The Process of Recovery

Recovery > Injury > Denial > Demise

The above process is not necessarily happen in concession but it is a process that we will go through periodically. We need to recover effectively to avoid injury. And even that is not a guarantee. Denial is something that will always be there but used differently depending on our views on recovery and when we have an injury. Demise is something that we want to avoid all together but if we deny ourselves the necessary time to recover pre or post injury it is sure to happen.

If we don’t recovery, then injury will be inevitable and denial will become pervasive. If we practice denial with any part of recovery or injury we will undoubtedly encounter demise. However, if we recover correctly, injury is avoidable and denial lies dormant making demise non-existent.

I write this because as type “A” personalities we must be ever conscious of our current state and what we need to do to optimize our overall well being. That means adequate training followed by adequate recovery. The challenge here is that the training part is usually not the problem. It really lies in the recovery and our mindset on how we approach it. No one wants to admit they are tired. That is denial. A good amount of tiredness and fatigue is good for building better fitness and adaptation to higher training loads. Unfortunately if we do not heed the warning signs and build in adequate recovery then injury is bound to happen. And if we deny the fact that we need to recovery or god forbid we are injured, demise is sure to follow.

I will be the first to admit that I like to train and I hate to rest when it is not planned. I like to push myself when I train and work hard. And when I start to get run down and feel a bit off then I visit that place called denial but I don’t stay there long. I heed the warnings and back off. This did not always come easy to me. In fact whenever I have “attempted” to push through I ended up sidelined even longer had I just backed off and taken a short break. The old saying “A stitch in time, saves nine…” applies here. Whenever that little voice tells me to back it off and I ignore him, he ends up being right. Now, if he starts to speak, I tune out everything else and listen to him. He is almighty. After all we get stronger when we let the training we have done soak by recovering and resting.

So for all you self coached athletes, you must balance training and recovery. Work hard when you can but rest harder when you need to. For all those coached athletes, the same applies to you. Your coach can only read your mind so far. If you are feeling like you need rest then you need to use judgment when executing the training program that has been laid out for you. I am not saying to go rogue, but to question and have a conversation with your coach. A good coach will ask the right questions to determine the type of fatigue you are under and the type of rest (active or full) you may need. Who knows, you may also learn a little more about your body through this process.

And if you are injured, feel free to go through denial. And when you are done having the pity party for yourself, focus your attention and energy on getting better. Forget about what you had planned to do or goals you may have had because they don’t matter now. After all they were created prior to your injury and for sure your injury was not incorporated into hitting those goals. Get well and then get back to it. You will come back stronger and have that much more of a fire in your belly to succeed.

The above photo is my active recovery kit. Simple and readily accessible.

Keep on keeping on…