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Injury

A quick cathartic post about how I'm physically and mentally dealing (or not) with my first real injury of the challenge since I started in November 2014.


What's going on

So as I type I'm 5 weeks from my first marathon of the year (Malta Feb 25th) and I've managed only a handful of runs since damaging my shins and calves just before Christmas.  Up to that point I'd been doing some of my best running through my new focus on interval/speed training and hills.


Ouse Valley Aquaduct now forever synonymous with pain

I'd tried a very ambitious 10 mile route in Haywards Heath that involved an unusual (for me) amount of elevation.  The result of which was eventually that every time I subsequently went out to run I managed about 2 miles before feeling an intense burning/throbbing on both sides of my calf and achilles on both legs.  This came on slowly in pulsing waves paralysing me not just from running but actually from standing.  I'd trudged back home hobbling with no clue what had caused it or how to shift it.



Self-diagnosis

Initially I put this down to maybe a lack of water and sodium/electrolytes as I had something similar in my last race in Ljubljana where I literally (and embarrassingly) got pinned to the spot with a clusterf**k of cramps from all over the lower half of my body.  After 4 days rest I went out again feeling more hopeful, again the same result.  OK so not fluids/energy related.

That left me with the following thoughts;

  • Over training - not sure, mileage was about the same just the intensity that was different
  • Not stretching enough - not changed any of my pre or post-run stretching so maybe not that
  • Do I need a complete rest? - hmm, maybe but I haven't hit it that hard and the race isn't far away
  • Massage - not had one since mid-Oct, maybe this will help.

Massage

My sports massage guy, Martin, came round at very short notice to do his worst.  He had me close to tears, definitely his most brutal yet.  He confirmed that my calves were super-tight and in bad shape and that rest, water, ice and stretching was the best bet.  Good I thought, hopefully this will sort it and I can get back to it soon.

I decide to make use of my work health plan (£150 worth of treatments per year) too and had a painful chiropractor appointment.  There I was told once again that my back was a bit of a mess and my right leg shorter than the left so needed some treatment to get me back to normal.  Golf ball under your arches, dynamic calf stretches, sit up straight at your desk etc. Good, now we're getting somewhere.

After 6 days of no running and intense round the clock icing, stretching, bus to work not walking I feel good to run and get round 5 miles with no problems.  Feel elated with that, it's back on.  3 days later I attempt a slow 6 miles home from work and get to 5 miles before breaking down, here we go again.

The intense pain from the calves has gone, which is great but now I've had what I believe to be a pretty painful grade 1 tear in the back of my (so-called) stronger leg.  This I've had before.  It's re-reassuringly annoying but not long term.  It hurts to walk on and I'm limping about.  Just somewhere else on the leg to ice and stretch now and I'm getting through 4 ice packs on it per day for 30 mins plus per time.


Feet up by the roaring (fake) fire

See a doctor

Perhaps but here are my reservations on that...

  1. Difficult around here to get an appointment, time off work for me that I can't afford to spare.
  2. They'll just stick it into google and tell me what I already know.
  3. If they refer me to physio/specialist it'll take months to be seen and I'll probably be better by then.
  4. I don't want to take up the time of NHS doctors given the pressures on the system, it's not life threatening or a big deal.

Don't run

Yep, that's the course of action.  It's agony not to run when I know what lies ahead.  I'm now faced with the prospect (if fit for next weekend) of a 4 week marathon training plan.  Not ideal, certainly any thoughts of running for a certain time are fading fast.  You can tell me a million times that time isn't important, I won't fully accept it. It's important for me to feel that I'm progressing with my running, completing the race isn't enough for me unfortunately.  Maybe my outlook on this will change after this though, who knows.


Remember this guy?

Rational and irrational thoughts when injured

  • I don't want to hear about running - I'm not active on twitter with the running community much, I don't want to hear from friends and their runs, I don't want to see a runner on the street or even talk about running.  
  • Losing faith in the challenge - can it be done still? Cancelling a race will cost me hundreds and will drag the challenge into yet another year.
  • I'm looking at photos of races I've done and trying to stay positive.  You do start to wonder if you'll ever run without pain again or finish another race. Perhaps this is the beginning of the end, maybe I'll look back on this period as the only real problem I had or the start of which things went horribly wrong.  
  • I'm meat and alcohol free so far in 2018.  If I can't run much ahead of the race, I'm at least going to drop weight and look like a runner on the start line. I've dropped 4 pounds in 2.5 weeks so heading in the right direction.  
  • I know I'm likely to be well short on cardio fitness/lung capacity.  Hopefully not if I can get back to the long runs soon but as I'm crap at cycling (and hate it) and not great at swimming (and hate it), this could be a problem come race day.
  • In an infinitely more trivial way, I feel greater than ever empathy for people with ME.  At least I know how to treat my injury (hopefully) and that it's likely I'll recover, however long it might take.  I can get medical advice, even if I don't want it, someone out there will know what they're talking about.


Plenty more to collect

I'm targeting the latest comeback to be next Saturday (20th Jan) for a slow long run.  I need to learn how to run slow, I only have one gear still.  It's not that I'm fast at all but I probably need to run 9-9.30 min miles when my body/brain can't help but try for 8-8.30 min miles.

It doesn't feel like I'm training for a marathon at all, it feels very fraudulent.  I'll be there though on race day trying, I'm too stubborn not to and it means more to me than anything at the moment.


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