We’ve all been there, got a slight twinge or niggle and ignored it, pushed through the pain and carried on hoping that it would go away.  Quite often, it didn’t go away and we were forced to take 2 or 3 days rest.  After the few days rest, we went out for another run and there it was again, a little twinge or niggle and just like last time, we hoped it would go away!  And as before…..it didn’t.  It got worse!

The whole cycle repeats and repeats until quite often, the runner is forced to take a few weeks rest from running completely.

What follows the rest is the most critical point in the come back and recovery, but as runners we are quite often very competitive by nature and a few things go through our mind;

*We want to get back into it ASAP.

*We are losing all of the fitness that we’ve spent years building up to.

*Our competitors are out training, we are losing out.

So, after a while the pain has gone, and we go straight out of the door in our quest to regain the ‘lost’ fitness.  We feel quite fresh after the break and quite motivated to get back to where we were at fitness wise, so naturally, the decision is to go and do 10 miles quite hard.

We get back and feel great and so 2 days later off we go again and do the same.  20 miles done in 2 runs and feeling great!!!  So on the 5th day we do the same!!!  Wow, still feeling great!!  30 miles done in 5 days – twice what you would normally do in a week after taking 2 years to build up to that level!!

But it’s all going well, so on the weekend you head off for a longer Sunday run, because that’s what all the cool people do!!  But lo and behold, back comes the injury with a bang, and you’re 6 miles away from home in the rain and cold with no phone and no way of getting home!

Refusing to give in and admit defeat, we blame it on something else, limp home with our tail between our legs, quite often refusing to walk just in case somebody we know sees us walking and takes the mick!!

So, now we are at the same point that we were at 2 weeks ago but with our injury even worse.  So this time we have 4 weeks off, going even madder and itching to get out and run!

And when those 4 weeks are over, what do we do?  Exactly the same as we did 5 weeks ago!!!  And guess what, it doesn’t work!!

It must be the trainers!!  Or the running style!!  So, still injured, they try all sorts of new trainers, running styles, gaits, cadence increases and everything else under the sun, that they can blame their problems on!

If you’re reading this, I’ll assume that you’ve been in the same boat, tried everything, spent 6 months in this situation and are at a lose end as to what to do!

Want to know what my advise is?  Click here!