Life gets in the way sometimes.

But it often has a useful lesson.

3 months ago I fell over running. Not an unusual occurrence for me, I tend to choose interesting routes which have their own pitfalls. In this case, rock met knee and knee needed 6 stitches to put it back together again.

Keep going

Although I kept going with my classes and one to one sessions on crutches, my own exercise, by necessity, took a back seat. My clients were absolute superstars as I directed on crutches.

It was really interesting to observe the impact on my physical fitness, my appetite, my energy levels and, most importantly, my mental health. Running is my meditation and headspace several times a week. I love sharing this with my run coaching, but I also need that time just for me.

So, I've gradually built myself back up again. I've gone walking instead of running (although I find it harder to get out of the door for a walk than a run!), and I've recognised I needed to change my diet to account for the lack of movement.

Yesterday was a victory. I ran nearly 5K with my running group. And my legs feel just fine this morning. I am SO pleased.

And it makes me even more excited about sharing my love of running with my beginner runners next week.

Some key lessons from this experience

1. Setbacks in health and fitness always have a lesson

2. Sometimes you need to have a back-up plan when plans go wrong.

3. Ask for help, people love to give it.

4. Sometimes you have to start at the beginning and go slowly, but the efforts are worth it.

5. Develop a toolbox of strategies to support your mental and physical wellbeing, so that if one method becomes unsustainable you've got plenty to fall back on.

I’m sure there are plenty more, let me know your best strategies.

Photo by Alexander Mils on Unsplash