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Imagine the scenario, you are in good health, you have a regular income and all is well with your family. Life is good in comparison to others. Yet you are completely unable to run, you will NEVER run again. Running was who you are, it defined you, and it’s how others thought of you. All those chats at work with people asking how your run went at the weekend, the catch up with relatives who ask did you win that race (not realising you were never fast enough to win anything!). How do you cope with this?
Running is great for your mental & physical health. What if you can’t do it anymore, the rush of those endorphins will never be felt again. Yes you can use the cross trainer, go for a swim but they all feel a bit meh. All you want to do is run & right now you’d trade no more pbs ever again for just being able to run parkrun every Saturday and see those people you once had so much in common with.
How can we as a running community support these people, some of whom may not want to interact with us as we are a painful reminder? This inability to do what you loved can push people into depression.
Thoughts………
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I tough one this, and it can be difficult to accept that nothing will be a good as running itself, but I think you learn to adapt to the change over time. Just get interested in other forms of fitness and sport. Think about what you can do, rather than what you cannot. It's the same thinking as for para athletes - they don't think about what their body cannot do, they are wholly focused on what their body can achieve. There's always ways to stay part of the running community itself, so those friendships and good times aren't lost. Get involved as an official, marshal, race organiser, photographer etc. Help encourage children to take part. Perhaps even take a qualification as an instructor, coach or official. There's lots of possibilities. This can happen to any one of us, whether we're out of running for ever or temporarily. So it's a good point to raise and think about. And of course .........never say never! You just don't know what's ahead, perhaps you will be running again one day. Edited by user 23 February 2016 16:59:34(UTC)
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I used to run with my Dad, we did all sort of races and even went to London together. Then he got cancer. He found out just before doing London the second time but didn't tell me until about a month afterwards. At first it didn't stop him from doing anything but when it begin spreading all over his body running became difficult until finaly after doing the Bristal half he called it a day. Although we stll got all his medals and t-shirts he got rid of everything that reminded him of running nor would he watch any races on the telly. Although I was still running I found it hard. However we went walking together and the last thing we did together was to walk up Snowdon. I remember when he was in Vlendar and feeling guilty because I could still run and Dad could not even get up to go to toliet. I was going to stop but Mun told me that Dad wouldn't want me to stop. After Dad passed away running help me keep going and having sign up for the Snowdon marathorn and Cardiff that year gave me even more of a focuse. Being part of the club also helped. I'm glad now I didn't give up. Sometime a person doesn't want to be reminded of what they can no longer do so find other things to fill that gap left by running. Not being able to run can have an knock on affect on others giving feels of gult and sometimes depression.
I think for alot of para athletes it is different as they often take up a sport to help them both physically and mentaly.
Running has help me. I think if there is race you want to do is just go for it.
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Words from Epictetus.
We ought not to forget the transitory character of all external advantages even in our enjoyment of them, but always to bear in mind that they are not our own and that therefore they do not properly belong to us.
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what is wrong with whoever can't run?
who said they can't run.
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An intriguing question, Ange and some stimulating answers already.
With running being an activity which people with obsessive tendencies find so appealing, it is, like all drugs, both exciting and dangerous at the same time. I think one important factor is what else is going on in your life at the same time. If running takes priority over everything then it can be very dangerous.
A few questions to consider.
Coping strategies: some people can continue to interact with other runners as "a way of giving something back to the sport", whilst others cannot. It's worth considering this, as running has huge social benefits as well as physical ones.
What other activities go any way to replacing the buzz of running? It's easy to say nothing comes close, but doing nothing isn't a healthy option either. I've known lots of ex-runners get into cycling. It's something you simply have to find out for yourself.
To give a little extra substance to Alan's point, Liz McColgan was told by many specialists to give up running BEFORE she won the London Marathon. If the will is there, you can overcome most things.
Like most things in life, this is really all about knowing yourself, in good times and in bad, and sometimes these challenges actually make us tougher than if we hadn't had to face them in the first place.
You didn't mention in the first instance who this related to - and understandably so.
Come and talk if you feel the need.
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I think that this is an extremely important topic and massive food for thought.
1. We can listen to what they have to say. That is always a good start. Venting is a good place for people to start, if they are ready.
2. We can ask them what they are capable of doing now and build on that.
3. We can help them to get over their frustrations and loss.
4. We can be there for them and prove that they are not alone.
5. We can use positive action to prove this and not just words.
I personally would be willing to help with this area and offer my full support.
Just let me know what I can do.
If I had to stop running outside now, I would be totally gutted. I have been through this isolation and would be able to talk to them on the same level.
Running is an emotion all of it's own which encompasses who we are, where we have been and where we are going.
Running is unique to the individual.
Running allows us to travel back in time when there was no technology,no apps or tracking devices.
A time when it was just our 2 feet and the will to live. Back to nature.
I think that deep down that is one of the reasons why running means so much to people, on a sub conscious level, even if they don't know all the reasons why. There are so many.
When I am out running my emotions are so close to the surface that I feel like laughing and crying all at the same time.
This is why I say that running is pure emotion.
Emotion is extremely powerful.
It can motivate people to do incredible things, LC is living proof of this and it can also be so powerful that it traps people in their own mind.
So
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paul morris on 23/02/2016(UTC), David McDonald on 23/02/2016(UTC), tim o'sullivan on 23/02/2016(UTC), Mal Rowson on 23/02/2016(UTC), Short Circuit (Howard Kent) on 23/02/2016(UTC), Mick McGeoch on 23/02/2016(UTC), Eve Gallop-Evans on 23/02/2016(UTC), David.E Williams on 23/02/2016(UTC), matt hurford on 23/02/2016(UTC), Alan S Mason on 27/02/2016(UTC), gwen thomas on 29/02/2016(UTC)
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Some interesting thoughts and provoking comments. I can personally relate to some of them with regard to my late twin brother Graham who was a long standing member of the club. Graham had Parkinson's disease & suffered long bouts of depression. Les Croups club & running was a major part of his life and helped him cope immensely with his illness. I am an ageing runner myself, but I keep on plodding and I think I get the same enjoyment and benefits as everyone else.
So what next? I think we should promote Les Croupier running club and encourage new members of all levels and abilities, and in years to come they may also feel that running made a difference to their life, and that they benefited from everything our club and great sport has to offer.
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When I was diagnosed with depression back in 1998 I started running to get myself off the pills I was given. It was such a great help to me I struggle to think how I would have coped if I couldn't have run at the time.
There are of course many people with depression who don't run so there must be other coping mechanisms out there. When I was recuperating recently I found being able to go for walks with my camera a great help and still do.
As you can see in these replies that it's a subject that has affected quite a few people and hopefully something useful will emerge from all them.
As to how we as people or collectively as a club can help people who can no longer run is a difficult thing to say. It would be down to each individual how they would react to being close to a sport they can no longer participate in. I know when I was out, although I enjoyed marshalling I did have very strong feelings of jealousy as everyone went flying past me.
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Thanks all for your comments, life sends challenges but hopefully all long termed injured runners can find their way through.
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This rings so true with me. Around two years ago I was in a position of not knowing if I would be able to run again, having had all exercise come to a screeching halt after an acute back injury in June 2013. I had run a marathon less than 2 weeks earlier, and within a month of my back injury, the walk from one end of Hailey Park to the other would leave me in tears. My back surgeon was hopeful that after surgery all would return to normal, but there were the usual risks of surgery, being in a worse position than before, etc.
In all the time I have run, it's been a mode of mood management. After a prolonged period of post-natal depression, my hubbie knew things were starting to get better when he could persuade me into trainers. With that in mind, when my ability to run or benefit from any exercise induced endorphins came to a halt, it is no exaggeration to say that both he and I made considerable efforts and actually WORKED at ensuring my mood didn't dip - finding other ways to occupy myself, setting different goals, meeting friends .. nothing extraordinary, but nonetheless lifesaving. To be honest, I'm not entirely sure how I managed it.
I'm a bit of a Facebook addict, and would at times find it upsetting to read running mates' weekend statuses "got to drag myself out for 20 miles in the rain" "absolutely pants performance at XX race"...so I would avoid. I did also avoid coming to Club on a Thursday night, til another Club member told me to get my arse back down to Club and enjoy the social aspect, see friends and get involved in the sport in a non-running capacity.
As a club, I am not sure there are specifics, but the club is full of a bunch of (mostly lovely!) individuals, and each of those lovely folks can I'm sure, remove their "I can only talk running" head for at least a moment, and find another topic of conversation. it's more than running - it's about friendship and support.
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in 2013 I had a heart attack. after the surgery I was out two days later. before I left the hospital I got the usual you must exercise 30 min 3 times a week.
"can I run"? I asked, you can walk, you can go on a rehab coarse if you like. YES I jumped at the chance. as I was off work for 6 weeks, pluss I wasn't allowed to drive I walked every where. I always wore my garmin as I did averything as if I was on a mission.
before I was ill I'd volunteered to take Helen Williams around Cardiff half so when I started rehab I asked them if I could do that, yes.
during my illness Mike was also diagnosed with cancer, I was gutted as he was training to do a marathon, I was training to do another around the same time, I was using him as a target to beat.
even though we both had serious illnesess I felt MIke was in I worse position than myself as I'd seen what cancer can do and how long it takes to recover.
My Brother Michael Elliston was an other help to me. he wanted me to go to events that he was doing as support for him. I really didn't want to go to events hanging around for him to start then have to hang around for hours for him to get back.
while I was waiting for him to get back other people who knew me asked why I wasn't running when I told them they said 'that happened to me that's why I stopped running' I thought 'NO that's not going to be me'
all of the above might look a bit random but they all joined for me to believe I can do what I want. and defy what someone says I can't.
i am watching Mike on his fb and his rants that his garmin doesn't work properly makes me smile because as we are not going to win any medals, we want to know we went out ,we want other people to know we went out.
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