.....follows 16. VMA 3,000, 10,000 metre events & Puffing Billy
Achilles injury
Eight days ago I felt a small pull in the back of my ankle when running the parkrun course on ANZAC Day. It stiffened up that afternoon. The timing was terrible with a couple of events booked for the next week so I tried to rehab it while still running.
I didn't make the 10,000 metre run and was in a lot of pain on the way home as it cooled down. I was limping the next day. I treated the swelling with ice and, after it had settled, used ice and heat treatments to try and fast track the healing.
I ran slowly after a 2 day break and, in the lead up to the Great Train Race ran consecutive 9 km runs. I ran the race at 4:32 pace and pulled up sore - but not as sore as after the 10,000m. I walked in the ocean after the race and used a compression bandage and elevation for recovery.
I will have another 2 day break and then evaluate things from there. If possible I may try and cycle on Monday and Tuesday.
I was limping heavily all day Monday, with a lot of pain. I got in a 26 km cycle on Monday after work, getting in after dark. Interestingly I felt some soreness in the quads after that ride - I haven't cycled much lately.
There was no way I could have run on Monday. I used a lot of ice on Monday night to get down the swelling. It felt significantly better on Tuesday morning. No limp on Tuesday but I still had some pain while walking. On Tuesday night I started the heat treatment, alternating between ice and heat.
I had half considered a Wednesday run but the weather was terrible and I decided to give it another days rest. It was much better walking on it during the day. I could feel it stretching but not real pain. I continued with the alternating heat and ice on Wednesday night.
Thursday May 7th to Sunday May 10thThe plan was always to have a jog and stretch the ankle out on Thursday morning. I was up at 6am and, as I got up, a band of rain came across. I rugged up with a t-shirt and footy jumper over the top. The rain passed as I applied heat to the ankle before stretching. I set out slowly and felt like I was running at about 6 minute pace. I actually ran the first kilometre in 5:35. As I warmed up my pace dropped below 5:30, but not by much. I did hold back, determined not to do further damage. I could feel the ankle stretching but I was not in any great pain. I jogged 7.3 km in 40 minutes, averaging 5:27 pace. The ankle was pain free when I stopped running. I stretched down and then iced the ankle before my shower. It stiffened a little on icing. Before heading off to work I applied heat briefly. It felt pretty good walking around at work. The ice and heat treatment will continue tonight.
I was out again bright and early on Friday morning, determined to run a bit further. I stretched my leg, used a heat bag and even the roller before setting out. I started out slowly at 5:30 plus pace with a limp in my run early, then I settled into a more fluent, easy style. My pace quickened throughout the run. I ran out into the wind but slowed down when I turned back. In the second half of the run my pace got into the low 5s. Towards the end I felt the ache moving more into the calf area. I finished the run, iced my leg, then showered and applied the heat bag before going to work.
On Saturday morning I got out to parkrun early and ran 6 km before parkrun started. I was running more quickly, starting with sub 5:20 pace and getting just below 5s in the third and fourth kilometres. I ran down some steps and ran for some on the beach. Again my leg was sore but not too restrictive. Once parkrun started I settled into a 4:45 pace. I was a little quicker in the middle of the parkrun but dropped back to finish around that speed. I ran the parkrun in about 23:40 and, in all, ran 11 km in 55 minutes. At the end I walked down to the beach and stood in the inlet for a little while. Generally I pulled up quite well.
I made the decision not to run on Sunday. It wasn't too hard with the weather. Heather ran in the local Mothers Day run and I had planned to do that in the middle of a 15 km run. My ankle / calf was still tender when walking so I've decided to give it a decent rest. It was far too windy for a cycle so I went on the exercise bike for 45 minutes this afternoon and worked up a decent sweat.
Monday May 11th to Saturday May 16th
I didn't run on Monday but, after tea, I rode the exercise bike for another 25 minutes with some periodic efforts. I continued to ice and heat my ankle, concentrating more on the ice treatment. My ankle felt pretty good during the day but it is still sore when I give it a long stretch. I have been holding a stretch for between 10 and 20 seconds and doing several repetitions.
My plan was to run on Tuesday after work but the weather forecast suggested that the weather would be terrible in the afternoon so I decided to run in the morning. I applied a heat bag and stretched before heading off at a slow pace. While I could feel a tightness in my ankle it did feel pretty good. I ran the first kilometre in 5:23 and quickened from there. My third kilometre was 5 minutes flat and then I slowed a little for the next one. My 5th, 7th and 8th kilometres were all in the high 4:40s and I was running quite comfortably. I ended up pushing the run out to 8.1 km, running it in just over 41 minutes. I recovered from the run well with no ankle soreness at all during the day.
Wednesday was my last day off before I start to get back into running in a big way again. While I was averaging over 90 km per week (4 week average) a month ago my weekly average has now dropped to just over 50 km. The break will probably be a benefit in the long run if I can up the workload again without getting any new injuries as I do it. My body is feeling very fresh again. It will be interesting to see what I can do in the VMA XCR on Sunday.
I had to be at work early on Thursday so I was up at 5:40 to fit in a good 10km run. I applied the heat bag before stretching and set off. My leg felt good as it warmed up. I could feel a stiffness but not real pain. I started at around 5:20 pace and settled on low 5 minute pace as I warmed into the run. I feel like I have lost just a bit of fitness and have certainly lost some speed, as well as the confidence to run hard. I broke into sub 5 minute pace in the 8th kilometre and then dipped below 4:50 for the rest of the run. I finished running the 10 km in just over 50 minutes, averaging 5:04 pace. Towards the end of the run there was a very slight tightness in my right calf and no achilles soreness at all. Upon finishing all felt very good. After breakfast and my shower I iced it up and it all tightened up again. My achilles was a little tight all day, loosening up late in the day. It was back to the ice and heat treatment tonight.
It was another early start on Friday as I was really keen to get in a bit of distance. I applied some deep heat and put my leg up on a heat bag before stretching. I could feel the tightness in the achilles and calf throughout the run but no serious pain. I started out at 5:30 pace and was down under 5:10 pace by the third kilometre. I was running quite well and feeling comfortable. I felt that I could have put the foot down but was reluctant - the constant soreness a reminder not to go too hard. It took me 51:41 to run 10 km and after getting that far I dropped under 5 minute pace for the final four kilometres. In all I ran 14.4 km in 73 and a half minutes (5:06 pace on average). My ankle felt good - walking with no pain - immediately after the run. I massaged the area while in the shower and there was a sore spot at the top of the achilles. I decided not to ice immediately after the run but after the shower it started to cool down quickly and stiffen up. If was sore to walk on, stretching from being cool. Each time I got up to walk during the day the initial steps were quite painful and there was a limp. As I continued walking I was able to walk normally but it didn't really settle down all day. I iced it after getting home and continued with heat and ice treatment during the evening.
So the answer is that I could run in the 8 km VMA cross country run but I have decided not to. The idea of running on grass and trying to do it quickly would not be a smart one. I'm hopeful that it will settle down tomorrow and that I can get in a longer run on Sunday.
Sunday May 17th
Today I was meant to be running in the VMA 8km Cross Country Run. I woke up this morning and the ankle felt great. I probably could have run but it would have been risky on grass.
I decided to get a long run in. I haven't had many lately so I worked out a course with 6 to 7 km loops all returning to the Guide Park. I warmed the leg while having breakfast and stretched when I got to the Guide Park. As I started running I could feel a tightness in the ankle but it felt much better than other recent runs. I was concentrating on running comfortably and was surprised to see that I was under 5 minutes after the first kilometre. I settled into a constant pace around the 4:50 mark, running quite comfortably. At the end of the second loop I ran the 13th kilometre in 4:39. My ankle was starting to hurt a bit more then but I pulled it back and the ankle settled too. The final loop climbed the Cameron Street hill. I was running well in the 17th and 18th kilometres and got back to the Guide Park just shy of 19 km. I ran a little loop to get in the full 19 km, running it in 1:32:13. My average pace was 4:51 per kilometre.
My recovery consisted of a very short bike ride - my tyre blew out 4.5 km in. I went out to Shack Bay and walked in the ocean cooling the ankle down. The achilles has stiffened up a bit tonight but nowhere near as much as it has in the past. I'm hopeful of a run in the morning.
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