So I have just experienced trying to train through my 1st winter which was difficult enough for me motivation wise. (I wont lie I wasnt nearly as consistent as id hoped) But it seems like every time I was getting accutly getting excited to train again i’d get sick ( stomach virus, chest cold that wouldnt go away for weeks ) or there would be some sort of break from school where id be traveling on ( I know my fault ). So now at the very start of spring and right when I return to school from break I am tottaly excited to get back to training and I do what … I sprain my ankle running down the stairs like an idiot on my way to a class / run.
Hurts like hell and im gonna go see the doc today although i dont think (read hope) its not that bad.
And to top it off my 1st race of the season is supposed to be the columbia oly in May and I feel completely outta shape
Sorry guys my rant is over … You guys have any stories like this or any idea how long coming back from a sprained ankle takes ? thnx
eh, buck up, you’re a young guy and the ankle will recover if you follow the doc’s advice. don’t be a dummy and do things you shouldn’t and you’ll be fine. be thankful you didn’t break a bone–which would really take you out of the game.
winter is no joke so don’t be hard on yourself.
plus, it’s not where you’re at, it’s where you’re going. all you can do is control today, so feeling bad over yesterday will just lead you to alot of negative internal dialogue that will continue to keep you down and feeling bad. so, think positive thoughts about today and tomorrow and look forward not backwards.
like I said, you’re a young guy so you’ll bounce back quickly and get in shape quickly. there is nothing to feel bad about–only things to look forward to. worse case scenario is that if your ankle won’t be up for it in time then you pick another race…it’s not like you trained all winter for an ironman or something. you’ll be alright.
Yes thank you for the great advice. Im in general a pretty easy going guy and know that this is not close to a huge deal just frusturating if you know what I mean. But on the bright side of things winter is over and maybe ill convince my roommates to clean my room and cook for me for a few days while I cant walk haha
I have no first-hand knowledge of ankle sprains, but three weeks ago my soon-to-be-21-year-old daughter went feet-first into the boards playing hockey. The initial assessment was a sprain, and the trainer even held out hope that she might be able to return later in the game. That didn’t happen, and even by the following weekend and the next playoff game, she couldn’t manage it. When she got home for spring break, I took her to my sports doctor who said she could begin doing activities on it as soon as it was feeling strong enough…but that complete healing of the ligaments might take up to six months. Just as a precaution he ordered x-rays for her, and he phoned yesterday to say that she has a fractured ankle. Despite what kittycat says above, an undisplaced fracture will heal completely quicker than a sprain (in my daughter’s case, 8 weeks versus ~6 months), BUT from what she was told by the doctor, had it been “just” a sprain she could resume activities very shortly. So, if your ankle is not badly sprained, you might be able to be ready for Columbia - still 8 weeks and 5 days away. Two things you can try if the ankle really throbs is the elliptical and water running. A great resource for the latter is “Water Running for the Serious Athlete”, which can be ordered through Go Swim Productions (www.goswim.tv or 1-877-GOSWIM1). As somebody else said, you’re young and the recuperative powers of the young are pretty impressive. Just follow the doctor’s orders and don’t rush things - look for alternatives to pounding the roads. I hope to see you at Columbia, but if you can’t make it there then at least you should be ready for the rest of the season. Best of luck with this!
Unless you’ve done some major damage, I’ll bet you’ll find the recovery to be very fast and less limiting along the way than you might think. Good Luck!
Ask your doctor about running in the water as an alternative to land based running while you are recovering. If you have the go ahead you will not experience any down time. I train about 80 people a week running in the water. They maintain their conditioning and very often get faster on the roads. Some movement is very good for your sprained ankle.
haha