Injuries are part and parcel of sports training and it’s no different for triathletes. It can be frustrating, annoying and downright depressing, but with the right approach and attitude, you’ll soon be firing on all cylinders again. Emma-Kate Lidbury shows you how…
After months of solid training you finally feel fitter than you’ve ever been – you’re in peak condition and swimming, cycling and running at your best. It’s a cruel blow then when suddenly you find yourself laid up nursing an injury you just didn’t see coming. Many elite athletes will tell you there’s a dangerously fine line between being in the shape of your life and being injured. It only takes one session too many and a little bit too much enthusiasm to tip the balance and take you over the edge. But don’t panic, the very last thing you should do is give up hope and surrender all that hard work. The beauty of triathlon is having those three sports to train for and depending on your injury the chances are you’ll still be able to do at least one of the three disciplines, which is a lot more than an injured runner can do.
It’s all about acceptance
The first step towards making a full and speedy recovery is accepting what has happened to your body. Don’t fight it and try to continue training through the pain – this will only make things worse. Instead, channel all the energy you would have used in training into taking positive steps to kick-start the recovery process. Seek professional advice and get a good diagnosis. Visit more than one doctor or sports therapist if you want peace of mind and a second opinion. Ask training partners or team-mates for recommendations on who to see. At initial consultations, make sure you give your doctor or sports therapist a full history on the training and racing you’ve been doing. Tell them about every ache, pain and niggle as it could all be significant in helping the diagnosis and prognosis.
Look back to move forward
If you’ve been keeping a training log or diary, now is most certainly a good time to look back through it to see when and why the problems started. Did you increase your training volume too much too soon? Did you up the intensity of your running sessions without allowing adequate recovery time? Did you skip some rest days or have you covered too many miles in your run shoes? These are all questions to consider. The chances are that when you take the time to look back at what you’ve been doing, the cause of your injury will be clear to see. At the time, you were just too focused on training to take a step back and see you might be doing yourself more harm than good.
Stay positive
It’s very easy to become disillusioned with training and racing once you realise you’re injured. The important thing is to stay focused on the positives and maintain an active lifestyle. Look for ways of exercising the rest of your body so that you don’t lose too much fitness. If you’ve seen a physiotherapist and they’ve set you rehabilitation exercises make sure you follow them. Dedicate the time you would have spent training to ‘rehabbing’ and you’ll be amazed at how much you improve in a short space of time. Patience is key – don’t expect healing miracles overnight – but rest assured that doing your daily exercises, even if it’s just for 10 minutes three times a day – will all add up and pay dividends in the long run.
It’s not the end of the world
If you’re not training as much because you’re injured, use the extra time to do things you might have missed out on before, catch up with old friends, plan a holiday, take up a new hobby. Above all, don’t beat yourself up or be hard on yourself. Keep a sense of perspective and treat your injury as a setback which will allow you to return to triathlon as a stronger, wiser athlete. Look at alternatives which will enhance your rehabilitation. Aqua jogging, for example, can be a great way to maintain run fitness, if your injury prevents you from doing the real thing. Your cardiovascular system gets a beneficial workout while your muscles are stimulated in almost the same way as they would be if you were out on the road or on the track yet there’s no impact or pain involved. Elite athletes swear by aqua jogging as a way of maintaining fitness.
Eat and drink well
It can be all too tempting to comfort eat or drown your injury sorrows with a few too many beers. Don’t forget that the body needs just as many nutrients to help the healing and repair process as it would if you were training. Eat as wide a range of nutrient-rich foods as possible – protein is vital as are good fats and carbohydrates. Fruits such as oranges and kiwi fruits are high in vitamin C, which is essential for the production of new cells and helps to repair muscle tears or damage. Almonds are high in vitamin E, which also helps injuries to heal. Staying hydrated is vital too, so drink plenty of water, even if you’re not exercising. Dehydration will not help inflammation or tissue damage. Avoid deep fried foods as well as cakes and sweets which are high in sugar – these won’t do anything to really help your recovery but could add to your weight, as you probably won’t be burning as many calories as you would when you are in full training.
Hang in there
Whether you are an experienced triathlete eager to return to peak fitness as quickly as possible or a novice keen to get back to training at the earliest opportunity, don’t forget that the human body will adapt and repair itself with amazing speed if it is stimulated in the right way. Look after yourself, stay active, follow professional advice and before you know it you’ll be fitter, stronger and wiser than ever before and injuries will become a thing of the past.
