To Hazel

Nic'O tells me that SN is very sore with suspected broken ribs and is unhappy that her return to the fells, after her previous problem, was so short lived.

There seem to be two general sorts of injuries that runners get ~ a niggle that you think you might be able to run through, but know you shouldn't, in case it delays the healing process (most of us have something like this lurking in the background a fair proportion of the time) ~ and then there's the big one that stops you running altogether.

Although not being able to run is frustrating, at least in this situation you know you've just got to grin (just grin, don't laugh, that really hurts) and bear it. Deciding when to return to training is fairly straightforward with ribs; when you can bear the pain, go for it, but do try not to fall over again too soon, that really, really hurts.

In the meantime, catch up with sleep (although this isn't easy, if every time you turn over you wake up with the pain), television, films, research and even eating ~ putting on weight when inactive can be a problem for many of us, but I guess that doesn't apply in your case.

Perhaps most usefully, you can use the time to dwell on what you most want to get out of running. Do you just want to cruise the fells and enjoy being out and all that goes with it, or are you a competitive animal that needs to race and achieve defined targets? If it's the latter, start setting those targets, and draw up a list with your due dates.

Let's hear from you soon SN, what feats can we drive you on to achieve?