I Got Hurt

I’m totally fine. This was years ago.

As a “swammer” (past tense of swimmer and a word I absolutely made up), I was really lucky not to have any major injuries.

Then, I decided to take up running as an adult.

My knees weren’t the biggest fan of this move. But you know me. I’m determined AF. I wanted to run, so I was going to run.

Of course I pushed myself too hard. I did BIG runs two days in a row without rest, which was the straw that broke the camel's back - or in my case, knees. I didn’t actually break them. I developed tendonitis so bad I could hardly go up and down my stairs.

I went to doctors. I did physical therapy. I got the really expensive custom-made, take-weeks-to-actually-get orthodics (shoe inserts). Nothing worked. I had spent a lot of money, I was still in pain, and definitely unable to run. But again… I’m determined AF.

I was going to figure this out because not running was not an option.

So I decided to do something I had done in the past that worked on lesser injuries. I didn’t give it any thought because it was way too simple and my knees hurt so bad it for sure it wouldn’t work.

I was too busy jumping to worst-case scenarios. I had convinced myself this injury was well above my simple tactics. My knees needed way more than that.

But clearly “ way more than that” didn’t work, so I decided to see if simplicity would do the trick. Why not give it a try? What’s the worst that could happen?

Are you ready for how simple it was?

I iced my knees. 20 minutes on, 20 minutes off for 3 days straight during all of my waking hours. I also took ibuprofen every 4 hours.

And what do you know …

It. Worked. 🤯🤯🤯

Here are the four biggest things I learned from that experience:

1. When things feel overwhelming and way too complicated, go back to basics and keep it simple. Simple … more specifically really simple … works 99.6% of the time.

2. Just like everything else in sports and life: different things work for different people. Some people really respond to PT and in depth care. Some respond to the basics. Nothing is wrong or bad. Just different.

3. Listen to your body and act accordingly. That includes when you’re injured and healing.

4. A strong work ethic and determination are great things. My tenacity and grit helped me to find a solution vs. push my body to the point I may have never run again. An injury doesn’t mean the end, it just means a pause … so long as you listen to your body and use your athletic powers for “good”.

It’s really easy as an injured athlete to get mad and/or blame yourself. Both of which are understandable, but neither of which contribute to the solution. Feel what comes up, but then use that as fuel to help minimize it ever happening again. The second my knees twinge during a run I ice immediately. Since that first injury, it’s worked every time (and it’s been 15 years).

Life and sports are a series of trial and error. And when you make an error, it’s not the end of the world. It’s just another learning opportunity.

So, thank you knees for the lesson.

Wishing you and your knees (ankles, shins, hips, elbows, and shoulders) well,
Lauren

BTW: I also got $30 inserts for my shoes and they work wonders. More money and more sophistication are rarely ever the answer.