Your Competitive Edge

Mental Recovery from a Stress Fracture

Stress fractures are some of the slowest-healing and most disruptive sports injuries around. These painful bone injuries are often seen in athletes who participate in endurace sports such as running or triathlon or other high-impact activities such as football or cheerleading. Typical medical protocol, depending on severity and placement of the fracture is a minimum of six weeks and sometimes longer. The layoff from activity can be quite difficult for the athlete; therefore I will propose some suggestions for mental management and recovery from stress fractures.

Note: The following is  recommended to be included alongside a medically supervised recovery and treatment plan. If you suspect a stress fracture, obtain proper medical advice. 

The Early Stages/Post Diagnosis:

• Take some time to be upset, angry, remorseful. Allowing yourself to go through the emotions; which can resemble the grief process is normal. What is not normal, however, is taking the emotions out on others. 
• Learn about your injury, healing time and techniques, and how to return to activity. Use this information to help objectify the experience. 
• Take a forward-looking approach. Avoid playing  the"whodunnit?" game that offers little concrete answers.
• Think of other positives in your life and other things to focus on while you heal.
• REST-take time to recharge and repair the mind and body.

2-6 Weeks Post-Diagnosis:

• After receiving medical clearance, begin crosstraining. This often relieves depression related to the injury and lowers stress levels. Athletes often have difficulty with cessation of activity and this provides active coping. 
• Visualize healing. An example is picturing your fracture becoming whole again (Porter, 2003). Imagery can be a powerful healing tool
• Set short term-goals. For example, getting the pain from a 6/10 to a 4/10 in 5 days.

After receiving medical clearance for activity:

• Acknowledge any anxiety you may be experiencing about re-injury-talk to a coach, teammate, or sports psychology professional if needed. 
• Continue to set short-term goals for returning to full participation
• For Runners: Run on assigned days, on non-running days-don't think about running and focus on other activities, including cross training. 
• Use positive self-talk when you have doubts. 
• Assess your progress at the end of each week and focus on how much you've accomplished vs. how far you have to go.

Throughout the healing process, try and get 8 hours of sleep and eat nutritious foods that are hight in protein, magnesium, and calcium. Examples include almonds, lean meats, chickpeas, and yogurt. 

While recovery is often far from perfect, staying mentally focused and strong during the healing process can make it much more bearable and get an athlete back on the field or track stronger and more focused. 

Porter, K. The Mental Athlete. Human Kinetics. 2003.

 

 

 

Finding Beauty in Adversity: Running Through Grief

The following post is also featured on the website for the Bill Crews Remission Run. If you are in the Southeast Texas area on January 28, I highly recommend this 5k run benefitting Lymphoma research. This is for all athletes who have lost a loved one or are currently dealing with terminal illness. 

November 13, 2011. This is a day in my world that will never be forgotten. What I had hoped to be just another fun, quality race turned into one of the greatest challenges of my athletic career. However, the challenge was not the 13.1 mile distance that lay ahead of me, but running with the knowledge that my grandmother lay dying in a hospital bed in the very city I was racing. With her prognosis grim, I wrestled back and forth with myself: “do I race, do I not race?”, “what is appropriate to do in this situation; there are so many things that are SO much more important here”…these thoughts went on and on. I ultimately decided to run, but to put aside my own agenda and goals for the race and participate solely in honor of Nana.  With a heavy heart I wrote her initials on my race bib and down both arms and hoped I would make her proud that warm Texas morning. Nana was always very supportive of my running. I realized the magnitude as I stood at the start line what it meant to run for something. Something greater than myself.  Run for somebody I loved.  While I ran through considerable fatigue and my goal time quickly slipped away from me, I knew I had “J.M.L.” written on my uniform and kept pressing on as best I could. I crossed the finish line exhausted, yet proud that I gave everything I had in that very moment to honor somebody very special. For once the clock didn’t mean that much. I was able to share my gift of running with my dying grandmother on this day. And to have that opportunity I am forever grateful. A mantra I like to repeat when things are hard is “there is beauty in adversity”.

                Everyone deals with the grief process or the illness of a loved one differently. If I were to offer any advice to those who are currently experiencing loss, I would first define your purpose for running; and there can be many; it can even change from day to day or season to season. Whether swift or steady, embrace your gift of running-celebrate it. When you put one foot in front of the other, ask yourself “how can I honor _______ today?”  For those who are dealing or have dealt with family tragedy, whether by cancer or other unpleasant means, running often takes a different meaning.  It just may become transformative.

For those dealing with various challenges,  the question becomes “how do we manage these strong emotions and still run our best for that given day? That answer is not one-size-fits-all. As I mentioned before, perhaps begin by defining your purpose for your run: organizations like Team in Training and Remission Run are great outlets to honor your loved ones and raise money to defeat cancer.

It may be difficult and emotional for you on race day and as you prepare; however, there are some ways you can manage (or more like channel) grief and adversity. First, we must acknowledge what we are faced with for what it is; whether that be a current illness or even loss. Then we can reflect on the things we loved about this person-were they funny, star athletes, or just wonderful to be around? These are good images to carry with you throughout your training and on event day. I know I kept thinking about various “Nana’ims” as I ran San Antonio last year.

As I like to tell individuals that I work with-always search for the ‘nugget’ or thing that is positive about the situation, especially those we cannot control or change. For example, perhaps training took a back seat to assisting family but you can focus on the sheer joy of running and it can become a personal refuge.

To stay motivated, some may like to display memorable pictures or notes that remind them of who they are running for. The Remission Run is a perfect example of this, with each cancer survivor or sufferer’s name written out on the course.  When the going gets tough, picture the person’s name or face.

Lean on others. Social support-especially from fellow athletes can help lift you and your family up and get through some of the toughest days. Good friends always have a way of making training easier, keeping you accountable, and even provide a good laugh or two. If you feel that you need additional support, consider contacting a trusted professional to help guide you through a difficult time.

Lastly and perhaps most obviously, give the gift of dedicating your performance and strive to do your best in the moment. You may or may not set that illusive PR, but your effort will definitely not be lacking. Some athletes dedicate each mile to somebody. Do what feels right to you.

As you prepare for the Houston or Woodlands Marathons, the Remission Run, or any other race on your schedule, remember that emotions may run high, even more so than in regular race situations, but remember your goal, remember what you came for; and embrace every moment of it. Be proud of your accomplishment and enjoy the gift of health.

Stay the course.

 

Jeret "Speedy" Peterson, December 12, 1981- July 25, 2011

The the Winter Sports and athletic communities at large are reeling today with the news of the sudden passing of US Olympic Aerials star Jeret "Speedy" Peterson. The news of his suicide spread across blogs and news channels this morning and described the Olympic medalist as a talented but often disturbed character, who often found solace in sport, however ultimately succumbed to personal struggles yesterday. 

Peterson allegedly committed suicide just days after an arrest for an alcohol-related violation, according to  CNN.com's post. Peterson reportedly struggled with traumatic life events, depression, and substance use issues. Too often, issues of this nature in athletes are either minimized or overlooked, largely due to the socialization of athletes to be "tough", "shake things off", or "just deal with it". 

Sometimes, however, we need to be open and aware that athletes are not immune to mental health and personal struggles. Knowing this fact and how and where to get help are the first steps. Below are some key behaviors to watch for in athletes who may be in need of some assistance:

• Sudden changes in mood or reactivity, for example-a generally even-tempered athlete begins to become confrontational.
• Changes in appetitite or sleep patterns.
• Unexplained performance declines or missed practices.
• Social withdrawl or isolation.
• Substance abuse or misuse.
• Fatigue
• Loss of motivation or interest in sport or other activites. 

These are just some indicators for fellow athletes, coaches, and family members to be aware of. If these persist for two weeks or greater, a consultation with a qualified sports or clinical professional may be encouraged to assist the athlete in working through their difficulties.

In short, athletics doesn't exist in a vacuum and in my practice I believe that the whole athlete needs to be emphasized for lifelong well-being. Jeret Peterson will not soon be forgotten and the athletic and condolences go out to his family, teammates, and the rest of the Olympic community.

Also see:

http://www.teamusa.org/news/2011/07/26/u-s-olympic-committee-statement-on-jeret-peterson/43762

https://www.appliedsportpsych.org/files/Critical-Incidents-in-Sport.pdf

 

Knowing "When"

Today's post seeks to address a fairly common question that athletes and their significant others often possess: when is it time to seek outside help for performance issues? Most dedicated athletes will use their physical frame of reference and increase their training, repetitions of skills, or any other avenue in order to get results. For some, especially if it is a strength or more gross motor issue, this can be a pathway for resolution. On the other hand, this response can have negative potential effects, especially if the problem actually lies within the mental processes of the athlete. Anxiety, frustration, burnout, overtraining syndrome, injuries, and depression are potential hazards in this pattern. When special trainers, nutritionists, and coaches are often hired but improvements are negligble, there may be something else going on. When outside interventions do not produce results, it is likely that the problem lies within the muscle between our ears.

Based on precedent, this is when a qualified professional can be brought into the picture. While each individual athlete is unique, here are some rules of thumb for when working with a sport psychologist may be appropriate:

•     Noticeable performance discrepancies in same season or adjoining seasons.
•     Previous attempts to improve performance or remedy deficits don't yield results
•     Changes in mood/personality
•     Attitude changes toward activity
•     Recurrent anger and frustration during activity
•     A general "negative feeling" when thinking about sport or coach, etc.
•     Behavior changes both in and out of sport environment
•     Spending less or more time performing activity
•     Anxiety and stress 
•     Performance plateaus

These and related difficutlies can be considered problematic if they last for two weeks or longer, or if espeically bothersome. It should also be noted that one does not have to be experiencing negative performance in order to be helped by sport psychology; preventative measures, goals and techniques to get an edge are all examples of a "complete" training program.