HPRS Podcast - Episode 69: What To Do When Injury Arises

Take a run with The Human Potential Running Series podcast. For Episode 69, HPRS Race Director John Lacroix and co-hosts Thomas Stott and Megan Storms discuss the word of doom, "Injuries." Injuries are never on the training plan, but every runner eventually faces them. What matters most is how you respond in the first few minutes, the first few days, and the weeks that follow. In this episode, we walk through the full arc of dealing with an injury, from that initial "uh-oh" moment to your first cautious steps back on the trail. Topics include:

• Triage on the Spot: How to tell if it's a soft-tissue tweak or a hospital trip.

• Mindset Matters: Why your brain chemistry shifts in the first five minutes, and how to ground yourself in what to do now.

• Training Setback → Opportunity: Reframing your outlook, setting up support, and dropping the unnecessary stress of "racing through it."

• The Real Return-to-Run Checklist: It's not just about time. We dig into pain-free walking, stairs, range of motion, strength, eccentric control, and even hopping tests before lacing up again.

• Protocols that Work: Run-walk reintroductions, flat terrain starts, and why consistency still trumps intensity. Plus, surprising strategies like gentle uphills (for everyone except Achilles injuries).

• The Nintendo Reset Button: Use downtime to build where you've been weak—slower paces, mobility, breathwork, hydration, connective tissue health.

• Healing on Nature's Timeline: Understanding the cellular phases of repair—inflammatory (days), proliferation (weeks), remodeling (months)—so you can respect the process instead of fighting it.

Whether you're sidelined today or just want tools for the future, this episode is a guide to resilience, patience, and coming back stronger.