact that as humans, we get older. To continuously focus on her goal of longevity, she has adapted her nutrition, strength training, recovery, and mental health practices.

Nutrition

Moehl recalls growing up and fearing fat because diet culture told her that fat was bad. Infuriated by that fat phobic mentality and false marketing messages, she now channels her anger at diet culture toward fueling her body.

鈥淲e need to fuel our bodies,鈥� says Moehl. 鈥淎ll of the marketing around eating for athletes and non-athletes, the whole thing just ticks me off. Adjusting my own understanding of fueling has been really applicable. Now I get to play with what foods work best with my body.鈥澨�

Today, Moehl still adheres to the mentality that all food is good, but she has become more attuned with how eating can keep her running longer.听

鈥淗ow you eat can support your running longevity, 100 percent,鈥� says , a Registered Sports Dietician who works with athletes worldwide and specializes in female endurance athletes. Strickler says there are five areas to hone in on as you age:

1) It鈥檚 essential that runners are meeting their baseline needs for energy. Appetite tends to decrease as people get older so it鈥檚 vital to be intentional about eating enough food and minimizing the amount of time spent in an energy deficit; doing so supports both hormonal and bone health.

2)听 As people who menstruate enter perimenopause, menopause, and post menopause, there is a big downshift in their ability to build and maintain bone. As such, it鈥檚 important to focus on getting enough calcium, vitamin D, vitamin K, and magnesium, whether that be through food or a supplement.听

3) Individuals with periods have a more difficult time building and maintaining muscle mass as they get older. It鈥檚 not uncommon for people to believe that men need more protein than anyone else, but in reality, perimenopausal individuals actually have some of the highest protein needs of any population because their ability to turn protein into muscle has decreased. Thus, they need a higher amount of protein and to focus on a higher quality of protein than most people.听

4) Sensation for thirst decreases as people get older. To counteract this, it can be beneficial for people to drink on a schedule when training because adequate hydration supports muscles, tissues, joints, mobility, flexibility, keeping injury levels down, temperature regulation, and digestion.听

5) As individuals with periods approach perimenopause, their ability to regulate their blood sugar diminishes. As such, they become more insulin resistant, which means their ability to efficiently use simple carbohydrates decreases. To help counteract this, aim for a 1:1 carbohydrate to protein ratio at every snack and meal, with the exception being right before training. Furthermore, eat simpler carbohydrates such as oatmeal, toast, and waffles earlier in the day when insulin sensitivity is better and more complex carbs such as sweet potatoes, starchy vegetables, and quinoa later in the day when insulin sensitivity is worse.

Strength Training

As Moehl has gotten older, she鈥檚 noticed that keeping muscle on is a lot harder. Fortunately, strength training has been a part of her routine since she was a teenager, but it too has taken on a new significance.听

鈥淏efore, I could get away with skipping strength training,鈥� says Moehl. 鈥淣ow, my injury prevention depends on it more and more.鈥澨�

Research shows that as people age, muscles slowly transition from type II fibers (fast twitch) to type I fibers (slow twitch), which means we lose explosive power and strength capacity. In addition, we also lose total muscle mass. Our maximum muscle fiber size is achieved generally in our twenties and typically sustains until our fifties, after which we see a much more significant decline in muscle mass. This decline is critical for runners to consider because the less muscle mass that we have, the more stress our bones, joints, and tendons take on.听

鈥淭he good news is that you can ward off the impacts of aging by regular strength training,鈥� says , a Doctor of Physical Therapy who often works with injured runners. 鈥淓very athlete that passes that 30-year-old mark should consider themselves, at minimum, a duathlete 鈥� with increasing emphasis on this each decade that passes. You can no longer be just a runner; you must be both a runner and cross trainer.鈥澨�

Wetzel says to shoot for two strength training sessions per week alongside your running to keep your body happy, powerful, and sustainable for a longer period of your life.听

Recovery

At the start of Moehl鈥檚 running career, her body recovered much more quickly than it does now. Instead of comparing herself to her previous self, she continuously focuses on the things she can do. This does means, however, that Moehl has changed some of her routines; she now takes time for a pre-run warm up, something she used to forgo because she wanted to maximize every minute running.听

鈥淚n the two to three minutes it takes to do those activation exercises, all the miles feel so much better,鈥� says Moehl.听

Wetzel points out that dynamic stretching helps bring blood flow to your muscles before loading them heavily.听

鈥淲hen you do a dynamic warm-up, you bring your muscles through a large range of motion that primes them for rapid contraction,鈥� says Wetzel. 鈥淭hat said, not everyone has time for a full on dynamic warm-up each time they head out the door. If you have to skip it, consider substituting extra easy running or brisk walking because these have similar efficacy in terms of priming the body for activity.鈥�

If you have time, here is Wetzel鈥檚 go-to suggestion for a complete .

1. Easy jog
2. High knees
3. Butt kicks
4. Side shuffle
5. Grapevine
6. Frankenstein walks (opposite toe taps for the hamstrings)
7. Inner heel taps for hip external rotation
8. Walking lunges with rotation
9. Walk on toes
10. Walk on heels
11. Backwards and forwards arm circles
12. Hug yourself and open up

In addition to adding in a warmup, Moehl also engages in prehab, proactively engaging in injury prevention. She recognizes her privilege in being able to take advantage of , an athletic service that offers athletic therapy to optimize performance, prevent injury, and enable recovery.听

鈥淚鈥檓 better at integrating injury prevention modalities such as athletic trainers, contrast tubs, saunas, and cold compression therapy into my routine early so that a tired shin or tweaky groin doesn鈥檛 turn into a worse injury,鈥� says Moehl.听

Stay Connected to Running In Other Ways

Despite wanting to run forever, Moehl understands that a day may come when she can no longer run. To stay engaged in the running community, she鈥檚 a , a and an .听

鈥淭hese are all things that tie me to being a runner,鈥� says Moehl.听

Moehl apparently knows what she鈥檚 doing. According to , a licensed psychologist specializing in sport and performance, it鈥檚 important to hone in on what you truly enjoy about running.

鈥淪tarting to focus on what running brings you, such as a sense of community, for example, is a really useful way to transition within your sport while still maintaining your identity with the sport that you really love but will be different in terms of where you are physically,鈥� says Patrick.听

In addition to seeking out other ways to stay connected to running, Patrick says it can also be helpful to embrace new standards and set new criteria for what success means for you. Doing so can allow you to really embrace your current state rather than fixate on your younger self.听听

Stay in the Now

鈥淏e here, right now,鈥� says Moehl. 鈥淪taying in the present doesn鈥檛 allow you to go into fear and to compare to how you were before. This is what I got, and I want to make the most of it.鈥�

For Moehl, has been particularly helpful for staying in the present. Despite knowing its benefits for years, she鈥檚 only recently adopted a consistent meditation practice; sometimes, she says, it just takes enough years of knowing to finally do it.听

You can find a variety of mindfulness skills for bringing yourself into the present moment, such as deep breathing and body scans. Practicing mindfulness is grounding because it helps you meet yourself where you are and let go of anxiety and tension that can come with getting older or getting injured.听

鈥淭here are some really valuable neurological responses in the brain with meditation and mindfulness in terms of better neuron growth in the areas of the brain related to confidence and social connection,鈥� says Patrick. 鈥淚t facilitates neuron communication in the brain, too, and helps move us from a fight or flight response in the brain to a more relaxed state. When the body is in less of a flight or fight state, it facilitates healing. It helps transform worried, what-if thoughts to at least the possibility that things can be okay.鈥�

For Moehl, getting older isn鈥檛 simply a part of life. It鈥檚 exciting.听

She鈥檚 impatiently watching gray hairs come in because she can鈥檛 wait to have that vibrant white that symbolizes wisdom and experience.听

She鈥檚 so curious about her changing body that she strives to give it the best support for going through those changes.听

Moehl doesn鈥檛 fear getting older, she embraces it.

The post Krissy Moehl On How to Embrace Getting Older appeared first on 国产吃瓜黑料 Online.

speaks slowly. Thoughtfully. As though he wants to answer each question correctly, as if there is a right way. He leaves no room for rambling. When I let the space stand empty with silence, he doesn鈥檛 fill it. I start imagining that he approaches running in the same manner: methodically and thoughtfully and without room for error, as if everything is hinging on some internal standard of achievement.

Like an Addiction

When he talks about his relationship to running, he uses words like illogical, deep-seated, obsession, and addiction; when he talks about why he runs, he uses words like love, focus, freeing, and intrinsic.

It quickly becomes clear that Laney鈥檚 inherent love for running is in consistent and constant tension with his insecurities as an individual. He hovers in the space between freedom and imprisonment, ecstasy and agony, isolation and community, never fully landing in any one place for very long. For much of his life, Laney鈥檚 felt whole when he runs and incomplete when he doesn鈥檛.听

鈥淚 will readily admit running is like an addiction,鈥� says Laney. 鈥淭here鈥檚 been times where it鈥檚 something I have to do, and if I can鈥檛 do it, I鈥檓 not functional or present, and definitely not happy. Running will allow me to destroy myself. So, how do I manage running so it doesn鈥檛 control me, so that it鈥檚 more like a friend rather than a God? I鈥檓 still figuring that out.鈥�

Running came early to Laney. When he was four, he fell in love with running laps at recess. By third grade, he was racing. When he was in middle school, his parents instated a rule that he had to take one day off each week and they limited how many miles he could run. In high school, he 飞补蝉苍鈥檛 allowed to run a marathon.听听

鈥淎 5th grader shouldn鈥檛 be so obsessed with running that they can鈥檛 take a day off, but that was the situation,鈥� says Laney. 鈥淚 loved going running, and I hated taking a day off.鈥�

As Laney outgrew his parents’ household and their rules, he started implementing his own. He figured that if an injury was bad enough it would force him to stop running eventually, so may as well run through any tolerable pain. He restricted what he ate to be as skinny as possible because he heard that this was a surefire way to get faster. And he ran. A lot. Without much rest or easy days or balance.

Detaching the Body’s Red Flags

Laney鈥檚 rules were far from perfect. Injuries happened so frequently that he created a new rule: running and injury exist simultaneously. He stopped categorizing himself as injured or uninjured. Unless it was excruciatingly, unbearably painful, Laney kept running.听

鈥淎s a general rule of thumb, if you have pain with walking, have low level pain at rest that worsens with activity, and/or have pain that pushes into the next day after increased activity, you are not ready to ,鈥� says who is a Doctor of Physical Therapy and often works with injured runners. 鈥淭he best thing to do in these situations is to see a healthcare professional for guidance because making the wrong decision could be the difference between getting better and suffering an exacerbation of your current injury.鈥�

For nearly 20 years, Laney ignored what his body was saying and instead suffered from a host of injuries including rolled ankles, bone spurs, stress reactions, pulled muscles, soft tissue injuries, and a back injury that required a cortisone shot in his lower spine.听

鈥淚 have to be limping pretty badly to take a day off,鈥� says Laney. 鈥淚t鈥檚 definitely past the point of knowing I鈥檓 doing damage to my body and this isn鈥檛 making me better at running. I don鈥檛 know what the point is, but it鈥檚 illogically past that.鈥�

Running is intrinsic for Laney. Losing races to COVID-19 barely phased him. He doesn鈥檛 run for the attention or money or sponsorship. (Although, he doesn鈥檛 hesitate to mention his gratitude for these things). When Laney runs, his hyperactive brain calms down, and in its place is a calm rhythm. The landing of his feet against the trail; the vibration of his heart beating against his chest; the weekly pattern of 100 miles.听

When Laney loses running, he loses his rhythm.

Why Injury Becomes an Identity Crisis

According to , who is a Certified Mental Performance Consultant and has a PhD in Sport and Exercise Psychology, athletes who navigate injury poorly are less likely to have other ways of defining themselves, which often prolongs the duration of the injury because they are so eager to return to their sport. For Laney, he started denying that he was even injured so that he could continue running regardless of what pain he was in.

Furthermore, these athletes tend to lack the social support they really need and instead gravitate more toward isolation, which was also true for Laney. He was always surrounded by runners, including living with a house full of runners. Whenever Laney was injured, he was left alone while all of his friends and teammates trained.听

鈥淚f your confidence is only in running and you get injured, it鈥檚 horrible,鈥� says Laney. 鈥淚t鈥檚 super depressing to be injured because it鈥檚 what you鈥檝e put all of your hope in. It will disappoint you every time if that鈥檚 what you do. I finally realized that running can鈥檛 be everything; I can鈥檛 live in this anguish every time I get injured.鈥�

Laney鈥檚 never doubted that running 100 mile weeks is probably not good for him, but it鈥檚 taken him nearly 20 years to realize that his dependence on running to feel good is also not good for him. Slowly, he started to turn into what his physical and mental pain was teaching him rather than avoid it all together.听

Lessons Learned

The mental and physical depletion from a restrictive diet taught him the importance of eating enough food. Recovering poorly from hard workouts taught him the reasons for easy days. Physical pain taught him the benefits of listening to his body. Feeling lonely and miserable taught him the benefits of expanding his community. With each new learning, a small part of him died to misplaced energies, and in its place was space for something new.

Now, when Laney is injured, he finds ways to stay connected to running while keeping enough distance from it so he doesn鈥檛 spiral into a deep, dark hole full of confirmation that he鈥檚 worthless. When he does his physical therapy, he wears his running clothes and shoes instead of wearing his sweats, something that鈥檚 been really helpful for his mental well being. He鈥檚 made friends with non-runners, helping him remember that some people don鈥檛 run at all –听 鈥渁nd they seem fine鈥�. He鈥檚 stopped ignoring every injury. He accepts the difficulty of being injured and hones in on what levers he can influence, letting the rest go.

鈥淏efore, when I got injured, I would have no idea what I would do to fill that void,鈥� says Laney. 鈥淚 was drowning in emptiness, and it just made everything worse. Now, I鈥檝e gotten a little more perspective. I鈥檓 still working on [running not being everything], but it鈥檚 definitely better than ever before.鈥�

When athletes have a diverse sense of self, they tend to manage their injuries better, according to Coker-Cranney. This helps them be more patient with the recovery process because they see injury as a temporary thing, and they have all the confidence in the world that they will be okay. It鈥檚 easier for these athletes to focus on other areas of their lives while they are injured, and to really take a transient approach to their injury.听

鈥淎ll experiences are transient,鈥� says Coker-Cranney. 鈥淲hen we can be really curious about our experiences, that changes our experience with the injury, which changes the experience with ourselves.鈥�

And that鈥檚 exactly what Laney is trying to do. He may always have a strong, internal drive to run, one that is nearly impossible to satisfy, but he鈥檚 realized that if he wants to run for years and years, he needs to make sure he鈥檚 not only physically well, but mentally well, too.听

鈥淚鈥檝e learned a lot from my injuries so they are valuable, but you have to make them valuable. Don鈥檛 waste it. An injury is an opportunity,鈥� says Laney. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 know if I could ever get to a point where my self-worth isn鈥檛 at least somewhat tied to running, but I think at least trying to get to that point is valuable.鈥澨�

Laney鈥檚 Suggestions For Making Sure Your Self Worth Isn鈥檛 Solely Tied to Running

Have a community outside the running community. 鈥淥ne of the greatest things that happened to me is I lived in an apartment with six runners and one other person who 飞补蝉苍鈥檛 a runner. We were genuinely good friends over something that 飞补蝉苍鈥檛 running. Having friends who aren鈥檛 runners is so good because people who don鈥檛 run have a great perspective on running, probably better than runners.鈥澨�

Stop Fighting your Injury. 鈥�Being injured or unable to run is going to be really hard, and I don鈥檛 think fighting that is the best way to get over it. Instead, accept that it鈥檚 going to be difficult, create realistic goals, and celebrate any progress.鈥澨�

When You鈥檙e Injured, Find a Replacement for Running. 鈥�Find other things to do during the time that you would normally run. I think runners are rhythm people, so it鈥檚 important to keep that schedule and do something valuable during the time you鈥檇 normally run. It may not be the same as running, but it can also be really great.鈥�

This story is the sixth segment of PodiumRunner’s The Injuries You Can’t See series with elite athletes discussing how injury has helped them deal with larger issues in running and in their lives.听

听触听听触听听触听听触听听触听听

The post The Injuries You Can鈥檛 See: How David Laney Learned to Manage His Running Dependency appeared first on 国产吃瓜黑料 Online.

In 2015, professional triathlete was out with a fractured femur. Although a devastating injury, bones typically heal听 in 6-8 weeks. For Corbin, it took eight months.听

鈥淚t was a couple of things,鈥� says Corbin. 鈥淭he physiological stuff that we didn’t address early on, and I cross trained through it.听 After four months, I had an MRI that showed I hadn鈥檛 healed whatsoever, so I shut everything down for two months.鈥澨�

Eventually, Corbin鈥檚 bone healed, and for the next five years, she was invincible. Her mental and physical durability led her to five Ironman wins and a host of other top ten finishes. And then, seemingly out of nowhere, she felt a niggle in her quad while on a training run. An eerily familiar sensation, Corbin stopped running immediately and walked home. The diagnosis? A stress reaction in her opposite femur.听

This time, Corbin started her return to activity in the predicted 6-8 weeks it takes for a bone to heal.听

So, what was different?听

From Training Through Injury To 听Shutting It Down

In 2015, when Corbin鈥檚 overworked bone fractured, so did her identity. Corbin thought that if she 飞补蝉苍鈥檛 training then she 飞补蝉苍鈥檛 an athlete. As a result of this thinking,听 she was back in the pool, on her bike, or in the weight room way too soon.听

鈥淚鈥檝e been a professional athlete for 14 years so that is where my self worth comes from,鈥澨� says Corbin, as she reflects on why she continued to train through an injury that is very difficult, if not impossible, to cross train through while trying to heal. 鈥淭o have that taken away, you鈥檙e like, 鈥榳ho am I without this sport?鈥�, and those feelings and thoughts overwhelmed me to the point of incapacity.鈥�

According to sports psychologist when athletes are only in touch with one of their identities, it makes them more susceptible to doing anything and everything to preserve that identity.听

鈥淚f athletes don鈥檛 have other outlets, we see them engage in things like disordered eating, over training, and using harmful substances all because they鈥檙e trying to protect the one way they see themselves,鈥� says Cokey-Cranney. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a constant balance for athletes to define themselves in more than one way so if one way is compromised, they have other outlets for protecting how they see themselves.鈥澨�

Fast forward five years, and Corbin knew that regardless of training volume, she was still an athlete. Because of this, she was able to channel her discipline for training into her recovery.听

鈥淟ast time I felt sorry for myself and had horrible anxiety and depression,鈥� says Corbin. 鈥淭his time I kept myself occupied with other activities, which gave me some self worth and value. I am not out of the woods in this department yet, but I am working on it.鈥�

From Daily Judgement To Weekly Evaluation

In 2015, Corbin judged every sensation she felt in a very black and white way: if she felt pain, she 飞补蝉苍鈥檛 healing; if she didn鈥檛 feel pain, she was healing. Because healing isn鈥檛 linear, Corbin鈥檚 emotions soared high when she felt good, and to deep, dark lows when even slight discomfort showed up.听 She called her coach daily, often ending in tears. In hindsight, the daily calls were keeping Corbin too focused on her injury and creating additional stress, which in all likelihood, slowed her body鈥檚 healing.

Research shows that injury is a biopsychosocial condition. To effectively and efficiently heal injuries, both psychological and medical therapies are crucial, but all too often the former is ignored. Without psychological and emotional techniques, it is not uncommon for athletes to experience anxiety and depression, which hinders our body鈥檚 ability to heal.听

鈥淚t鈥檚 really gnarly what long term cortisol does to you,鈥� says Cokey-Cranney. 鈥淲hen you can accept your injury and be present-focused, your body has freed up resources and is in a place to think more clearly, make better decisions for who it is you want to be, and live in a way that is more consistent with your values. Reducing stress has so many physical and psychological benefits, it鈥檚 absolutely insane.鈥澨�

(To name a few of those benefits: reduced irritability, increase in feel-good hormones, better decision making, reduced susceptibility to disease and muscular-skeletal injury, and increased cognitive ability).听

In 2020, Corbin moved to a weekly evaluation instead of a daily obsession. Each Sunday, she evaluated her week, making sure to log any gains over the previous week. Doing so allowed her to quantify her progress听 and to shift her focus from losses to gains.听 All of this, ultimately, reduced her stress levels.听

From Punishing Herself To Taking Care of Herself

鈥淚n 2015, I was restricting calories because it was another form of self abuse,鈥� says Corbin. 鈥淚 treated myself really crappy. I thought [the injury] was my fault.鈥澨�

Although it may seem intuitive to reduce caloric intake when injured because you鈥檙e training less, it is not as straightforward as it seems.听 According to a from a group in Scotland led by Dr. Kevin D. Tipton of the University of Stirling Health and Exercise Research Group, energy expenditure may increase by 15% to 50% during the body鈥檚 healing process, depending on the type and severity of the injury.听 So, while inactivity may result in reduced total energy expenditure, the overall reduction is not as severe as athletes often think.听 If restriction of energy intake is too severe, recovery will almost certainly be slowed due to negative metabolic consequences. The takeaway? The single most important nutritional consideration during injury is to avoid nutrient deficiencies.听

The 2020 version of Corbin was well aware of the importance of adequate nutrition, and rather than restrict her calories, she ate extra to ensure she was healing.听

鈥淭his time around, I’ve gone the opposite [direction] and put on quite a bit of weight,听 but I鈥檓 like, 鈥榦kay, it鈥檚 healthy, you are letting yourself heal.鈥� I try to think of it as a positive that I鈥檓 resetting my body.鈥澨�

From Social Isolating To Staying Engaged with Her Community

鈥淚 felt super alone in 2015,鈥� says Corbin. 鈥淚 thought nobody understood. I was depressed. I cut people out of my life. I didn鈥檛 socialize.鈥�

Social isolation is a common response to injury because athletes often feel cut off from their coach, their team, their identity, and their routine. When injured, instead of staying connected via other ways, athletes often retreat into isolation, which can exacerbate the negative effects of injury.

Research has shown that high levels of social support are associated with low levels of devastation and feeling dispirited in response to injury, which are often comorbid with the experience of isolation. Put differently, if athletes can stay socially connected to anyone 鈥� your coach, peers, family, athletic trainer 鈥� during injury, they will be better off.听

鈥淎thletes who are able to negotiate injury really well tend to have really good support systems,鈥� says Cokey-Craney.听

Despite learning the hard way, Corbin figured this out in 2020. Rather than push people away, she brought them closer. She accepted that her family may not completely understand how she feels or what she鈥檚 going through during injury, but that didn鈥檛 matter: they wanted to support her regardless. In letting them, she felt better.

Corbin鈥檚 Top Tips for Taking Care of Your Mental Well Being During an Injury

1. Let go of all expectations. 鈥淒on鈥檛 attach any timelines or hope to healing. It鈥檚 different for everyone. Just accept that you are injured and turn your mind away from it however you can. Try to get into a few good books or shows on Netflix. Stress in the mind raises cortisol levels which then impacts overall health.鈥�
2. Break your recovery into bite size chunks. 鈥淭ake your big timeline and break it into one week or five day segments. Stick to a plan for one week and then re-evaluate. Don鈥檛 do any evaluating or testing within that week. Then, evaluate: Are you progressing? How do you feel? If you think about the whole injury recovery and process, it鈥檚 overwhelming.鈥�
3. Trust the process.听 鈥淒uring an injury, it鈥檚 easy to feel like it may never end and that you’ll never be able to run again. You have to ignore thinking too far ahead or getting wrapped up in the past (or how fit you used to be). Trust that you will be back from this, and likely stronger, better, and more motivated than before. Let your body heal and rest to the best of its ability, and know that you will heal. Make it a process versus focusing on the outcome.鈥�
4. Adopt a better attitude. 鈥淚 adopted a much better attitude in 2020: ‘I am going to do the best job I can at staying off my feet as much as possible.’ I read, worked on side projects, tried to not feel bad for myself, focused on an attitude of gratitude, didn’t worry about if I was healing or not, journaled, and found joy in the small things. The experience was ten times better mentally. And physically I healed much quicker.鈥�
5. Give Yourself Some Distance. 鈥淚n 2015, I talked to my coach daily, which was really abusing myself mentally. This time, I told my coach that I 飞补蝉苍鈥檛 going to talk to him for eight weeks. I know now that daily judgement isn鈥檛 healthy, and having some separation from your sport while you鈥檙e healing is okay.鈥澨�

This story is the fifth segment of PodiumRunner鈥檚 The Injuries You Can鈥檛 See series with elite athletes discussing how injury has helped them deal with larger issues in running and in their lives.听

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The post The Injuries You Can鈥檛 See: How Mental State Impacts How an Injury Heals appeared first on 国产吃瓜黑料 Online.

Between 2003 and 2014, elite runner had seven stress fractures and too-many-to-count Achilles and high hamstring injuries. Since 2014, he鈥檚 been (nearly) injury free.听听

鈥淚 credit it all to slowing down,鈥� says Daniels. 鈥淚 was out there thinking, the harder you run, the better you鈥檙e going to get. It was stress, stress, stress, and then hope to God it turns out as success.鈥�

Choosing Running: An Insecure Foundation

Daniels first foray into running was in second grade. It was Field Day, and his mind went blank when asked what sport he wanted to participate in. He remembers his PE teacher suggesting distance running because he had long legs, something PE teachers should probably stop saying to kids. Nonetheless, it was impressionable to the second grader, and his legs, long or otherwise, carried him across the finish line and into the sport of running.听

Daniels was torn. He loved running, but, growing up in Texas, he was immersed in a hyper-masculine, football-crazed culture and running most certainly 飞补蝉苍鈥檛 football. In sixth grade, he found the courage to quit the football team, but not without feeling like he鈥檇 committed a sin.听

鈥淎ll of my friends played football,鈥� says Daniels. 鈥淲hen I quit football to focus on running, I felt like I had to prove to them that I鈥檓 really good at running, that I belong when I run. That need to prove myself stayed with me for years.鈥澨�

To prove his worth to others, Daniels took a 鈥渘o pain, no gain鈥� approach to running. From the time he was 13 to his early 20s, every run Daniels went on was under six minute mile pace. As a result of training too hard without recovering, Daniels kept getting injured. In alignment with his mentality, Daniels thought that injury was a part of being a competitive runner and that he simply needed to deal with the pain.听

Not so, according to who is a Doctor of Physical Therapy and often works with injured runners. When runners have appropriate load progression, adequate recovery, surplus energy, and good biomechanics, they mitigate the likelihood of injury and the likelihood of repetitive injuries.听

鈥淎ll things need to be in sync to create a healthy body,鈥� says Wetzel. 鈥淲hen we run in a fatigued state, the amount of stress that goes through the body upon landing is greatly increased. It鈥檚 also possible that bone stress is increased in a fatigued state because your muscles are less responsive to load, and the bone will subsequently take on more stress without that added protection.鈥�

Instead of recognizing that he was stressing his body too much, Daniels pushed through any mental and physical pain until he would break. For years, he was in a cycle of running well, getting injured, becoming depressed, and repeating.听

The Breaking Point

In 2008, during a period when Daniels was running well, he tore his hamstring during a downhill 10k. A few days after the race, he went out for a run. When he reached mile three, he stopped running and started to cry. His hamstring pain was unbearable, but the disappointment of being injured again was more painful.听

鈥淚 just started to cry, and then I walked back to my house,鈥� says Daniels. 鈥淚 was like, 鈥業鈥檓 done.鈥� I didn鈥檛 want to go through another injury. When you鈥檙e on a high from being in the best shape of your life and setting personal records, it鈥檚 hard to face another injury. That was the breaking point for me.鈥�

Not long after that run, Daniels hung up his running shoes and joined the Navy. While in the Navy, Daniels smoked two packs of cigarettes a day, drank at nearly every port, and was stationary on the ship. He had no expectations that he would ever run again; running was a thing of the past, something that Daniels decided he 飞补蝉苍鈥檛 cut out to do.听

When Daniels was getting ready to return home from the Navy, he met with a psychiatrist to talk about his transition to home life. His psychiatrist encouraged him to find a hobby, something that would provide him with a healthy distraction.听

鈥淚t dawned on me, maybe I鈥檒l go for a run, maybe that will clear my mind,鈥� says Daniels. 鈥淚 went out for a run on the base one week before I was discharged, and I fell in love with running all over again.鈥� Just like in second grade, Daniels felt a sense of belonging.听

Returning to Running听

After two and a half years in the Navy, Daniels was honorably discharged. He moved to Colorado and was accepted into Adams State University and onto their running teams. Pretty quickly, his fight mentality returned, and with it, his injuries.

When Daniels was diagnosed with his seventh stress fracture in 2014, he could no longer deny that his mentality was getting in the way of him being a healthy runner. A bone scan further revealed that his relentless need to prove himself was wreaking havoc on his musculoskeletal system. At age 26, tests showed he lost a severe amount of bone mass and was developing osteoporosis.听

In addition to training too hard, it鈥檚 possible that Daniels was in a constant state of low energy availability, which is the amount of dietary energy remaining for metabolic processes after exercising. When athletes don鈥檛 eat enough to match their energy needs, their leptin, estradiol, and insulin-like growth factor-1 decreases and their cortisol increases, creating a perfect environment for an imbalance in bone turnover that disrupts newly formed bone development and reduces the ability to repair micro damage.听

鈥淚f someone is in a state of low energy availability, the damage can happen in as little as five days,鈥� says, a registered sports dietitian. 鈥淩ecent research has discovered that even if an athlete is in positive energy availability by the end of the day, large within-day energy deficits can increase muscle breakdown, perturb metabolic rates, and disrupt hormone production immediately.鈥�

Daniels remembers modeling his eating after what Kenyan runners were doing. He鈥檇 heard that they only eat ugali, chapati, and drink tea, so he figured if they could run so well on a limited diet, so could he. In reality, Daniels 飞补蝉苍鈥檛 eating enough to keep up with this training.听

Learning to Slow Down

After his alarming bone scan, Daniels doubled down his efforts on reducing stress on his body, which meant focusing more on what he put into his body, increasing his sleep, training with a lot more intention, and stopping being so hard on himself.听

鈥淲hen I was growing up, I got made fun of a lot for being skinny, so I鈥檝e always been trying to prove myself,鈥� says Daniels. 鈥淚 put a lot of pressure on myself. I still do sometimes. In a sense, it鈥檚 why I had a lot of success, but it also led to a lot of injuries and depression.鈥�

Daniels credits a lot of his learning how to slow down to his current coach, Not long after they started working together, Roche sat Daniels down and gave him an ultimatum: either you can continue to run yourself into the ground and repeatedly be injured or you can invite patience into your practice and start to reap the benefits of slowing down. Daniels chose the latter.听

Since 2017, Daniels has most certainly reaped the benefits of slowing down, or what he likes to call being smart with your training. Not only has he been injury free and the fastest he鈥檚 ever been, but he feels more at ease with himself when he鈥檚 not running, too; he finally feels like he doesn鈥檛 have to prove himself all the time to everyone else.听

鈥淚 always identified as a runner and only a runner,鈥� says Daniels, reflecting on his past. 鈥淚n the time that I鈥檝e been healthy, I鈥檝e gotten married, found a full-time job, gotten a dog and discovered new hobbies. My life is no longer only consumed with running.鈥�

There was a point when Daniels wondered if he was capable of training at a high level without getting injured. Turns out, he is. As long as he does it the right way.

鈥淪lowing down doesn鈥檛 mean you are becoming a slower runner. It means that you are being a smarter runner,鈥� says Daniels.听

Daniels Top 5 Tips for Slowing Down

1. Don鈥檛 leave a meal until you are full. 鈥淧rioritize eating. If you are on a run feeling tired or depleted, that isn鈥檛 good. It鈥檚 usually nutrition related, not that you are overtraining. You need to eat more than you think you need to eat.鈥�
2. Make your easy days easy. 鈥淓mbrace the idea that when you are running, you鈥檙e stressing your body no matter how hard or how easy you are running. There needs to be a balance between hard days and easy days. Your easy days are really, really important. You really have to accept the fact that not all days can be hard. The body doesn鈥檛 work that way.鈥�
3. Get plenty of sleep. 鈥淎 lot of people get consumed with everything they have going on in life. The more you can sleep, the better. Sleep can improve your overall health, not just to prevent injuries, but your mental health, too.鈥�
4. Listen to your body. 鈥淎nytime something flares up, learn to be okay with taking a day or two off. A day or two is better than a month. Ask yourself, 鈥榳hat is going to keep you being the most consistent?鈥� Consistency is what鈥檚 going to make you a better runner. If you listen to your body, it will tell you when you need to take it easy and slow down.鈥�
5. Meditate. 鈥淏eing one with yourself makes a big difference.鈥�

This story is the fourth segment of PodiumRunner’s The Injuries You Can’t See series with elite athletes discussing how injury has helped them deal with larger issues in their lives and in running.听

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The post The Injuries You Can鈥檛 See: How Slowing Down Helped Matt Daniels Become a Better Runner appeared first on 国产吃瓜黑料 Online.

By the time we reach the end of our conversation, has sifted through all of her heartache and frustration and moments of despair to unearth her most salient lesson of all: It鈥檚 okay to let go.听

She didn鈥檛 pull this piece of insight out of a fortune cookie the day after she injured her hip. Even if she had, she likely wouldn鈥檛 have listened. Mericle can be a bit stubborn. A self-driven, motivated athlete with a never-give-up attitude, Mericle spent the better part of three years relentlessly focusing on resolving her elusive hip injury.听

鈥淚 should have allowed myself to explore things that would have given me joy instead of doing things exclusively for the purpose of getting back to running,鈥� reflects Mericle.

The Dark Side of Discipline

Up until her injury, Mericle interpreted her discipline as an asset. As a Division 1 Cross Country and Track & FIeld athlete at Rice University, she held two school records and qualified for the 2008 Olympic Trials in the 3,000m steeplechase. When she tore her left labrum near the end of her senior year, she was sidelined from competing in the steeplechase. Instead of sitting the season out, she switched to the 5k, a decision with repercussions she hadn鈥檛 imagined.听

For the next several years, Mericle was a professional patient. She was in and out of medical appointments, feeling invalidated and lonely as she navigated the world of elusive diagnosis. She saw experts who dismissed her injury entirely or suggested surgery as the only option, neither of which she was willing to do. She devoted herself to weekly physical therapy appointments and a daily, two hour physical therapy routine. She cross-trained to maintain her cardiovascular fitness, despite finding it boring.听 On top of all of this, she was a volunteer assistant coach at Rice University. Day in and day out, Mericle was consistently and constantly reminding herself that she couldn鈥檛 do the one thing she wanted to do most.

鈥淎s a general, human, psychological tendency, we will go to greath lengths to protect our self-concept when it is threatened,鈥� says who is a Certified Mental Performance Consultant and has a PhD in Sport and Exercise Psychology.听 鈥淎dditionally, we鈥檝e created a culture around sport that tells athletes to push harder and be stronger and faster. Because of this 鈥� and other things 鈥� athletes don鈥檛 always honor the time they need to heal appropriately.鈥澨�

Mericle鈥檚 approach to healing was very similar to how she approached her training. She had goals and expectations to achieve them in a very linear fashion, which is rarely the case with injuries.听

鈥淚 felt very broken,鈥� says Mericle. 鈥淚 felt like my body didn鈥檛 work. My hip didn鈥檛 work. I got to a point where mentally, I needed to walk away from running.鈥澨�

Shedding the Past

When Mericle finally听 let go of the idea of returning to the runner she could so vividly remember being, she suddenly saw all that was hidden in plain sight for so many years. For the first time in a long time, she could do things without considering how it would impact her running; she didn鈥檛 even need to run it by her coach. Fairly quickly, Mericle started to rock climb, and soon fell in love with the sport. When she climbed, hours passed without a glance at the clock, something she stared at constantly when she was riding a stationary bike. Unlike cross training, rock climbing was fun.听

鈥淔or about six months, I was done being a runner,鈥� says Mericle. 鈥淚 just rock climbed and had fun living in Colorado, trying to decide if I鈥檇 apply to medical school or not. Gone was the pressure of returning to running.鈥�

Her decision to remove that pressure likely had immediate impacts on her physiology and biology, not to mention her mental well-being.听

鈥淚t鈥檚 really gnarly what long term cortisol in the body does to you, which is the chemical released to respond to stress,鈥� says Coker-Cranney.听 鈥淐ortisol breaks down a number of things in your body which makes you more susceptible to disease and musculoskeletal injuries. It鈥檚 so important to reduce stress as much as possible because we don鈥檛 want all of that cortisol in your body for a long time.鈥�

Embracing a New Self

As time passed, Mericle鈥檚 itch to run returned, but not without an understanding that she had to approach it differently. Mericle made a list of every activity that caused pain and every activity that didn鈥檛. Running on the road hurt, but running on trails seemed to be okay, so she stopped running on roads. Driving was painful, so she quit her job as a tech rep driving around a four state territory and looked for a new job. Mericle was teaching herself how to let go. She was letting go of her strong hold on returning to the runner she once was. She was figuring out how to be happy for that version of herself and look forward to her future version.听

Coker-Cranney has worked with many athletes who have had to let go of their past selves and look forward to their future selves. To help athletes do this, she focuses on two things: acceptance and being present focused. Coker-Cranney explains that when we accept that we are injured, we can start to see what we have, instead of everything we lost. When we鈥檙e present focused, we stop judging ourselves because we aren鈥檛 comparing our current self to our past self or who we thought we would become.听 Suddenly, a run with your neighbors is just as rewarding as the race you won five years ago.

鈥淲hen acceptance and present moment come together, it gives athletes the freedom to be who they are and to honor all of their experiences, good and bad, without judgement,鈥� says Coker-Cranney.听

Once Mericle figured out how she could run in a different way, the potential to compete again opened up.听听

鈥淓motionally, when you let go of this rigid idea of who you were supposed to be, you tend to make decisions more aligned with your values,鈥� says Coker-Cranney.听

Today, Mericle isn鈥檛 pain free, and that鈥檚 okay. She鈥檚 figured out a way to work within her limitations. It鈥檚 not always easy. She doesn鈥檛 want to feel limited.听 But, she鈥檚 learned that accepting that she is is better than the alternative.听

鈥淚 had no idea that I would be able to compete in anything again,鈥� says Mericle. 鈥淎ccepting that I have limitations has allowed me to do some crazy things that I would never have imagined.鈥澨�

Sometimes, when we let go, we aren鈥檛 actually losing anything; we鈥檙e merely making room for opportunity and possibility.听

Like, for instance, becoming the Spartan Race World Champion, which Mericle did in 2019.听

Sport Psychologist Ashley Coker-Cranney鈥檚 Tips for Having A Healthy Relationship with Your Sport

Coker-Cranney wants her athletes to have a healthy relationship with their sport, which means she鈥檚 often working with them on other parts of their identities. If you feel like you鈥檙e only an athlete, then Coker-Cranney suggests the following:

1. Take Inventory of Who You Are. 鈥淭he first part of letting go is helping runners see who they are beyond their sport.听 Start by listing off every way that you are defining yourself right now听 鈥� good neighbor, reliable colleague, parent, friend听 鈥� and then assign a level of importance to each item.鈥�
2. Build Up Those Areas.听鈥淏rainstorm how you can serve all of these other parts of your identity while you鈥檙e letting your runner identity rest so the healing process can take over.鈥澨�
3. Check In With Your Motives. 鈥淭ake inventory of why you are engaged in what you鈥檙e doing. Are you currently at physical therapy because you have to be or because you want to be? When you are doing something because you should be doing it, then it鈥檚 a very fixed mindset. When you are doing something because you want to be doing it, it鈥檚 much more flexible.鈥�
4. Rate Your Flexibility. 鈥淥n a scale of 1鈥�10, rate your level of flexibility. The more flexible you are, the better able you are to move with the ups and downs. If you find that you鈥檙e being very rigid, getting out of that can be as simple as repeating a mantra. I like the mantra, 鈥楾he bamboo that bends is stronger than the oak that resists.鈥欌�澨�
5. Focus On the Overall Trend. 鈥淩emind yourself that progress is not linear. Get a good grasp on the long term picture rather than the short term.鈥�
6. Be Kinder to Yourself. 鈥淓very day, after you finish your training, whether that鈥檚 physical therapy or cross training or something else, log how you felt. Wait an hour, and then go back and read it. If you hear judgement, have a pow-wow with yourself about how important it is to let go of that judgement.鈥�

This story is the third segment of PodiumRunner’s The Injuries You Can’t See series with elite athletes discussing how injury has helped them deal with larger issues in their lives and running.听

听触 |听 | | | 听

The post The Injuries You Can鈥檛 See: How Injury Taught Nicole Mericle to Let Go appeared first on 国产吃瓜黑料 Online.

Selfish.

This is the word that keeps returning to when he talks about being a runner. He uses it mostly to describe his relationship with running. After hearing the word so many times, it鈥檚 clear that Jones really hates being selfish.听

听鈥淚 want to be able to run in a way that makes it worthwhile for more than just Dakota,鈥� says Jones, referring to himself in the third person. 鈥淗ow can I run in a way that鈥檚 not entirely selfish?鈥澨�

When listening to Jones, I get the sense that he is easily lost in his thoughts, contemplating this question in a way that escapes other elite runners of his ability. He鈥檚 so self-aware that when he mentions he鈥檚 30, I let out a small gasp of surprise. It isn鈥檛 until later, when he starts talking about his insecurities and doubts and getting consumed by running, that any sign of youth comes through. Even then, it鈥檚 minimal.

Empty Success

Jones, by all accounts, is a very successful runner. In 2008, at just 17, he finished third overall at his first ultra, the UltimateXc Moab Edition 50k, earning him fast attention as . Jones responded to this early success by revolving his life around trail running. By 2013, Jones finished 23 ultras, earning top three finishes in 17 of those races. Yet, despite achieving far more than what most people are capable of, Jones often felt like he was failing at being a good human. 听

听In 2014, around mile 70 of the Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc in Chamonix France, Jones felt terrible. He knew he could finish the race, but that 飞补蝉苍鈥檛 the problem: he didn鈥檛 want to finish the race. It was completely hollow of any of his personal values or goals. He was only there because his failure to finish Hard Rock earlier that year had guilted him into salvaging his summer by racing at UTMB. Near mile 75, Jones dropped out of the race, listening to his truest truth telling him that devoting his life to running was too overwhelming.

鈥淚t鈥檚 not black and white. I love running. I love being in the mountains. I don鈥檛 want to stop racing,鈥� says Jones. 鈥淏ut living a life entirely focused on competing and training is not enough for me.鈥�

An Injury Brings on an Identity Crisis

And yet, Jones couldn鈥檛 quite figure out how to balance his love for running with his desire to 鈥渂e less selfish,鈥� which is why a broken foot in 2015 飞补蝉苍鈥檛 enough reason for Jones to take a break. Instead, his identity as a runner only magnified, and he tightened his grip on being characterized as a good runner.

听鈥淭he simple fact is that a lot of my self-worth is tied up with my ability to run,鈥� says Jones. 鈥淏eing a runner is a big part of who I am. When it鈥檚 taken away, it鈥檚 a bit of a crisis.鈥�

Immediately after finding out his diagnosis, Jones bought the stiffest pair of hiking boots, added a carbon insert, and taped up his foot to immobilize it. For six weeks, he put this boot on at 6:00 a.m. and only took it off when he was cycling, which he was doing often. Not long after he found out he鈥檇 broken his foot, he posted to: 鈥淚 rode my bike 550 miles last week. If that鈥檚 not an addiction to exercise, I don鈥檛 know what is.鈥澨�

Jones鈥� need to exercise was interfering with his bone鈥檚 ability to heal. Biology aside 鈥� bones need periods of rest to heal 鈥� Jones鈥� healing was likely also slowed because of his increased anxiety and depression. He was often questioning his decisions, and he justified his exercise regimen by the fact that his doctor had said exercise was okay so long as his foot didn鈥檛 hurt. Underneath all of this was the fear that he would never be able to run again, that his decline to irrelevancy had begun.听

听鈥淲hen athletes have an experience of what their life might be like without their sport, they often throw themselves into rehab to avoid that discomfort,鈥� says Seth Swary, who has a PhD in Sport, Exercise and Performance Psychology and an MA in Community Mental Health Counseling. 鈥淲hen being an athlete is the biggest or only part of yourself that you recognize, it鈥檚 really easy to get lost in that identity, and we often see rates of depression go up.鈥�听

Becoming More Than a Runner

Before Jones got injured, he was 鈥渢he cool guy who wins races,鈥� and he鈥檇 be lying if he didn鈥檛 admit that he liked this attention. He hated that he liked it, but he liked it nonetheless. He liked being good at something. He liked being fit. Heck, Jones liked winning races. When he got injured, and all of that was taken from him in a heartbeat, he realized that maybe he isn鈥檛 so cool, but he could do cool things. Just like that, he had his answer: he needed to expand the amount of cool things he did.

鈥淚f winning races is the only source of happiness that I have, then it鈥檚 really unsustainable; it鈥檚 really fragile,鈥� Jones says. 鈥淚 want to find a sense of self-worth and validation without having to win races all of the time.鈥�

With this newfound clarity, Jones was finally able to recognize that his relentless focus, drive, and determination could be useful in another area of his life: reducing his impact on the environment and protecting the outdoor places he loves so much.听

In 2017, Jones joined the nonprofit an organization devoted to protecting the outdoors from climate change. Shortly after joining, he sent a message by riding his bike 250 miles to the start of the Pikes Peak marathon,听won it, and then rode his bike home, raising $11,000 along the way for the organization.

Not long after, Jones enrolled in a mechanical engineering program at Montana State University because 鈥渆ngineers create solutions,鈥� and Jones wants to create solutions.

Jones is also organizing a . He鈥檚 connecting scientists, outdoor industry experts, and runners to create a trail running camp that is entirely environmentally focused. To apply to the camp, runners present a project they want to do for their community, and by the end of the week, they return home with a plan in place to bring it to action. And yes, they run and hike three to five hours a day in the mountains.

“Everyone has their lever, the things they know they are good at,鈥� Jones says. 鈥淔or me, I get to run races and tell stories. For others, it could be entirely different. We invite people to apply by presenting a project that will utilize their own lever in their own community,鈥� Jones shared with an excitement that 飞补蝉苍鈥檛 present when he talked about winning races.听

It鈥檚 obvious that Jones is figuring out how to exist in this world in a way that feels right, but he鈥檚 quick to admit that it鈥檚 an ongoing, possibly never-ending process. He has, however, decided that it鈥檚 okay to be a little selfish.

鈥淚 don鈥檛 want to stop running. I still want to compete. There鈥檚 a selfish component to that, and that鈥檚 okay. We should all be able to practice a certain level of selfishness,鈥� Jones said. 鈥淚 just want to do a good thing for the world and have a good time.鈥�

听If that鈥檚 what it takes to keep Jones on the trails, I think we鈥檙e all better for it.听

And that doesn鈥檛 seem so selfish after all.听

Sport Psychologist Seth Swary鈥檚 Tips for Striking a Balance With Your Running.

1. Prioritize your mental wellness just as much as your physical health. 鈥淲hen we鈥檙e struggling with one, it bleeds over into the other; they are not as separate as we like to think they are. There is a trend now that says, ‘mental health is health.’鈥澨�
2. Recognize and feed your other identities. 鈥淚t鈥檚 important we recognize our other identities because we do have them. It can be as simple as being a partner, a sibling, a friend. Then look at, ‘what else makes me who I am?’ Running is something that we do, it鈥檚 not who we are.鈥�
3. Look at what running gives you. 鈥淭here is something that鈥檚 very special about running, but we can find those things in other areas of our lives, too. Maybe it鈥檚 pushing yourself, setting goals, or connection to community. Ask yourself, what do you get out of running and where can you find that in other areas of your life?鈥�
4. Change your relationship with running. 鈥淵our runner identity doesn鈥檛 go away because you鈥檝e stopped running due to injury or any other reason, but your relationship with running changes. Look at how you can stay involved in other ways, such as becoming a coach or volunteering at races.鈥�
5. Don鈥檛 get lost in outcomes. 鈥淎 lot of people start running because we enjoy it, and that鈥檚 when we make the most progress. If we get lost in outcomes, the pressure can become too much and start breaking us down. Try not to let your passion become your punishment.鈥�

This story is the second segment of PodiumRunner’s The Injuries You Can’t See series with elite athletes discussing how injury has helped them deal with larger issues in running and in their lives.听

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The post The Injuries You Can鈥檛 See: How Dakota Jones Found a Broader Identity appeared first on 国产吃瓜黑料 Online.