October 11, 2008 – As athletes we are continually looking ahead, reaching for goals, and preparing ourselves for upcoming competitions. Our motivation is fueled by physical progression; as we meet our short-term goals we see our long-term goals become a reality. However, we are truly tested when something, such as illness or injury, interferes with the training routine, setting us back and slowing the training process. Having just spent the summer nursing a back injury, I would like to use my recent experience as an example of how it is necessary to adjust your goals and mentality to deal with the injury.

First, I will focus on the importance of staying motivated and confident throughout the rehab period, and second, on how to slowly transition from this rehab stage back into a full training routine. After a solid period of spring training, I suffered a herniated disc in my lower back, which put a halt to any physical activity. My fitness was above average for June and my motivation was high – but training was not an option. After a few weeks of intense frustration, I decided the only healthy way to get through the following months would be to redirect my mental energy and focus on what I could do…physical therapy. All my big training plans and mountain adventures had to be put on hold and I spent three long months in the gym. I had to readjust my idea of an endurance workout from a 3-hour run to 30 minutes on the stationary recumbent bike, and all serious strength training was set aside for time-consuming and tedious physical therapy exercises. However, my patience and perseverance paid off and five days a week in the gym brought my strength and stability up to a level where I could start getting back into some normal training activities.

Over those few months I had to mentally adapt. For the first time, as an athlete, I had to put aside my short and long-term goals and focus solely on the task at hand. As soon as I started thinking about the ski season, races, or how much fitness I was losing, the negative energy would start to seep in and I would lose motivation and confidence. My goal was to heal as quickly as possible and keeping a positive mind set was instrumental to this process. As I progressed from a strict rehab program back into my normal activities, it became apparent that the challenges had not disappeared. It is easy to get carried away and over-excited when the body begins to heal itself, and I found it extremely important to return to activities gradually and systematically.
As cross-country skiers we know that our physical limits are high and we are able to complete high volume hours on a regular basis. However, recovering from injury requires us to approach training in a different light, putting any ideas of what we can do when we’re healthy out of our minds. Instead, we must know our limits for our bodies on a given day or for a given period of time. When I was confident that I could introduce an activity back into my training plan, I would start with a few minutes and gradually add time to each workout. For example, it took over a month or work up to 20 minutes of running – I started with 2.5 minutes on the treadmill and could add another 2.5 minutes every week. This process was painfully slow but after I could work up to 20 minutes of a given activity, I could progress more quickly, and eventually I was back to doing multiple hour workouts. I can’t emphasize enough the importance of patience.

My injury was such that a rash decision to prematurely push myself would set me back and lead to further frustration. Given no choice but to progress slowly, I took the proper precautions and am now back in a somewhat normal training routine. This process was not easy or without its obstacles – some days I was in pain and felt that I had lost everything I had worked for, but if I focused on my daily therapy, I could overcome these challenges.

Now, as we near the ski season, I am feeling strong but also remaining cautious and diligent. As I increase both volume and intensity workouts, I am also incorporating my physical therapy and “maintenance” work into my plan. It would be ignorant to think that the hard work I have done this summer will keep my injury free. It is absolutely crucial to keep up with the proper strength and stability work in order to maintain balance and continue to heal the injury. The healing process can seem endless, but if we focus on the day-to-day tasks and combine these short-term goals with our long-term performance goals, it is possible to bring the mind and body back to full strength.