Rest When Injured
So how did I get to start off this blog injured ? Well actually it was bad luck and not over training although I was training very hard at the time. I went to Lanzarote with my family and work college Mike Martin. Mike and I intended to do some serious running in between entertaining the kids.
The aim was to get in some distance running in my preparation for the London Marathon next April. After doing my strength and conditioning training from September to December, it was time to change the programme and do the distance phase of my training. I had planned 10 weeks of longer slower running at around 80 miles a week, with two weeks over the Xmas break at 100. Every third week would be only 50 miles so that I would have time to recover, and hopefully not get injured.
Training was going well, Mike and I were putting in 60 minutes to 90 minutes runs every morning and three times in the week, some faster running so that I did not lose all my speed.
I had one 3 hour run planned this was to be an “over time run”, running longer than my intended race time of 2 hours 30 at The London Marathon. We set off early when it was still dark so as to avoid the heat of the day, and after 60 minutes running round the Club La Santa track…in pitch black ( I listened to my mp3 to kill time) we headed off into the desert, over the rocky ground, which is the kind of terrain I love.
However my legs must still have been in shuffle mode from the track because I caught a bit of volcanic rock and went flying, landing with a thud and cutting my arm badly. The arm hurt so much that I didn’t notice I had also knocked my ankle and knee as well.
As all serious runners do, I ran back home washed the wound bandaged it up and tried to finish my 3 hour run. But pain got the better of me, as my wife Rieko battered some common sense into my brain. In times of trouble when I plan to do something stupid, She will always ask “what would you tell your athletes to do” the immediate and correct answer is of course “REST”
But as you know all runners think, MY body is different. It isn’t, but we all like to think that we are different and that the rules of common sense don’t apply to us.
I was however back running the next day and now 3 weeks later my arm has just about healed. At first I didn’t notice my swollen ankle, however by the end of the holiday it had started to ache and I realised it was becoming tender to touch. I must have hit it hard as I fell. In Lanzarote I had successfully completed 100 miles but at what cost to my preparation for The London Marathon.
Back in England I rested up and all seemed well. Over Xmas it was easy to find other things to do and when I started running after Xmas the pain had gone. I did some fast interval training in preparation for the Surrey X-C Championships on 3rd of January. I run for Belgrave Harriers and had a solid run, coming 15th. Just behind Will Cockerell our Captain in 14th. Phil Wicks won by a country mile and Belgrave took the team race. At my age I am still glad to be making up the team.
The start of January was cold the ground was frozen and rutted and unfortunately that cross country race was the last step I took. It is now 19th January and I am still not running. My ankle is still swollen and I have tendentious. I am getting treatment and it will recover, but through experience I know it is a slow process. So I have now adopted plan B to stay fit, which involves getting up early and going to my local gym Castle Royle before work each morning. For anyone who is injured and trying to stay fit, I shall outline some good sessions next time.