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The Manual Touch Physical Therapy

Whole Body Approach

Reclaim movement, function and life
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How I lost my Running Mojo

February 7, 2018 By Denise Schwartz 2 Comments

What to do when you lose your love of running

It’s been almost 2 years since my last race.

I had prepared to wear shorts for The Illini Half Marathon in Champaign, IL. Rain was in the forecast, which turned out to be a very cold rain, not a refreshing rain.  The incessant, cold rain forced me to wear the only pants I brought with me – a polyester pair of track pants. These particular pants are nice to wear after a race, but not great for running. They most definitely weren’t great for running in the rain.

I usually wear a visor when running in the rain to keep the water out of my eyes, but since it was cold I needed a hat as well as a visor.  I certainly did not look like the height of fashion.

Within 2 miles, my pants were soaked and dragging – fortunately I always run with a hydration belt so I cinched up my pants with the belt.  I also neglected to put my phone into a baggy, so by mile 3 my phone stopped working, thus no music.  Oh well, I’ve run without music before so I didn’t mind running in the quiet and often struck up conversations with other runners.

I ran a 10 min run to a 2 min walk cycle, making my way through the streets of Champaign and Urbana, streets I never knew existed when I was a student there over 30 years ago.

By mile 10, my legs felt heavy and I was dragging.  Despite the cold and rainy conditions, I wasn’t surprised I was feeling this way. That’s because I’d experienced the same heavy feeling in my legs while training for the half marathon.  

Despite the cold rain and my leg heaviness, I completed the half marathon in 2:38, at a much  slower pace than when I ran the Milwaukee marathon just months before.  Luckily, as soon as I stopped running, the leg heaviness disappeared and I went in search of my son, Drew.  I found him all dry and comfy eating an apple, hanging out in the rec center for the past hour as Drew completed his first half marathon in 1:27, finishing 46/4267!

Since then, I have not signed up for another race. Over the past year and a half, the joy I used to receive while running has left me.

Why did I lose my running mojo?

Health challenges can impede anyone’s ability and desire for the sports they typically enjoy. Even people working in the health field have these challenges.  In the summer of 2015, I developed chronic idiopathic urticaria or chronic hives, for which there is no known cause or cure.  I began taking numerous antihistamines including a once-per-month shot to abate the burning pain, itchiness and swelling from the hives.  It took 9 months to eliminate the hives completely, for which I am very grateful.

Today, I am off all the medications and am slowly weaning off the shot, but my love of running still hasn’t returned. As a result, I’ve had to modify my running and adjust my physical activity.

What have I done instead?

  • I run for fun three to four times per week, for no more than four miles
  • I do more weight training
  • I enjoy walking more often
  • I have time to listen to audiobooks while decluttering
  • I meditate
  • I have more time to focus on business
  • I have no pressure to follow a training plan, so I have more energy
  • I go for leisurely walks in the Botanic Garden with my mom

What can you do when you lose the love of your main interest?

  • Embrace the new-found time to do other things
  • Embrace this time as a sign your supposed to slow down
  • Use this time for your body to heal
  • Meditate
  • Read
  • Meet up with your non-running friends for a walk
  • Try something new

As I continue to wean off the shot, I hope the leg heaviness I feel when running dissipates and my joy of running long distances will return.  But, if it doesn’t, then I will continue to enjoy the fun of short runs, walking, meditating, and more free time.

Have you ever lost your running or other favorite activity mojo?  Comment below to let us know how you dealt with your loss so others know they are not alone.

Filed Under: Running Tagged With: losing the joy of running, running, running challenges, running joy, running portal

About Denise Schwartz

Denise Schwartz, PT, IMT, C is the owner of The Manual Touch Physical Therapy. For over 30 years, she has been helping patients reduce pain and improve quality of life using a whole body approach. Denise specializes in chronic pain, spinal conditions, running/triathlon injuries and prevention, balance/vestibular disorders, functional exercise, kinesiotaping, and various non-traditional and traditional & manual therapies. Contact Denise at denise@themanualtouch.com

Comments

  1. Cheryl Wittenstein says

    February 9, 2018 at 11:08 am

    Denise – thanks for sharing your story and great to hear you’re feeling better. I have a similar story. I ran through my same diagnosis as it turns out but now mustering energy through this winter and other issues. I can do it! Getting back to running more regularly and planning a race will feel good. Thanks, this was helpful.
    Cheryl

    Reply

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Denise Schwartz is an exceptional practitioner. My core health and strength have been incredibly improved. Through the weeks of Physical Therapy at Manual Touch she has given me tools to use (exercises) to continue to maintain my strength when these sessions end.  My initial symptom was my painful knees but immediately Denise saw that the origin of my problem was in my hips. The recommendation to Manual Touch was solid, but when it turned out that Denise had trained with my wonderful Physical… Read more
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Denise Schwartz is an amazing physical therapist! I work as a cocktail server for 10 hours every shift! And had a lot of lower back pain that was occurring half way during my time at work. After visiting Denise, my back pain at work completely went away! I really loved how she had an app I could use if I forgot the exercises we did. She was professional and you can tell she really cared about her clients. I Would definitely recommended going to her!”
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We believe all body systems and mental/emotional health are connected. We take a whole body approach to discover why patients are not healing and what were the initial causes of their current symptoms. 

Our mission is to use this whole body approach to help patients heal and overcome pain and limitations, resulting in improved quality of life. We also aim to promote wellness in our communities through ongoing education. 
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Testimonials

Denise Schwartz is an exceptional practitioner. My core health and strength have been incredibly improved. Through the weeks of Physical Therapy at Manual Touch she has given me tools to use (exercises) to continue to maintain my strength when these … Read more
I can honestly say that Denise was the first physical therapist to listen to my story.   She has demonstrated more patience and compassion than any other therapist that I’ve ever met. For the past 8 years, I have been symptomatic with Ehlers Danlo… Read more
Denise Schwartz is an amazing physical therapist! I work as a cocktail server for 10 hours every shift! And had a lot of lower back pain that was occurring half way during my time at work. After visiting Denise, my back pain at work completely went a… Read more
Denise has worked on areas of severe pain and has diminished them to a tolerable level.
I had several issues when I began therapy at The Manual Touch.  My sacrum had rotated;  there was stiffness in the right side of the neck; and pain in the left bicep. Denise did an excellent job resolving these issues.  Besides being very knowl… Read more
There is no worse than a nagging injury that keeps you off from pursuing the athletic endeavors. Being an avid road cyclist, gravel rider, cyclocross racer and a marathon runner turned into a recent Triathlete, I train all year round and race all yea… Read more
I injured my shoulder in September 2018, and when it didn’t heal on its own but instead became frozen, I saw a doctor in late November 2018, who started me on PT at another place.  They got me back to 80% mobility by January 2019, when my PT ended… Read more
When I started to work with Denise I had shoulder and lower back pain.  She taught me various exercises along with posture that resulted in significant reduction in the pain.  Also, significantly improved my balance.  Her massage therapy greatly r… Read more
The variations of exercises are great working the entire body to help my problems of balance.
I am a pediatric  physical  therapist  who  (unsuccessfully) tried to treat my own shoulder pain for more than 1 year.  By the time I started PT with Denise, my pain was significantly impacting both my personal and professional life. After 2 … Read more
Read More

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