Stiff ankles

[Jaybird]

You've had a lot of suggestions about how to alleviate your body's complaining...
Foam roll, do this stretch, that exercise, etc etc...

But another perspective is this... just listen to your body, its possibly warning you
about pushing it beyond what its ready for... And if you don't it may go from just
warning to injury.

Its a tricky balance act between pushing the limits so you grow/improve, and
heeding the limits so you stay injury-free. And the real catch is no one else can
really give you the answer, you have to find that balance.

I've had some moderate injuries in the last year due to trying to follow someone
else's schedule, I've finally thrown all of that out the window, and now I'm just
making the decisions about the distance and amount of running myself.

Believe me, its WAY better to run less distance, less often, whatever, than to be
injured and unable to run at all

 

[Twisty]

Jaybird....... Thanks for the advice!! Massaging , stretching, taking a extra day of between runs, cutting back on the distance and listening to my body. It all sounds like a good recipe for happy running I'll try everything and see what "works for me"
I'm in no rush for distance or times I just want to simply run!!! (without injury)

 

[BFwillie_g]

You've had a lot of suggestions about how to alleviate your body's complaining... Foam roll, do this stretch, that exercise, etc etc... But another perspective is this... just listen to your body,

is that really another perspective, though? We can take an active role in replying to the message our bodies give us when we listen to them. Sometimes, backing off really is the only answer, and that can be the toughest "therapy" of all .... but very often it's just a matter of getting down to the nitty gritty and working hard on getting stronger. Pain is a chance to experiment and find solutions that work, and add to the arsenal of weapons to use against setbacks.

Case in point - I had disk replacement surgery on my neck. Two days after the surgery, there I was, out all day power walking around the hospital grounds, doing light stretches, actively working on boosting my healing process - while a few dozen typical patients were sitting around in their wheelchairs, eating ice cream, wearing their post-op support hose, being vicitms, w-a-i-t-i-n-g to get better ... result: they sent me home after three days, and when I got home, I mowed the lawn. Adios, suckers.

Another one: The classic TOFP - it's usually just overworked muscles/tendons in the top of the foot. Well, relaxing and taking a break, and cutting mileage, only drags the problem out longer than necessary (in my experience). Getting into a really steady routine of self-massage and foot-stretching (and also working on that form) can have a really positive effect and the problem goes away as quickly as it appears.

So, not really disagreeing here, but trying to stress the point that we can all take full responsibility for our health and healing, and it's always a good idea to at least try a few techniques, and to take a good look at the huge body of anecdotal information that's out there (or, uh, right here ), and learn from other people's experiences ...