Train Like a Mother Club Coach and Another Mother Runner Podcast Host Amanda Loudin finds herself in a holiday hole. Literally.

A decade or so ago, I began a long streak of injuries, seemingly one after the other. It was frustrating, heartbreaking, and maddening. I finally landed on a wise PT who helped me break that streak; however, and with lots of dedication to strength work and pre-hab, I have been injury free for more than three years. When I say that, it doesn’t include taking a week or two off here or there to nip something in the bud, but for the most part, it’s been a good run (pun intended).

So it was incredibly disheartening to me 11 days ago when out on a run, I stepped into a hole, badly spraining my ankle. My first, immediate issue was getting home. I was about a mile out, but could not even consider walking that far on my rapidly swelling ankle. I don’t carry a phone with me, so I had no way to reach out to anyone. I had no option but to sit on the side of the road, waiting for a good Samaritan.

The first potential ride came in the form of an older gentleman who encouraged me to hop into his car. I asked if instead he had a phone I could use, and when he told me he couldn’t find it, I decided I’d wait in the cold mud for another prospect. Soon, a nice lady came walking along, phone in hand.

Amanda’s ankle: Day One

Issue number two: who to call? My husband was out of town. It was 9 a.m. on a Thursday, so none of my friends would be home and, besides that, I no longer know anyone’s phone numbers. (Sidenote: does anyone these days?) But as luck would have it, I was not only a mile from home but a mile from my PT’s office. I could look a business number up and call.

So I dialed my PT and he picked me up, taking me directly back to his office for treatment. He estimated I would be looking at two to three weeks off of running. I believed him at the time, but as the day wore on and the swelling and discoloring increased, I became skeptical.

On my PT’s orders, I didn’t do much but sit with my foot elevated for about three days, with a little dorsi- and plantar-flexion thrown in to keep the ankle mobility intact. I avoided ibuprofen to allow my body’s inflammatory process kick in, knowing this was the speediest path to healing. On the fourth day, I was able to drive to a soccer tournament about an hour away and catch my son’s game.

Since then, I have progressed at an amazing rate. At a week in, I hit the pool and took the dog for a mile walk. Nine days after the sprain, I was able to do a CrossFit work out at my PT’s gym, with some modifications. Joining others and getting my heart rate up again was the mood boost I needed.

Amanda’s ankle: Day Seven

I can see the light at the end of the tunnel — I think my PT was right and that I will be back to running sooner rather than later. While suffering an injury initially took me back to a dark mental place, being able to see daily progress has made this one much, much easier to take than those I dealt with in the past.

Injuries suck, there is no two ways about it. But with the exception of acute injuries like an ankle sprain, there really is a great deal we can do to avoid them. There’s also a right way and a wrong way to recover from them — and following a trusted practitioner’s advice wins every time. I won’t run a day earlier than my PT’s recommendation, but I’m confidant that will be soon thanks to his guidance.

I wish you all an injury free holiday season!