Boyjame, sorry to hear about the extended injuries.

I think the first thing to do (or that I have done) is to find out what the injury issue is so that I know how to move forward. If you like to run in the woods but can't, finding out the problem so that you can work on getting better is the #1 think to ease your frame of mind.

Things to do while you can't run.. hiking in the woods obviously.. falling back on old hobbies, exercising at the gym, whatever interests you. In my periods of low running I still went to the trails and walked the dogs, maybe went to the gym more often, and played more golf as those were things that interested me.

I do remember an experience back in 07' where I had a nasty case of PF that had been developing all spring and I finally shut it down after a goal race. I was in my third week off from running, sitting on the sand in VA beach with my wife looking miserable. She sort of told me to quit my whining, pop some advil, and try running again. Idiot she said, they make anti-inflammatories for a reason. So I did that, hit the trail the next day and all of a sudden felt better. It was not that the PF was gone, but my mindset had changed and I had set myself on the road to recovery. I was back to some regular running a few weeks after that. I am pretty stubborn though and a little bit of pain doesn't shut me down completely. In my short career as a runner my longest streak of not running has been 3 weeks. The most major thing I've had though is a meniscus repair.

That's all I've got. Feel better. Find out what's wrong if you don't know.

There is no good solution, Jamie.  At least I haven't found one yet and I am going on 20 months of being injured with a lot more not running in my future.  But if you are able to walk and be active in others ways aside from running, you've got something to work with.

Getting outside is the most important thing to me.  Which is why I stand by my claim that I would rather be injured in the summer than in in the winter.  Even just sitting outside on a nice day can help.  Sounds like you can hike, so I would hike all that you can.  I started hiking with a pack and loaded it up with books and clothes and whatever else I could shove in there.  It made hiking a little more difficult and it was kind of fun to see how heavy I could make the pack.

Cycling helps.  No, it's not running, but it's something.  I tried to embrace it.  I learned about my bike (which is not even a very nice bike), and bike maintenance.  I learned how to clean and lube my chain, change a tube, and install a saddle.  I tweaked with my seat and water bottle cages and bought lights and saddle bags and padded shorts.  I joined a cycling forum.     I started riding to work.  I started running errands on my bike.  I did start to enjoy it after a while, and I fell in love with riding to work.  So you don't have a fancy bike - so what?  Ride what you've got; you might surprise yourself.  (Unless you have a Walmart type bike, then I wouldn't blame you for not wanting to put in cycling miles.  Those bikes aren't fun to ride for very long.)

I still don't have a good solution for facebook/blogs/forums/social media.  I had to take a break for a while and I still get bitter sometimes.  I've had to pull back and don't post as much as I used to.  After a long period of pulling back and almost being an outsider to this world, I started to realize just how much some people are obsessed with everything (running is life kind of mentality) and actually was grateful that I didn't become totally sucked up into that.  I like running, but I don't want my life to revolve around it 24/7.

And what XT said - find out what's wrong with you, how you can fix it, and why it happened.  I think ART and Graston can be extremely helpful when PT/traditional medicine fails.

Good stuff.  Thanks for the responses.

Xtaper - I totally agree that finding out what is wrong would be a huge boost.  I am very stubborn in going to the Dr.--mostly due to my history of not getting straight answers.  I started with foot issues in 2012 - tried to take care of it on my own --ended up doing two bouts at the PT, custom inserts, a trip to a podiatrist, thought I had the foot issues under control and then the "pain" crept up the legs and now it's in my knees and surrounding areas. I do want to see an orthopedist but am tired of the time and resources to get a "I think it's..." type of answer.  I don't blame the PTs or Docs but it's just frustrating.

John - I didn't know you had to take that much time off.  And your Dr. saying "just stop running" is the type of thing I fear hearing.

Mandy - I knew you would respond. The toughest thing for me is the mental aspect.  I can find stuff to do.  Infact my plan is to take the next few months and complete all the little tasks around my house that need done in order to get the house ready to sell.  So I am looking at this as a blessing in disguise.  But it's still tough....

elfrunner - thanks for the resources.  I will check those out.

...

 

John - I didn't know you had to take that much time off.  And your Dr. saying "just stop running" is the type of thing I fear hearing.

 

For the, uh... elderly when seeking health care, the accounting department has more say than the physician.  At a younger age, do what Mandy is talking about.  You have to be assertive in seeking additional treatment, second opinions, and so on.  In my case I was pretty sure of what I had done and there were other things that needed to be done these past few months, but none of that would have mattered if the doc had of said, "Let's just slit it along the sides, relieve the pressure, do a bit of microstitching, and see how rehab goes..."

Take the first bit of time finding out what is wrong--do as much research as you can understand, be armed with knowledge when you go to the doc.  Sometimes an outline of what you want to know and how you think you can fix things will be well-received by a doctor--if not, see if you can go elsewhere.

I agree with Mandy on the doctor journey. It might take a while to get the right diagnosis, and it can be extremely frustrating to work through the process, but often it's the only way of getting to the right end.

Now with kids and family, finding "alone time" for maintaining sanity is a bit more difficult. What works for me is that I take the kids with me when I go hiking, and often they run ahead and entertain themselves, at least every now and then. Definitely better than staying at home. When we had a dog, I would take the dog for his/her morning walk before work, usually for an hour or an hour and a half. A dog is a great excuse to get outside, and often alone - any spouse is usually happy if the other one takes the dog out for the long walk.

Bicycling works great, as it also is a sport where you are alone with your thoughts for most of the time, but you'd need some nice scenic routes without too much traffic, or a great bike path. The type of bike, or the brand, is of minor importance. I've been seen "mountainbiking" with my comfort-city-bike on the technical trails in the woods, I don't care what anybody thinks of my bike then, as long as I'm having fun.

Swimming works best for me if I want to be really away from it all. Just get a pair of goggles and a good swimsuit, and off you go to the Y. When you immerse yourself into the water, and all you hear is the bubbles from your breathing, and some splashing from your arms and legs, nothing can get to you any more, literally. Best thing is (not that this applies to you, but maybe to others who read this and might worry), as long as you are in the water, nobody can see your "figure", hardly anyone recognizes you, nobody can start talking to you unless you want to have a conversation, and you won't notice if anyone judges you (not that many people do that, but just in case you're worried...). I love swimming!

Hiking is great, and snowshoeing in winter. Not running in snow shoes, just walking. Skiing is fun, too, and best thing is, you can put the kids into lessons and have some alone time, while they see it as a family outing. Works with cross-country skiing, too, but maybe your kids are a bit too young to do this on their own.

In my area, there are several walkers who are out early in the morning, at dark, before work. They just don't run, but have their alone time.

When I could not run, I also picked up other hobbies, like playing instruments, knitting (well, maybe this one is not for you), reading, photographing. They entertain the mind and get your thoughts off your worries. Most can be done alone, or in a group or with a friend.

You are such a great runner, and well-accomplished, and I hope you can figure your injuries out and heal up. It is hard to cut back on the mileage, but running short distances for a while (if this is compatible with healing) might not be too bad, either.

Sorry to hear that the injuries won't seem to go away.  I really don't have anything to add to what has already been said. Just look for other activities such as the hiking. That may be a way to get the children interested in being out in the woods. I've always found that biking and running complement each other, so I biking is an option it may help you to recover faster.

So from Couch and Harrier I am learning that I should be knitting, swimming (and not caring about my body), and watching netflix?!?

Eating bon bons and sitting on the couch are the recipe for healing, I hear.