Dealing with injury/illness

Amz

I've been feeling a bit unlucky the last month or two with injury/illness.

Seem to have chronic issues with my Achilles tendons, and shin splints and also have a recurring ear infection, both have stopped me swimming and running. So that's two disciplines suffering.

I'm feeling pretty down about it and I've been completely demotivated, so not even getting out on the bike as much as I'd like, or know I should be.

How do you deal with injury?

Are there things I could do in the gym to help my run and swim when I get back to training fully. It's so frustrating.

Feel like this season is a complete write off already and it's only my first!

dx22

Its tough being injured but if you ride it out you can think of it as a learning experience. If you are chronically injured you must be doing something wrong? Now is the time to address the causes

I was out for nearly two years with patellar tendonitis and and every time i came back i would get a new injury like a calf strain or plantar fasciitis or something else i have had them all!

However, this year i have been doing 10hrs + a week with no injuries and i put this down to a combination of:

-Taking a break to let everything heal properly
-Then getting a proper running gait analysis and proper runners that fit ME
-making sure my bike fits and my cleats are positioned properly (has caused me previous calf/hamstring injuries)
-Sticking to the 10% rule and apply to both volume and intensity
-Functional strength training for the legs e.g. lots of squats, deadlifts, calf raises and hip strengthening exercises and do once a week (45 mins)
-A weekly yoga/flexibility routine (30 mins) including foam rolling
- A weekly core routine (30 mins)
-Wearing compression socks on long runs - they really help the calves
-Food supplements - multivitamins, glucoasamine, and fish oils

This is just my experience of what i have learned from my many injuries over the last 5 years. However, this year i feel great and hope to do an ironman and its looking like i will be!!
Hope this helps

hootini

dx22 wrote: »

Its tough being injured but if you ride it out you can think of it as a learning experience. If you are chronically injured you must be doing something wrong? Now is the time to address the causes

I was out for nearly two years with patellar tendonitis and and every time i came back i would get a new injury like a calf strain or plantar fasciitis or something else i have had them all!

However, this year i have been doing 10hrs + a week with no injuries and i put this down to a combination of:

-Taking a break to let everything heal properly
-Then getting a proper running gait analysis and proper runners that fit ME
-making sure my bike fits and my cleats are positioned properly (has caused me previous calf/hamstring injuries)
-Sticking to the 10% rule and apply to both volume and intensity
-Functional strength training for the legs e.g. lots of squats, deadlifts, calf raises and hip strengthening exercises and do once a week (45 mins)
-A weekly yoga/flexibility routine (30 mins) including foam rolling
- A weekly core routine (30 mins)
-Wearing compression socks on long runs - they really help the calves
-Food supplements - multivitamins, glucoasamine, and fish oils

This is just my experience of what i have learned from my many injuries over the last 5 years. However, this year i feel great and hope to do an ironman and its looking like i will be!!
Hope this helps

If only you had posted earlier this year , it would have saved me months of frustrating recurring injuries.

I'll be doing all of the above when I'm back training again!

Thanks for very sound advice.

airscotty

Keep the faith Amz. I was plagued with shin splints over the past few weeks but as dx22 pointed out sort out the root of the problem...correct runners (I went to AK), strength training, physio etc.

In the mean time you can do plenty in the gym to maintain your fitness. You can use the elliptical trainer or a swim belt in the pool to maintain run fitness, some gym stuff to build strength for your swimming and plenty of biking. The biking will transfer over to the running to a degree.


Keep training hard and if you’d usually to a run session just do an elliptical or pool running instead.

Amz

Thanks guys, finding it tough to stay positive to be honest.

I changed my runners at the start of the year after suffering from calf issues last year and really tight Achilles tendons (went to physio for a while), got orthotics too and I've been wearing them religously, which I had assumed would help. While the calf issues are somewhat better my Achilles have gotten worse.

I guess even the new runners aren't the right ones. Where do people recommend for gait analysis, I'm a bit dubious of trying some places, as I wonder about the expertise in some "high street" shops.

I do find the elyptical trainer gives me knee pain (I'm falling apart! ) am I doing something wrong?

I'm planning on doing some pilates classes and will try get a more structured gym routine going. Will look into the yoga too. Thanks for the advice!

dx22

Amz wrote: »

I guess even the new runners aren't the right ones. Where do people recommend for gait analysis, I'm a bit dubious of trying some places, as I wonder about the expertise in some "high street" shops.

I went to Amphibian King in Bray. You try on various shoes and you are filmed running down a short track. I got quite a shock when i saw my ankles collapsing inwards in slow motion in my old Asisics Culumus (even with orthotics) where it was stabilized in a pair Asiscs GT2150! I since moved on to Asiscs Gel Evolution and Brooks Beast and they go well with my 3/4 lenght orthotics (but not my full lenght orthotics - they cause blisters)

Amz

Cheers, will check Amphibian King out.

jimbo21

Its week 6 since i last ran i was getting PBs in most of my races untill my injurie went to my physio and it turned out to be my Hip and also my groin ,from running ballycotton under an hour i now cant run at all my hip may need to be cleaned out any one get this done

Amz

Hoping to get out for my first training run, since before Easter, this afternoon.

Not looking forward to it, but legs feel okay, and the longer I leave it the worse it will be.

Feeling completely demotivated.

Club have moved training cycles to the other side of Dublin too, so will have to do biking on my todd, which is a bit of a kicker, as the main reason I'd joined was the ease of access to training locations.

Is there any extra things I should be eating/drinking to deal with hotter weather? Obviously I'm trying to keep well hydrated, but should I be adding things to my diet or avoiding things more in the heat?

couerdelion

Amz wrote: »

Hoping to get out for my first training run, since before Easter, this afternoon.

Not looking forward to it, but legs feel okay, and the longer I leave it the worse it will be.

Feeling completely demotivated.

Club have moved training cycles to the other side of Dublin too, so will have to do biking on my todd, which is a bit of a kicker, as the main reason I'd joined was the ease of access to training locations.

Is there any extra things I should be eating/drinking to deal with hotter weather? Obviously I'm trying to keep well hydrated, but should I be adding things to my diet or avoiding things more in the heat?

We're usually out on a Sunday cycling if you want to join us for the club cycles? (not next week though as it's Athy weekend). Not sure if the NAC is more convenient or not but you're a TI member so covered insurance wise.

Amz

Cheers

Really appreciate it! Will times of spins be on the club Facebook page?

couerdelion

Amz wrote: »

Cheers

Really appreciate it! Will times of spins be on the club Facebook page?

Yep, I usually post up Wed/Thu the plan for the weekend.

BTH

Amz wrote: »

Cheers

Really appreciate it! Will times of spins be on the club Facebook page?

Not sure where you live, but if its near the NAC then there are always people travelling from that direction to the wednesday evening training. The bike coach himself lives out that direction, so you could travel with him if you wished.

If its the group spins on a weekend you are looking for, these are a little more ad hoc as numbers are down because of racing. There is usually someone going out though, and its usually up on the website.

Hope the running goes well this eve. I missed what was supposed to be my first ever tri because of injury, so I know how frustrating it can be.

Gringo78

Regarding Illness, I'll be getting the flu jab next winter. Missed 2 weeks due to a bad flu in Feb that would have been avoided with a simple jab in boots costing €20 (actually would have been free as my company pay for it as indeed do many as it saves sick days).