What to Do When You Are Injured -
Meditation, Massage and Chiropractic
Treatments for Runners
I am a half marathon runner, an ACE Certified Personal Trainer and a RRCA Certified Running Coach in San Diego, CA. In late December 2014, a few months after my 40th birthday, I tripped while trail running in Idyllwild, Ca and suffered a grade two sprain of my right ankle. I had to hobble a mile out of the woods to our car and watched in frustration as my ankle swelled and bruised black and blue. I was signed up to run the Carlsbad half marathon in three weeks time and reluctantly transferred my bib to another runner the day the doctor put me in a walking boot. I was in the walking boot for the month of January 2015 and wore it all day except for in the shower.
My new lack of mobility was disheartening. I did convince my physician that I should be able to walk 15 minutes a day, but she flatly stated I couldn’t run at all. I have always been an active person and had previously dealt with difficult emotions by taking a long run by the ocean or in nature. More importantly to me, I had lost my identity as a runner. I had previously filled my Facebook stream with status updates from local running teams, upcoming races and running shops. I had to unlike all of them because reading Facebook became a painful reminder of the fact that I was not able to participate in my favorite sport.
My 15 minute walk around the neighborhood in my boot became the highlight of my day.
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| Meditation for Runners |
by Kathleen Lisson
I am a half marathon runner, an ACE Certified Personal Trainer and a RRCA Certified Running Coach in San Diego, CA. In late December 2014, a few months after my 40th birthday, I tripped while trail running in Idyllwild, Ca and suffered a grade two sprain of my right ankle. I had to hobble a mile out of the woods to our car and watched in frustration as my ankle swelled and bruised black and blue. I was signed up to run the Carlsbad half marathon in three weeks time and reluctantly transferred my bib to another runner the day the doctor put me in a walking boot. I was in the walking boot for the month of January 2015 and wore it all day except for in the shower.
My new lack of mobility was disheartening. I did convince my physician that I should be able to walk 15 minutes a day, but she flatly stated I couldn’t run at all. I have always been an active person and had previously dealt with difficult emotions by taking a long run by the ocean or in nature. More importantly to me, I had lost my identity as a runner. I had previously filled my Facebook stream with status updates from local running teams, upcoming races and running shops. I had to unlike all of them because reading Facebook became a painful reminder of the fact that I was not able to participate in my favorite sport.
My 15 minute walk around the neighborhood in my boot became the highlight of my day.
Luckily, I had enrolled in a meditation program for athletes before my injury (mPEAK at the UCSD Center for Mindfulness), so I hobbled into the first week of meditation class in my walking boot and learned to meditate alongside Ironman athletes, cyclists and yoga teachers. Meditation helped me to become more aware of myself and a mindfulness practice called body scan helped me realize that my body was healing week by week.
I also went for monthly massages and my chiropractor adjusted my ankle several times, giving me an increased range of motion. I felt scared the first time a massage therapist massaged my right lower leg, but she used gentle lymphatic drainage techniques that eased the swelling. I diligently practiced my physical therapy exercises and found myself strong enough to train for and run the Jolla half marathon in April 2015 and the Rock and Roll Half Marathon later that spring.
Spraining my ankle showed me how much running means to my life and gave me the opportunity to try integrative treatments like massage and chiropractic as well as giving me a powerful reason to learn to meditate.
.JPG "The running sticker on your car has to be better than 0.0!")
