We Have Ourselves A ____________ Amongst Us.

This is a little bit, actually, quite a bit scary.

I'm a USATF Level 1 Coach now. Should be illegal as I thought Hammer Throw involved Thor-like actual hammer throwing! pic.twitter.com/NroPU7Kz5d
— uchipu (@uchipuchu) December 16, 2013

Waaaa I’m Injured. Now What?

Inevitably, runners are doomed to get injured at one point or another.  Some are seriously injured than others, but we all get injured.  And the bad part about is that we get injured on the lower extremities!  That parts we need to MOVE.

So a runner will say, “OOOOOMMMMMMMGGGGGGGGGGGG without my legs I can’t exercise!! IMMA GONNA GET F-A-T!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”

Hey, hey, no need panic.  There are few things you can still do stay in shape.  Obviously, it’ll differ from person to person and your should always consult with your treating physician (yea, that’s a disclaimer) but here are some ideas, based on past experience and some interweb research.

Alter-G.  The Anti-Gravity Treadmill.  If you can find one and you can get on it for relatively cheap as part of your regular physical therapy, this is your best bet.  It’s a treadmill with a contraption that will let you run with as little as 20% of your actual weight. It's the preferred method of elite runner, Dathan Ritzenhein.  (warning:  he is very extreme...)

PRO:  You can run.  CON:  Since you run with less weight, don’t get too devastated when you heal and you have to run slower and feel fatter…

Deep Water Running.  Excellent for keeping your cardio vascular system, but depending on where you are doing this, it might not be suitable for distance running.  The sessions are typically in 2-3 minute intervals which is great for sprint work, but not enough for endurance.  Many runners do DWR, as it's more accessible than Alter-G.

PRO:  You get to simulate running, using similar muscles.  CON:  You will lose endurance.

Elliptical.  This will only work if you can put weight on your feet.  There are various versions of it, but we like the Cybex Arc Trainer the best.  Without the tilting motion of the elliptical, there’s less stress on your busted feet. 

PRO:  You can get a really good cardio exercise.  CON:  It’s still an elliptical…

Swim is great for keeping your leg muscles in shape and will really help build that cardio endurance.  Swimming requires you to have access to a pool and more importantly, be able to swim.  Even if you have these two points covered, it’s a bit like running on a treadmill.  You can only do so many laps before you go completely insane. You CAN try open water swim, but that's a whole new animal.  And if you are in NYC, you really don't have much access to safe, swimable open water.

PRO:  Great cardio and a chance to get some upper body workout. CON:  Boredom, requires special equipment.

Bike is another way many runners turn to when their foot is broken.  These days you don’t have to own an actual bike to get the benefit.  You can do indoor cycling (spin class) and get excellent cardio workout.  Some of these classes are insanely fun!  But it’s not for everybody.  The pulling action on the pedal can irritate calves and indoor cycling relies a lot of it’s exercise on riding the bike standing up.  The stand up form can irritate your calves, hamstring and foot.  Do this with caution.

PRO:  Cardio exercise as well as great lower body workout.  CON:  The type of injury you have may prevent you from riding. 

Other than these, you can always work on your strength training.  Lifting weights, core conditioning, yoga and pilates are great ways to stay in shape.  While these activities typically do nothing for your cardio endurance, it will definitely help with your flexibility and power.  Lack of flexibility is usually the reason why runners get injured in the first place. 

And finally, if all else fails – YES.  This might be the perfect time to go on that cleanse juice diet…or get that Lasek Surgery done…or finally clean your oven…or any other time consuming activities that you’ve been neglecting for the last few years!!

Injury is your time to rest, re-evaluate and reconfigure your training.   And when you get better, it's time to blast off again.  Onwards, injured friends.  Always Onwards.