A tale of two injuries

I've spoken to some experienced runners about running with injuries. They've all said it's much better to take a break than further exacerbate the problem. I'm an impatient person so following that advice has been hard but it has paid off. After trading two days running for two days of upper body training I was feeling good enough to run on Wednesday. Today I stepped it up by increasing my pace but I didn't push it. Happily, at the finish of my run my muscle pull was unnoticable.

My wife has also been managing a workout related injury that reached the point where backing off became a necessity but not a cure. After two weeks of increasing pain in her shoulder her doctor diagnosed a large calcium deposit. Calcium deposits are common for athletes and the treatment is usually a cortisone shot and rest. What I didn't know about this condition is how painful it can be. A website wryly described it this way: "Calcium deposits will not kill you, but the pain will make you wish it will." Through my wife's suffering over the last few days I can certainly attest to that.

Now that I know the value of taking breaks from running I will try to do it more often. I don't fear the pain of injuries as much as a possible setback in conditioning. That's something I need to get past.