Running, the great stress reliever. I used to run everyday, some times twice per day during final exams in university. Running has hugely helped me deal with the stress of the pandemic as well. We are all spending more time than ever at home with our families. I love my family more than anything however I have certainly appreciated getting some alone time during my runs. I have hardly ever missed a run during the pandemic. Injury concerns couldn’t keep me from training – I’ve run through strains that I developed in the spring and summer. I don’t think I’m the only one, I have noticed an increase in the number of injured runners over the last few months. I don’t have any scientific data to reference. These are just my observations, mainly from following avid runners, amateur and professional on Instagram.
Virtual races might be one of the culprits for my perception of an increase in running related injuries. I ran the Great Virtual Race Across Tennessee (GVRAT) this summer which challenged runners to finish 1,000km in 4 months – from May 1st to August 31st. An unprecedented, 19,000+ runners signed up for this race. Each participant needed to run an average of 5 miles (8km) per day to complete the GVRAT. This isn’t an extreme number of miles for an ultra-runner however the race significantly influenced my training choices. I spent less time on my bike and ran longer distances when I didn’t feel like it since I needed the running miles for the GVRAT. I also found myself keeping up with the Jones’s. A number of runners that I follow on Instagram were putting up huge training weeks of 100+ miles. My usual 80km training weeks didn’t feel like they were enough. I felt pressured to run more, even though I was working through a knee strain. Luckily, I backed off training enough to work through my strain but it was not easy to do so.
I don’t view my experience as negative – it’s emphasized the importance of running my own race. It’s always tempting to go out fast in an ultra marathon and keep up with the front runners. You don’t do yourself any favours though by running faster than you’ve planned. I’ve always been happy with my racing experiences when I’ve stuck to my pace plan. If there are any sports psychology PhD candidates reading this – this topic would make an excellent thesis.
