Uh-oh

Managing the fallout after an injury

Here’s something I wish had made absolutely clear in last week’s post about managing emotions during stressful workouts: If you are actually injured, all bets are off. 

Except under extreme situations that don’t apply to 98.9 percent of the runners who read this newsletter, no amount of mental toughness will compensate for a damaged quadriceps tendon. Nor should it, unless we’re talking about a matter of life and death. 

Welllllll …

I’m not sure how badly my quad is messed up, but I spent the weekend on the couch with my knee wrapped and elevated to alleviate swelling. Going up and down stairs has been a one-leg-at-a-time affair, and I needed help getting dressed for several days. So, pretty badly messed up is my unofficial diagnosis. 

Needless to say, all running-related activities are suspended indefinitely. There’s a lot to unpack here, starting with how injuries happen.