Funny... when I googled 'warning sign', this was one of the signs that came up. It wasn't exactly what I was thinking of, but thought it too perfect not to post.Ultra runners sometimes have a very difficult time recognizing warning signs, knowing when to push, when to cut back and when rest a little more. I am certainly no exception.
This was was what got me into trouble last October with my knee injury. Two weeks after Haliburton I felt great and decided that I was going to race another 100miler in November. My first 4hr run back landed me at home with a tender knee. Instead of listening to my body, I continued training hard the remainder of that week and really screwed myself up. The injury was enough that it was February before I felt like I was able to run normally and really start training again. Lesson learned.
I've progressed well since then and had a great month of training in March, really much better than I ever thought I'd have only a few short months ago. However, I had a funny twinge in my knee on Sunday morning which was non-running related. I took an awkward step to the side and knew that something felt different. I didn't really think that much more of it and headed out for my long run. My plan was to go at least 4 - 4.5 hrs at Frontenac Park. My knee didn't really loosen up at all during the run though, so I decided to pack it in at just over 2.5 hours. The thought of late last fall and early winter was still fresh in my mind and I really didn't want to go there again. I proceeded to get right on top of my bag of rehab tricks and cut back a bit for a few days.
This time I listened to the warning sign and I already feel like things are much better than a few days ago. Maybe it was nothing on Sunday, but the twinge was right where I had injured my knee before so I was a little paranoid. Anyhow, all is well again in my world and I'll be looking to slowly increase again for the rest of this week with hopes of a great long run on the weekend.
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Total # of hours last week – 14:18
Total # of hours this year – 123:58
Streak – 7,405 days of running in a row
Training Log Details
Really great advice Derrick. I've cut back my training for France at the moment taking time to focus on my hamstring/piriformis issues so that come May 13th I'll be able to run a good race. There comes a point where less is actually more.
ReplyDeleteHey Sue,
ReplyDeleteStay on top of that hamstring/piriformis issue. You want to be ready to fly for World 24hrs next month!
In addition to your stretching, accupuncture, ART and other rehab, you may want to back off on the treadmill a little if you haven't already. I'd be a little concerned that the breaking action of the treadmill might aggrevate things for you. Also, focusing on a shorter stride with a slightly faster turnover might be helpful too. Good luck! Look forward to following you in France.
Couldn't agree more - I've had so many nagging little injuries in the past 10 years that I'm pretty much paranoid about every little twinge I feel! That said, once I do feel a 'potential' issue starting to flair, I immediately switch over to biking (road and/or mtn), and get my massage/ART/physio crew to tag team the injury - before you know it, you're back in business!
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