Hey everybody! It is already July 30th, and my two terms of summer school are almost over.
I think I mentioned in the previous post how I started running. Well, I got sick a bit before my 5k marathon, (which wasn't covid), but I was extremely fatigued, had headaches, could barely walk for 1k without getting extremely tired, had a runny nose etc, AKA just not a fun time. So I was getting a bit better to the point where I could run 2k (keep in mind, I couldn't do much) and then I signed up for another local marathon (5k) and ran that but then ended up injuring myself.
Before I got sick, I was able to run 8k without stopping.
After I injured myself, my right leg hurt like crazy, it hurt to walk initially and then it was getting better but I could not run or do my usual part of exercise for about one and a half weeks. During this time, this brought me down because I was training to run a 10k, and my eating disorder also made me scared because I wasn't getting as enough activity as I usually did, and also running helped me SO much with managing my mental health. I looked up many resources, and thankfully my injury wasn't terrribly severe (such like a pulled hamstring which takes weeks to heal), I'm pretty sure it was just delayed onset muscle soreness. I looked for leg pain and knee strengthening and knee pain relief exercises and videos which helped. But most importantly, I had to alter my mindset and I had to stop feeling miserable. After I wasn't too sick, I started going on walks and doing weight-less, low-intensity workouts and yoga, and I reminded myself that I am happy that my body can allow me to move and support me, and I knew it needed the period to rest after I used it too much.
Especially as someone who've struggled with ED, it is extremely easy to succumb to the paranoia of (I'm not burning the calories enough) and to go down a spiral. But you have to listen to your body and give it the rest and fuel it needs. I think this injury also taught me a great deal, and caused me to reflect on my habits.
As I know there are more athletes out there who have undergone greater injuries than I am, I am super grateful, and super inspired by those who persist even after falling down, whether it is exercise or any circumstance in life. Keep going!
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