Are you sane enough to handle getting injured? One day it happens. You hurt your knee skiing, brake your arm falling on the trail or as I did fracture your elbow biking. It happens in less than seconds and then you’re stuck with the problem for months.

There are hundreds of books, blogs, articles to read about endorphins, runners high and how exercising makes you feel good.  After a couple of hours of running the remaining of your day becomes light and bright and you feel good inside and out. At least that is how I feel. On the other hand there are just as much information about how horrible or depressed you can feel when you for some reason can’t exercise or your routine gets interrupted. It’s important to do what you can and try to find new ways to get your endorphins kicking. It sounds easy. Just try something different and stay in your routine that works for you. Easy. Start knitting or kite flying. Yeah right! It all sounds so easy stay motivated, eat healthy, crosstrain, surround yourself with friends and volunteer at a race… Yada, yada…

I am not a serious athlete, not a tiny bit professional, I don’t get a dime from lacing my shoes and heading out. I just enjoy training, running trails and biking. I am just a regular 40 year old enjoying life. I like working hard, sweating and I really enjoy feeling the good pain the next day. And I have to admit that my least favorite day of the week is my rest day. I get motivated by moving, it makes me want to do more. I force myself to sign up for races to stay on track. So, what happens when I get injured? How do I stay sane? I think I’ve done a pretty good job so far. I’ve had a lot of practice. I’ve done what I can, sometimes a little bit too much but kept my daily dose of sweat going. For a while it felt like I at least got the minimum amount of happiness out from my slower and shorter runs. But it comes to a point when you feel that it has been enough.

I am done with this, fed up, tired of everything concerning injuries and modification. I came to that point a couple of days ago, after a little bit more than four months of casts, braces and painkillers. I’ve had it. Life gets so uncomfortable when you have to modify everything from driving, sleeping, cutting bread to running and lifting weights with only one side of your body. It doesn’t matter how many smart blogs and articles you read, it is impossible to prepare yourself for how it feels or how you will react. And this is not even life-threatening, it’s just an arm. I get angry and cranky. And I cry. Not very pretty people but that’s how it goes. And here I am now. With a sore arm in a purple cast and I have at least another month left to enjoy it. And the rest of my body starts to ache and give up because of the way I run. The only way to handle it is to suck it up and keep moving!

Anyone have a good book or an article to read about how you get your sanity back after a breakdown? Please, send it my way.