The Running Injury Cycle Pt. 3 - Defeat & Depression

Depression is a bi***.
It stops you in your tracks.
Grinds all of your gears to a screeching halt.
Clouds your judgement, and shakes your confidence.

What hurts more, your overuse injury or the emotional toll of not running?

21 days. That’s how long it took before I struck pavement again.

• 21 days of doubting myself

• 21 days of aimlessness

• 21 days of scrolling Reddit and Google, hoping for a “quick fix”.

Yes, it was “only 3 weeks.”
And it's “only running.”
But to a runner, it’s everything.

When injury strikes, it leaves a void in your life. A large, gaping hole of time, energy, and fulfillment. You’re left on the outside, shoes in hand, staring into empty space.

That emptiness is depression. How can it not be?
Saying otherwise is lying to yourself.

The problem isn’t in and of itself depression. I don’t subscribe to “happy at all costs” and believe we have a right and responsibility to feel our full range of emotions.

The problem is how long we choose to stay there.
Or more importantly, not knowing how to dig yourself out.

Depression is the part in your story where you are “flat-lining”. You are neither traveling up or down, just aimlessly drifting at the bottom.

This can go on for a day, week, month, or even years. In terms of running, you can choose to never come back. To say —
“I’m just not meant to be a runner”
“I’m too old”
“This is finally it for my knees, joints, etc.”

I hope you don’t. I’ve been in that place many times, and will be there again. It’s dark and lonely and you’re not sure if you’ll ever get out.

In the darkness of depression, awareness is your headlamp. Awareness to recognize where you are, where you’re headed, and what can be done today.

Because you can always have agency and take action. Once you make that choice, you begin to dig yourself out.

One stretch, one PT session, one strength workout… one small action at a time.

And the “the magic” that happens when you start taking action?….

I’ll get into that next week. Stick around.

• Like what you’re reading? plz plz plz share with another runner or friend.

• Hate it? Drop me a comment anyway.

• Unsure whether to run or rest? get my guide, comment - The Resilient Runner Pain Scale

Thank you for making it to the end.

Jon Runs Far is my running story. I’ve run 7 ultramarathons, broken a sub-20 5k over the age of 30, and logged many, many miles. Now I use, and teach, running principles, mindset, and tactics for life performance.