Admit it so you can move on

I had my first significant setback this week. Bursitis of the hip. Bursitis is inflammation of the joint due to overuse - turns out I've tried to do too much too soon. It's not serious as I can still run on it but the problem isn't going away and it's not going to go away unless I stop and treat it properly.

The good news is that with proper treatment this problem should disappear within a week or so. So, I've skipped my long run for the week, got the noninflammatory lotions working and taken it easy. Thankfully, after only 2 days the pain has subsided significantly.

Mentally I'm fine. Yes, this pain has stopped me from running for the moment but it's just a setback. Setbacks are not the end. Setbacks are obstacles that need to be worked around and resolved. If I don't listen to the setback but push ahead regardless then there is the real risk that the setback will turn into something more permanent.

Listening to setbacks is difficult though. They appear permanent. They appear to stop one's goal from being realised. Objective thinking is hard when you want something and something else is standing in the way. To stop running in order to heal also means I'm not progressing in my running since I'm not running. Until I can admit to myself that a break from running will lead to better running I'll continue to run despite the pain. Denial delays acceptance of the setback.

When I finally accepted my pain was real and was not going away (which took three weeks) finding a solution and building hope didn't take long. A quick search on Google for "running hip pain" immediately led to several articles and a short video on hip problems and remedies. Fifteen minutes later I knew what the problem was, what the remedy was and knowing that I have 6 weeks to go allows me time to recover and finish my preparation. Did you notice the biggest problem I had with this setback? Admitting I had a problem.

Most setbacks in running, body building or life can be solved so long as they are identified before they cause permanent damage. Admitting there is a problem is the toughest part in working around a setback. Without the admission nothing changes. Actually, there are changes. Bad changes. Changes that make and will continue to make your life miserable. With admission comes healthy change.

What's hampering your progress? If something could change right now that would make you better what would that be? What's stopping it from happening?

6 weeks to go.