Injury: The Unwanted Training Partner (and How to Sack Them Off)

Every endurance athlete and wannabe Ironman has faced it: the dreaded injury. One minute you’re smashing out intervals, feeling like a machine, and the next you’re hopping around like your mates unexpectedly popped a finger in your bum…

The truth? Getting injured is part of the game. If you’re pushing your body, eventually something will push back….oh dear. The trick isn’t avoiding injury forever — it’s knowing how to deal with it and get back to training without making things worse.

Step 1: Don’t Be a Hero

The worst thing you can do is “run it off.” We’ve all done it. Hamstring tight? “It’ll loosen up.” Ankle swollen? “Bit of RICE and I’ll be fine.” Spoiler: you won’t. Ignoring an injury is the fast track to sitting on the sidelines for months instead of weeks.

Rule number one: listen to your body. If it hurts beyond normal training soreness, park the ego and back off.

Step 2: Find Out What’s Actually Wrong

Google is not a physio. Neither is that mate from run club who “once did his knee in five-a-side.”

If it’s more than a niggle, go see someone who actually knows what they’re talking about — physio, sports therapist, doctor. Yes, it’ll cost you, but it’s cheaper than wasting a season because you were stubborn.

Step 3: Control the Controllables

You can’t train the way you want? Fine. But you can still:

Work on mobility (boring, yes, but it pays off)

Strengthen weak points (injuries usually highlight them)

Dial in nutrition (don’t comfort-eat five pizzas a week just because you can’t run)

Train around it (if your knee’s buggered, maybe it’s time to make friends with the pool or bike)

This is where you shift from “injured athlete sulking on the sofa” to “athlete working on the bigger picture.”

Step 4: The Boring Bit — Patience

Coming back too soon is the classic mistake. You feel a bit better, so you go “fuck it, let’s try a 10K.” Two miles in, bang — you’re back to square one.

The comeback should feel frustratingly slow. Short sessions, gradual intensity, plenty of recovery. You’ll think you’re being too cautious — that’s usually a good sign you’re doing it right.

Step 5: Mind Games Matter

Being injured screws your head more than your body. Suddenly your training partners are smashing PBs while you’re stuck foam rolling in the corner like a sad yoga ball. It’s normal to feel left out, frustrated, even a bit lost.

Flip the mindset: this is temporary. You’ll be back. And when you do, you’ll probably have learnt more about your body than if you’d never been injured in the first place.

Final Word

Injuries are shit. But they also teach you resilience, patience, and how to train smarter. Everyone you look up to in sport has been there, limping, strapped up, wondering if they’ll make it back. And they did.

So will you. Just don’t be a dick about it.