Injuries happen. What can you do when you are injured?

Injuries suck! The simple fact of not being able to run is sometimes more painful than the injury itself. It doesn't have to be that bad though. You have some opportunities to focus on other areas within the 'running environment'.

Opportunity to volunteer at a race

So you can't run your next race. That shouldn't stop you from still being part of it. Races need volunteers! Races wouldn't be as awesome as they are without them. There are a lot of different ways you can help out. You can help by:

• Help setup and break down the course before and after the race
• Hand out race packets before the race
• Monitor the course to help runners follow the correct route and make sure spectators and traffic stay out of the way of runners
• Hand out water during the race
• Hand out finisher medals at the finish line.

Great opportunity for cross training

There are many injuries where you can still ride a bike, use an elliptical machine, work on strength training or even just getting out there and walking. Just because you're injured doesn't mean you have to sit around and wait for the injury to go away.

Able to evaluate your training plan

Take a look at your past runs. Maybe there is something there that will help identify why you got injured (increasing daily or weekly mileage too fast or running through some slight pain that turned into your injury). Looking at your past runs can also help keep motivation going. You can look back and see the hard work you've put in and what you've been able to accomplish.

Time to learn about your injury and how to prevent it from happening again.

Take the time to research your injury. Maybe the injury happened because of a muscle imbalance or because you were running in shoes that need better support or were needing to be replaced. Talk with your doctor or if you know the exact injury, read up about it in books or online. Use available resources to learn how to get yourself back on the road again and not have this injury return again in the future.

Being injured doesn't mean sitting around and do nothing. The more you're able to keep active in the 'running environment', the better you will be both physically and mentally.