TGIF: Dealing with Injuries

I’m back y’all!

I’m sorry for the lack of anything on here. The past couple of weeks have been a little hectic between work and workouts. I wish I could talk about my recent workouts and my progress with training; however, I pushed too hard during one workout a couple of weeks ago and it’s left me pretty limited in what I can do. I haven’t been able to get out on the trails and do my thing. It’s been frustrating for sure and I haven’t really talked about it publicly (at least until today).

First, let’s talk about the injury. I visited an Airrosti center in Kettering, OH (near the Dayton area). My gym referred me there and recommended I get evaluated. For those that know me well, I’m very stubborn when it comes to seeing any kind of doctor. I like to act as if I’ll be fine recovering on my own. Why spend the unnecessary money to hear what I could research and do on my own? Unpopular (and incorrect) opinion: I can do better for myself than a person who put themselves through years and years of medical school. I thought that going here would be a waste of time. Of course I was pleasantly surprised by everything I went through today. The staff members here were INCREDIBLY nice. The doctor that evaluated me was very knowledgeable. He was able to pinpoint my problem area (which ended up being my hip flexor) that caused a left quad strain. I’m truly amazed at how the different parts of a human body truly interact with one another. The appointment didn’t take long and we came up with a treatment plan that should get me back in the swing of things within the next two weeks. Everything went smooth and I felt confident about moving forward from here.

While I’m glad I don’t have a long road of recovery, I definitely wish I had treaded with caution (had to put a pun in here 😂). The worst feeling for me is knowing that mentally, I can try as hard as I want to when I’m exercising, but in this case, my body isn’t able to perform up to its capabilities. I always want to push, and push, and push some more. I’ll admit it stems from everything I’ve been able to accomplish physically over the past year of transforming myself. I’ll tell myself, “if I’m able to finish a half marathon, surely I can overcome any challenge.” Unfortunately, it’s been made very clear that this isn’t necessarily true. Realizing this will often put me in a brief depression until I look at things from another perspective.

I still have plenty of limitations to push through. With the right mentality and drive, I could blow past these limitations. Look at Kobe Bryant (Rest in Peace Black Mamba). His kind of mentality is one I strive to reach. But he didn’t have the kind of career he had overnight. He was incredibly intelligent. He knew that it took a lot of work to reach your destination. He constantly trained his body (day in and day out) to continue peaking at the levels he was competing at. The approach Kobe had to his training was smart and gradual.

Through these frustrations, I’m learning to listen to my body more. It’s understanding of where I want to go, but it is also attempting to keep me mindful that the journey takes time. My highest priority should be allowing the time for my body to regain its strength. This doesn’t mean I need to be a hermit crab and be completely dormant, away from all activity. It’s actually really simple, I just need to tread lightly 😁.

My hope is that I can resume my marathon training by mid-February. Hopefully by then, I’ll have more progress and recovery updates. Until then, I’ll find some more things I can discuss with you. Have a great weekend!

-Matt