An' Me Wi' A Bad Leg Tae. - How to Cope With Injury Injury is the most popular conversation topic for runners. Either their own or other people's. You can hear them at races. The conversation goes something like - " Not seen Jack Easy for a while ?" - "Injured ?" -" Aye knee" followed by nods and all parties thinking "One less rival to worry about" Yes, runners are an unsympathetic bunch. As a seasoned athlete and hypochondriac I am often asked "Brian, how do I get injured". It is actually quite difficult to get injured by running itself -most injuries, as we all know, are not actually caused by training or racing. Injuries are almost without exception caused by non- running related activities- such as doing housework, decorating, gardening or answering the telephone. Running merely acts as a sort of catalyst that brings latent injuries to your attention. My last injury was caused by carrying a suitcase to the car - nothing to do with running the Lairig Ghru a few days earlier. The only exception to this is the "injury of convenience". This is a form of mental stress- related injury caused by a race not quite going as the person would have liked. These are most common in cross-country races -probably an allergic reaction to mud. The victim invariably drops out and therefore does not appear on the results sheet (They do on any of mine- under "DNF") Oh, and of course the blister -but this one can usually be blamed on a crease in a badly ironed sock and so it doesn't count as running-related. So what's to be done when you pick up an injury. The big dilemma is whether to continue training (known in the circle as "training through it") or to rest (known as "resting"). Training through an injury is a bit dodgy ,since I have found that the body tries to compensate even if the injury is not causing much pain. So what may have started as a small injury in an ankle in the left leg can end up as a sore right knee or sore back. During this time the ankle gets better but you've now got another one - so you train through this one and end up with others eventually working your way back to the original one. The wear on your shoes can tell you if you are compensating. In fact the extra wear can cause more injuries ! The result of this is a pile of training shoes with perfectly good left ones and dud right ones. I suppose you could do a trade with someone with the opposite injury. You can also try chemicals. These can be divided into two sorts- ones that you rub on the injury and ones you take internally. (I can't decide which category liniment falls into). I don't know what good liniment does (apart from making you smell like a cross-country runner) I think if you just rubbed the affected part it would have the same effect. Deep Heat is available in a tube -but don't get it mixed up with the toothpaste. I've found that pain killers such as aspirin, paracetemol and ibuprofen don't have all that a dramatic effect -at best they hide the symptoms. Unfortunately the good ones containing stuff like codeine are all on the "banned" list. As a last resort you can go to the doctor of course. "Doctor I' ve a sore leg, I think I got it when I was out posting a letter " Not telling him that you live in Granton and the post box is in Balerno. When you eventually confess that you do a "spot of jogging" , he'll advise you that you shouldn't be running at your age and to take up bowls ( tried it - bad for the hamstrings). You get more sympathy at a Sports Injury Clinic or a Physio - cynics might claim it's the cash they're after. I had my hamstrings fixed by a few visits to a physio after about a year of problems. The physio had a vice-like grip and my legs were bruised for days after each session but it seemed to fix it. I'm not sure how this works -I think it spreads the injury over a wider area so that you don't notice it. If you do decide to stop for a while, there is the problem of remaining fit. All runners know that even one missed training session can undo years of hard work. The thought of not being able to train for - gasp ! a whole week ! Some try other exercise such as cycling or swimming. This allows you to keep your basic fitness, wear different garish sports gear and experience a whole new dimension of other sports injuries, since the muscles used in these sports are quite different and have probably been neglected. Cycling is quite popular for injured runners ,however you have to spend a lot longer cycling to get the same benefit as a training run. You also have to shave your legs - I think it is so that it is easier to remove the elastoplast from cuts caused by falling off. The old saying goes "you never forget how to fall off a bicycle" The jargon used by cyclists is also quite different -instead of discussing the length of spikes -conversations revolve around the size of back cog to get up the hill at Talla. (Ye'll nae do it wi' a 33). I presume they also talk about injuries, training and how to get oil out of your cycling shorts (Be thankful we only have mud). Funny you never hear if injured cyclists taking up running. Swimming is a bit safer than cycling -assuming of course you can swim. I think that makes it less exciting - there is no equivalent of fell running or mountain biking in the world of swimming - so I think it would suit the trackies. Once you think the injury has gone - you can "Come Back". First problem is your training shoes have probably atrophied (or fossilised) , so treat yourself to a new pair. Then you can have a go at running. Best to start with short runs of about 1 mile, so that if you do have problems you don't have far to walk(or hobble) home. Even if you feel OK after a mile. don't tempt providence. If you can do this for a few days without a reaction you've cracked it. Then the serious re-training begins. The rule of thumb is roughly a missed week won't be noticed but thereafter it's a week for every missed week. One thing you can't do is zip back into 80miles a week. Some athletes never "Come Back". It is more to do with the embarrassment of being gubbed by everybody on training nights than anything else. You really have to look at the positive side of being injured. You now have your own personal injury that can be used as pre-race excuse, and you have something else to talk about apart from your training schedule. Mind how you go.