Podcast, Episode 1!

The first episode of the Most Pleasant Exhaustion Podcast was released today!  Give it a listen!

On this podcast, we'll be doing interviews, reviewing products and workouts, talking about training philosophy, previewing races, and generally discussing issues of interest to the local, national, and international endurance community.  

In today's episode, I talked about my recent injury troubles. Specifically, I described Extra-corporeal Shock Wave Therapy (ESWT), which I underwent on January 13. I also described some of my findings related to psychology and sports injury.  

The takeaways from the convo about ESWT, if you're considering it for a chronic injury:

1. Ask your doctor about the treatment protocol (intensity, frequency, etc.).

2. Ask your doctor about the recovery protocol, since those vary from place to place, too.

Stay with me over the next few weeks if you want to hear whether the procedure was successful.

Also of interest is this blog entry from four years ago when I underwent a less-intense shockwave session to try and address the pain in my foot then.  Even though they used a lesser-intensity setting that day, I was without any numbing.  So it hurt.  A lot.

The takeaways from the convo about the psychology of injured athletes:

1.If you feel--like I do right now--that you're moodier, crankier, less-easy-to-get-along-with, and generally more emotional when injured, know that it's common.  It's part of what happens and has always happened to sportspeople when they suffer injuries.

   

2.If you have a healthy relationship with the sport--which is great!--you're less likely to take steps to keep yourself safe and healthy. Oddly, if you have an unhealthy, neurotic relationship with the sport, you're more likely to take steps to stay well.  

  

3. If you are feeling in the dumps thanks to an injury, you can alleviate those symptoms by doing pretty much ANY exercise. If you can't run, bike.  If you can't do that, swim. If you can't do any of them, go to the gym and lift some weights. Aerobic and non-aerobic exercise both have depression-reducing effects.    

Thanks for listening, and be sure to reach out with any questions, comments, or suggestions on Twitter (@pleasantpodcast) and Facebook (facebook.com/pleasantpodcast).  And show a little love to ITL Coaching and Performance, the coaching company I work for who is supporting the podcast.  ITL is on Twitter and Facebook, too!