An injured runner is one of the most miserable creatures that inhabits our world. They can't do any running, they are miserable and find people gravitate away from them, because all they can talk about is how they are injured and why it is rubbish!
Injuries happen, it is a sad fact. Most injuries are caused by overuse (doing too much too soon, and thats why you need a training plan that has gradual progression) but freak injuries happen.
What makes a runner is how they react to an injury. You can feel sorry for yourself for a few minutes, but after then it is all about how you react.
Pick up an injury or illness there are ways of dealing with setbacks
Focus on getting healthy! It sounds obvious but so many people will skip this step and move onto training with the injury. Your first priority is to get healthy. Go to an expert and find out what they can do to help. This is where having a very good physiotherapist available to you helps. As great as GP's are, half of them have never run before and think you are crazy for doing it. Going to them will take time. Sports Physio's know what they are doing.
Find out exactly what training you can and can't do. You can limit the amount of loss you suffer from an injury or illness by training, but only if the training you are doing is supporting you getting healthy. You might need to Cross Train for a few weeks, you might have some specific conditioning exercises to do, you might need to take a week off completely to let things recovery. If you've seen an expert, they'll be able to tell you what you can and can't do and from there you can adapt your plan. If you are lucky, you'll be able to carry on your plan but just moving it to the pool for some aqua jogging or onto a cross trainer
Don't play catch up! If you miss more than a week of training and are following a plan, you can't just jump right back in and carry on from where you left off (or just skip a few weeks) - you'll be out of progression and if you've had an injury, you are likely to pick another one up again. You'll get to where you get to in your training . This might not be where you want to be in terms of long runs, or fitness but it is a fact of life. If you push in you'll end up back on the Physiotherapist's bench, funding their holiday to the Bahamas! Get advice on where to pick up from.
Stay positive! It isn't easy when you are injured. It is rubbish! But if you stay positive, attack your cross training and any exercises you've been given, you can end up in better shape after the injury than you were in before! Surround yourself with positive people and that will help! If you need to vent, then vent your frustration out for a few minutes, then get back to being positive. As coaches we've seen it all, denial, tears and tantrums but if an athlete is positive and attacks their cross training they can still run their goal race, and often get PB's!!
Thats our guide on what to do when you get an injury or illness, we hope it helps!