WIPE OUT!

It was a slow fall. After a long day - the first day - of skiing in Aspen. For the first time all day, I fell down the mountain (instead of up) and when I did, my right leg landed under my left. And I knew. My right knee threw up. It felt like: BLIP. And I knew that something was wrong.

It was the perfect recipe for an injury. We had been up since 3AM (which was my normal 5am wake-up on the east coast). We’d been in boots since 8:00, on the slopes since 10:00. We’d been on three buses. We had a late champagne lunch. I’d danced at C9. It was the last run of the day. The ski patrol was all around. They’d been skiing all around me for the last mile in their red coats. Backwards. I remember Timmy. I know he meant well, but his encouragement felt like he was rushing me.

I was 200 yards from the bottom of the mountain and I knew better than to get on my skiis and within a few sideways steps, knew better than to walk down the mountain. I humbly asked for the snowmobile.

I was able to walk, but knew that my knee was already swelling.

That afternoon, determined not to break my one-mile-a-day run streak, I headed over to the condo fitness center and climbed on the treadmill. I ran 100 meters and walked 100 meters until I reached a mile. I think it took me almost 30 minutes.

That night I stayed in while everyone went to dinner. I iced my knee. And made scrambled eggs. In the process, I closed the freezer drawer on my thumb. I laid down in the kitchen and cried.

The day after, we woke at 3AM again. I cried more to Ace. I was embarrassed and angry and mad and sad. He told me to hold tight…that we’d find out more when we got home. It was sore and swollen, but I was able to walk and run on it.

I was able to enjoy the rest of the trip (without skiing) and continued my mile-a-day streak on the treadmill each day. I was hopeful that I had just bruised it and that even if it were an ACL or meniscus injury that it was low grade and I’d be able to train and race as usual. The waiting began.

Barbara + Ace + Me on the second bus of the day.

Halfway into my run. I was a mile in - but had not run a mile yet.

Seriously?

TIME-OUT

FOUR WAYS TO TURN YOUR SET BACK INTO A SET UP FOR A COMEBACK

It's been a long time since you've had a set back, said a friend about a month before my hamstring quit playing. Sigh. I think she jinxed me and now I want to set her back. [You know who you are.]

It's true though. I've been lucky. The last time I had an injury was 2014. I broke my calf. Well, It felt like that anyway. Way back then, while warming up for a 5k, I started my skips and bounds and then BOOM. You know that sound of the bass drop when the space ship jumps to hyperspace? Yeah. I heard that. I thought I'd been shot. And I nearly dropped to the ground. It made me nauseaus and woozy. I hobbled into the expo of the race and found some ice for my calf and a glass of wine for my feelings and cried while all my friends finished their race. The next morning,  I remember lying on the floor of our sunroom and crying to Ace; whining that I couldn't run and that it hurt to sleep and I'd never be able to race again and and blah blah freaking blah.

This hamstring injury was not as dramatic as that.  But, I AM. And I'd knew I'd have a come-apart at some point. I haven't had as many tears, but I did have a mini-freak-out about two weeks in. There is a fear that snuck in and said - it's over. Discouragement took over. It said: you'll never get it back. Shame played its part: how could you let this happen?  Pity had a party: everyone else is running, why can't I? and But, I don't want to be injured.

I knew what to do: I called my coach/mentor/friend to talk me off the ledge. The next day at swim practice she brought me a goodie bag. It was filled with lotions and potions and her Compex and a note that read: you are a ROCKSTAR. It made me smile and I stepped away from the Cliffs of Insanity. 

I decided to see this as a TIME-OUT. In basketball (#goheels), time-outs are called for various reasons: to stop the momentum of the other team, to change up your game strategy, to draw up a specific play, fire up the team or rest your players. I'm resting this player.

GIVE GRACE: It's one of the 4Gs. In the middle of this GRUEL (another G), I am giving myself a little GRACE. A little forgiveness. A little time. A little love. Whenever there's a run in my plan, I've given myself the gift of a massage, or a PT session, or a freakin' nap! Give it to yourself and your aching body. Don't rush the process.  Give yourself the time to heal. Rest.

DRAW UP A SPECIFIC PLAY:  Make a plan to get back into the game. Make it as specific as you can. I often tell my athletes that my advice for coming back from an injury is the same that a doctor would give to an addict leaving rehab and fearing relapse: YOU CANNOT GO BACK TO THE SAME DOSE YOU HAD WHEN YOU STOPPED. So create a plan - or hire a coach to help you create a plan - that eases you back into your normal training load. Otherwise, you will overdose.

FIRE IT UP/LOOK FORWARD: Get excited. I have had to drop three races off my schedule this spring. Instead of wondering what could have been, I've had to shift to thinking about what IS on my schedule. I've gotten to make new goals.  I've fired up my YouTube browser to find inspirational videos. Use this time to imagine what it will be like to come back from the setback. How will this add to your story?

LOOK BACK: Reflect on your successes from the past few months. Enjoy your victories from last year! And, you can always go back to your one word. Go back to the word you chose for this year and ask a million questions, starting with: how can I see this as............? [Gratitude? Resolve? Honor? Posture? FillintheBlankWithYourWord].  My one word for 2018 is FULL-CIRCLE. So, my question is: How can I see this as FULL-CIRCLE? The answer: One of the reasons I got into triathlon is because I got injured running! I was bored and had a now-forgotten injury (bursitis in my hip?). I knew that swimming and biking would make me a well-rounded athlete and was great cross-training. Plus, it felt just like being a kid again! How's that for FULL-CIRCLE?!

Plus, the year I had my calf strain, when I didn't run for six weeks and wore a boot at night and acting like a whiny-wort was the year that I had my best Ironman (by an hour) and placed third in my age-group. #thebestisyettocome

Whether you're injured or stuck, you can use these four tools to set yourself up for the next right step. How do you set yourself up for your comeback?