April: Comeback

   Illness and injury strike most runners as a betrayal in much the way an unfaithful lover does. When shock and anger subside, we're left with lingering depression and impatience with the whole tawdry business.

   Impatience is dangerous - even more so for older runners and for those who have been sidelined longer than a few months. The first rule in making a comeback is to lose all timelines for recovery, including race dates; strike them from your calendar until you feel the progress of rehab. Let your body alone guide the pace of that progress. And listen to it with the skepticism of a jilted lover. Even one overoptimistic workout can set you back weeks.

   Speaking of setbacks, count on them. Injury in particular has the cruel proclivity of reasserting itself suddenly and seemingly without provocation. It will force you to dial back your workouts to unsatisfactory low-effort slogs, dutifully pounding them out for weeks, even months, with the dread that the viper could strike again. Remind yourself that even when you're in peak condition, progress isn't linear. You have to work through setbacks and plateaus in your body's own time. When you're making a comeback, these workout limbos simply last longer and occur more frequently.

   If this sounds demoralizing, seek help from others - and be resourceful about it. With recurring injuries, for example, consider bypassing your family doctor for a sports medicine clinic, many of which will prescribe specific workouts in addition to conventional remedies. An experienced running coach can often identify problems in your form that cause pain and injury and also suggest how to make your workouts more efficient. A couple of sessions with a coach can be money well spent. And if you've been a snob about running partners or clubs, perhaps it's time for a little humility. A comeback tends to be slow and depressing. The moral support from a group or a partner can open new windows on your workouts and your goals. Besides, it's not a marriage; if partners become too competitive or dilatory, you're free to leave.

   Cross training can likewise shore up morale. Weights and resistance training build core strength, which is invaluable to any runner and which tends to get shoved aside as endurance and speed goals fire the imagination. Core strength speeds recovery. Cardio exercises - swimming, aerobics, using elliptical trainers, or any routine that sustains a higher heart rate - will rebuild your base as you wait for your body to mend. Together, these drills also keep your weight in check.

   There's yet another reason that cross training is useful, In one way or another, you will return from illness or injury a changed runner. Will you ever be as fast again? Will there be another marathon in your future? Questions like these can haunt you for months after you've recovered. Make a promise to live gracefully with these insecurities. Most old strengths eventually return; new strengths and abilities will reveal themselves over time. Cross training presents a marvelous way to explore what's lost and gained in the bargain. It's a great way to meet the new you.