Next week was supposed to be the first week of training for an early June triathlon, but instead, it will be week two of a 6-week (we hope!) rehab for an ankle injury.

Yes, an athlete-friend is sidelined, just as the spring sun was starting to appear and training was about to begin in earnest. 

Frustration. Disappointment. Anger. Depression.  And let’s not forget Fear – specifically fear of gaining weight and losing fitness!  Any athlete who has experienced an injury knows how easy it is to have all of these feelings when the training plan goes down the toilet. 

The reality is you are injured — and that cannot be changed. Of course it is important to do the icing and the rehab exercises on the schedule recommended by your doctor or physical therapist.  But the real key is to change the way you think about the injury! An injury can be an opportunity.  For example, I decided to learn how to swim when I could not run for more than a month.  I might not be a triathlete at all, if it weren’t for that opportunity. 

Don’t get me wrong, injuries are a pain both literally and figuratively. But, in most cases, there is still training that can be done.  For example, my friend with the ankle injury can still do core and upper body strength training exercises.    This is the positive way to look at this injury.  We can delay swim/bike/run training for a month, and by then, she will have developed a killer core.  And we all know that a killer core is critical to peak triathlon performance, eh?

Let’s get training now, shall we?