Injury Comeback (again...)
In mid\late- Sept I managed to damage my posterior tibial tendon in my right ankle - a combination of overuse and too strenuous an early morning run. I then promptly did a very silly thing and tried to manage it keep running, which worked up to VT3 in Odense in Nov where more serious damage was suffered. The injury is a slow healing one and one that leads to ever increasing pain with mileage. This has especially been so in the v. cold Scandinavian winter (I guess this is down to reduced blood flow...) which has led to a near total reduction in training and killed off any plans for a spring marathon.
Over the winter I've been limited to 10-15k of running per week and lots of cycling (fortunately it's a tendon not much used for flat pedaling), plus a few easy 5ks at 1900's Nytårscup and the DuPont Cup in Aarhus, just to try and retain some fitness. Unfortunately, I found swimming did use that tendon, ruling out that!
Since the end of Feb I've been trying to gradually build up to train again. This has mainly consisted of shorter 3-5mile runs morning&afternoon, in order to minimise ankle pain, at low intensity (4.30-5.00min\k). I've followed this with 15-20min standard core training exercises, stretches and ankle-specific exercises to focus on the injured area - I've found balancing on one foot for 10x1min and 3-5x30 ankle raises with stretches inbetween to be the best. In this way I've built up (5-10% per week average) weekly distance to around 50-60k over a period of 2-3 weeks, with rest days taken whenever pain could be felt.
Over the previous two weeks of March, the ankle has been good enough to build in longer runs - up to 8-10k in distance - at a slightly higher intensity (4-4.30\km). I've done these about twice a week, usually one on the weekend (usually two laps of Brabrand parkrun) and one on a weeknight (usually on the Hardebergaspåret in Lund or at Skrylle). I've also started some interval training on Tues at Skrylle, usually consisting of 1-5min intervals, and trying to get as close to 17min 5k as poss at Hasle Bakker on sat mornings. At present, I'm trying to keep the same weekly dist. - 60-75k per week - but now including these higher intensity runs.
I've now reached the point where I'm confident to try racing over 10k again, something which would've been impossible a couple of months ago. My first such race since last year was the DuPont Cup round at Brabrandhallen on 17\3 in horrible conditions of biting cold, wind and snow&ice on the ground - all the worst possible for the ankle (and non-functioning toilets...not pleasant!). My plan was to try and run the best pace I could (starting @ 3.20\km) for as long as possible and ease back if any pain. First 5k was completed in 17.10 and I stayed around this pace until about 7.5k where I started to feel the ankle a bit; I backed off the pace over the last 2k to finish in around 34.50 - not the greatest time ever but a good place start. Managed a 4k warmdown run and some exercises afterwards, and some dull pain from the ankle the morning after.
On 27\3 I shall try the DM 10k, with the same sort of aim. Should be an easier course, but also easier to get sucked into starting too fast...
(Billeder: Simon Mikkelsen, stiften.dk)
In mid\late- Sept I managed to damage my posterior tibial tendon in my right ankle - a combination of overuse and too strenuous an early morning run. I then promptly did a very silly thing and tried to manage it keep running, which worked up to VT3 in Odense in Nov where more serious damage was suffered. The injury is a slow healing one and one that leads to ever increasing pain with mileage. This has especially been so in the v. cold Scandinavian winter (I guess this is down to reduced blood flow...) which has led to a near total reduction in training and killed off any plans for a spring marathon.
Over the winter I've been limited to 10-15k of running per week and lots of cycling (fortunately it's a tendon not much used for flat pedaling), plus a few easy 5ks at 1900's Nytårscup and the DuPont Cup in Aarhus, just to try and retain some fitness. Unfortunately, I found swimming did use that tendon, ruling out that!
Since the end of Feb I've been trying to gradually build up to train again. This has mainly consisted of shorter 3-5mile runs morning&afternoon, in order to minimise ankle pain, at low intensity (4.30-5.00min\k). I've followed this with 15-20min standard core training exercises, stretches and ankle-specific exercises to focus on the injured area - I've found balancing on one foot for 10x1min and 3-5x30 ankle raises with stretches inbetween to be the best. In this way I've built up (5-10% per week average) weekly distance to around 50-60k over a period of 2-3 weeks, with rest days taken whenever pain could be felt.
Over the previous two weeks of March, the ankle has been good enough to build in longer runs - up to 8-10k in distance - at a slightly higher intensity (4-4.30\km). I've done these about twice a week, usually one on the weekend (usually two laps of Brabrand parkrun) and one on a weeknight (usually on the Hardebergaspåret in Lund or at Skrylle). I've also started some interval training on Tues at Skrylle, usually consisting of 1-5min intervals, and trying to get as close to 17min 5k as poss at Hasle Bakker on sat mornings. At present, I'm trying to keep the same weekly dist. - 60-75k per week - but now including these higher intensity runs.
I've now reached the point where I'm confident to try racing over 10k again, something which would've been impossible a couple of months ago. My first such race since last year was the DuPont Cup round at Brabrandhallen on 17\3 in horrible conditions of biting cold, wind and snow&ice on the ground - all the worst possible for the ankle (and non-functioning toilets...not pleasant!). My plan was to try and run the best pace I could (starting @ 3.20\km) for as long as possible and ease back if any pain. First 5k was completed in 17.10 and I stayed around this pace until about 7.5k where I started to feel the ankle a bit; I backed off the pace over the last 2k to finish in around 34.50 - not the greatest time ever but a good place start. Managed a 4k warmdown run and some exercises afterwards, and some dull pain from the ankle the morning after.
On 27\3 I shall try the DM 10k, with the same sort of aim. Should be an easier course, but also easier to get sucked into starting too fast...
(Billeder: Simon Mikkelsen, stiften.dk)
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