Agony Aunt

I'm sure all runners hate injuries. I just get injured a lot, so I feel a greater entitlement to whinging about them. It is not only that I can't run and therefore worry about the loss of fitness and gain of weight, or miss the simple joy of hitting the trails for a run. Far worse is the moodiness that comes along with missing out on my daily runner's high. Running is a natural anti-depresent for me. It somehow stops me from spending all my time in my head (which for the record, has quite a few dark corners). When I run (or am able to exercise in general) I sleep better, am less pessimistic and get to wear Lululemon.

I have now been in a moon boot for almost three weeks and have at least three more glorious weeks to look forward to. I have a metatarsal stress fracture and am only allowed to swim. People like to offer sympathy which is nice. However, a lot of people should keep their words of wisdom to themselves. Below are my top 5 most hated pieces of advice or sympathy:

1. "It could be worse." This is often followed by an example of a worse injury somebody else has had. All this does is tell me I am selfish and deserve no sympathy.
2. "See how bad that running is for your body". No I do not. Explain to me how my resting heart rate of 55 bpm or low body fat percentage is bad for me. Explain why having good muscle tone and strong bones is bad for me. Sure, I should probably have revisited my podiatrist rather than just assuming my shoes still fit me after 6 months, even though I was getting niggles in my feet. I just can't expand that analysis to encompass the idea that all running is bad for me.
3. "Oh well, you are fit. I'm sure you will bounce back". I am fit, yes, or at least I was. To me this just means I have more to lose. I do accept that people are trying to be nice with this one, it just doesn't work.
4. "Maybe you should try cycling instead of running to avoid these injuries in the future." This is similar to point 2. Also, do you really think it has never occurred to me to try a non-impact sport? I run because I love it. Although I enjoy cycling once or twice a week, it does not give me the great joy that comes with running. Lululemon also doesn't make much in the way of cycling gear.
5. "At least you now have an excuse not to push yourself through the boredom or running." Huh? This is completely lost on me. Was I being forced to run before the stress fracture?