P.F. Changs Rock n' Roll Half Marathon: Injured Envy

This weekend was supposed to be my "big" achievement in running this year...my first half marathon. Unfortunately I'm injured. On December 1st, I injured my back while running. After taking two weeks off I celebrated my uninjured body with a 12k race.

Though super fun, I unfortunately got an early Christmas present, an IT band injury. I've been struggling with it for almost a month but through strength training, and physical therapy I have been able to run about a half a mile without pain. Yay! How do you bounce back from the depression of injury? How do you not stuff your face with Oreos as you see your running goals go out the window? Here are some helpful tips that I have used while battling the injury blues. 1. Find an activity you can do. I was able to run but that doesn't mean I can't strength train 2. Use the time to re-focus your fitness goals I think much of the reason I got injured was because I minimized the importance of cross training and strength training. 3. Keep positive If you run not just for fitness but for weight loss like me, it doesn't make a lot of sense to ruin all your hard work because you have a physical set back. I continue to track my food and keep my eye on the prize. While I can't run now that doesn't stop me from researching upcoming races and trying to figure out when I can start training again. How about you? Any big running goals or recent setbacks?