After 4 weeks of absolutely no running, I was given the green light to start again. A lot of people assumed I would just pick up where I left off a month earlier, but oh no- far from it! It turns out that the stress reaction in my 2nd metatarsal was actually a stress fracture, so I had to proceed with extra caution.
Coming back from an injury and learning to run again is a very difficult process and requires a huge amount of patience… and honesty. You have to be really honest with yourself, and ask some tough questions: Is your injury pain free? Are you pushing too hard too soon?
It is very easy to rush back and push through, which usually results in your injury flaring up again.
My training, as I eased back into running, was very similar to something a new runner would do when learning to run for the first time. It was a mixture of walking and running while gradually increasing the amount of running and decreasing the walking every few days.
My first week back running looked like this:
Monday – 5X 30 seconds run/30 seconds walk, 5X 1 min run/1 min walk, 5X 90 sec run/1 min walk, 5 min run.
Wednesday – 5 X 30 sec run/30 sec walk, 5X 1 min run/1 min walk, 5X 90 sec run/1 min walk, 5 min run, 2 min walk, 5 min run.
Friday – 5X 30 sec run/30 sec walk, 5X 1 min run/ 1 min walk, 5X 90 sec run/1 min walk, 10 min run.
Sunday – 5X 1 min run/1 min walk, 5X 90 sec run/1 min walk, 15 min run.
Meanwhile I was still doing all of my cross training at Innovative Fitness Kitsilano, as well as pool running for an hour in the mornings and either biking or elliptical for 40-50 mins in the evenings. It was a lot of work and I was exhausted.
Unfortunately my foot was still causing me a bit of pain. This was very frustrating and confusing. I saw my physio and sports med doctor several times and they both felt that as long as it wasn’t too bad and it wasn’t getting worse, I could continue running.
This brings me back to the “being honest” with yourself part. I wasn’t sure what level of pain was ok. It’s so hard to know when to push forward and when to rest. Even after over 20 years of running and dealing with injuries, I’m still learning when to push and when to pull back. And it’s a very tricky process!
But at this point in my life – 5 months out from the Olympics – I am erring on the side of caution. I pulled back for 3 days and eased up on the cross training because sometimes the cross training can cause stress to your injury as well.
I hopped on the Alter G treadmill – which is an anti-gravity treadmill – and was able to run 50 mins at 70% body weight pain free! I will now proceed with my running for the next week on the Alter G treadmill to give my foot a bit of a break from full impact running. After this, I will proceed with the walk/runs where I left off.
Getting back to running after an injury is not a fast or easy process. It will take me months until I am fit enough to race again. I will be tough. I will stay focused. I will be patient. I will remain positive.
I am so incredibly fortunate to have the best support team ever. My physio Marilou Lamay, sports med doc Jim Bovard, and coach Richard Lee have been instrumental in getting me healthy. Everyone at Innovative Fitness Kitsilano has been amazing; my training coaches Josh and Phil are awesome. I am so thankful for their patience and understanding throughout my injury. They both kept me positive in times when I was feeling really down. Working with them has really made a difference in getting me healthy and strong again!
Thank you to everyone and I am looking forward to getting back to full health.
Natasha Wodak
Sponsored Athlete
Innovative Fitness Kitsilano
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