Return
Right, I'm building back into running. The blogging should also increase. So what's happened since my marathon in Traralgon fell apart?
I took 3 weeks away from running. For me that's is a ridiculously long time, and in the last 17 years, I've only ever gone that long without a run maybe twice at most. Why 3 weeks? It wasn't all injury related. A two week holiday in Malaysia with the family played a big role in the time frame. While there was some good running option where we stayed, I simply had no interest in exploring them. Sun, cocktails and pool were the clear winners. However, I did get into the weights a fair bit and focused on some important rehabilitation.
So what went wrong back in the marathon?
The short version is I did a hammy. The longer version is more complicated. Unlike a sprinter or football player, the injury wasn't from a one incident where I felt it go. Instead it has been building to be a significant problem over quite a period of time. Unfortunately it all came to a head during the marathon. Only with hindsight do I now realise there were a few warning symptoms.
The main damage is the muscle belly of the biceps femoris. This is the muscle that kept going into spasm during the race and after. It is also the exact same location I injured last year at the Marysville to Melbourne race. Since that time I've been getting some very mild aches at the same site and some obvious tightness after some of the harder or faster sessions. It was definitely a weak point. Though it is not the primary cause, just where it showed up the most.
As is the typical style for injuries that build up over time, it isn't just one issue that needs to be addressed. The collection of problems appears to be:
I took 3 weeks away from running. For me that's is a ridiculously long time, and in the last 17 years, I've only ever gone that long without a run maybe twice at most. Why 3 weeks? It wasn't all injury related. A two week holiday in Malaysia with the family played a big role in the time frame. While there was some good running option where we stayed, I simply had no interest in exploring them. Sun, cocktails and pool were the clear winners. However, I did get into the weights a fair bit and focused on some important rehabilitation.
So what went wrong back in the marathon?
The short version is I did a hammy. The longer version is more complicated. Unlike a sprinter or football player, the injury wasn't from a one incident where I felt it go. Instead it has been building to be a significant problem over quite a period of time. Unfortunately it all came to a head during the marathon. Only with hindsight do I now realise there were a few warning symptoms.
The main damage is the muscle belly of the biceps femoris. This is the muscle that kept going into spasm during the race and after. It is also the exact same location I injured last year at the Marysville to Melbourne race. Since that time I've been getting some very mild aches at the same site and some obvious tightness after some of the harder or faster sessions. It was definitely a weak point. Though it is not the primary cause, just where it showed up the most.
As is the typical style for injuries that build up over time, it isn't just one issue that needs to be addressed. The collection of problems appears to be:
- proximal tendinopathy in the hamstrings in both legs
- sciatic nerve inflammation in the left leg with possible piriformis syndrome
- weakness/inhibition of gluteus medius
- exacerbation of old left lower lumbar problems
It is all inter-related and takes a bit to fix and a lot to prevent returning. As a result these first two weeks of a return to training has been purely focused on easing back into some running and focusing on the rehabilitation. There's no real point in going into the details as the work is very light on in running, and the rest is a mixture of massage, stretching and strengthening. Hopefully by the middle of next week I can move into what I would consider proper training.
Its good to be back.
I saw your result at Traralgon Jason and wondered what had happened. Sorry to hear injury take it's toll on you. This has given me food for thought though, as recently I have had hammie 'pings' and slight soreness after my long (30+) runs. First reared it's head training for Melb. Marathon last year and has gone away, only to come back as I ramp up for MM again. Good luck with the recovery and return.
ReplyDeleteHi Les, I would say it would be worth getting those 'pings' looked into. That's essentially what I had over an extended period of time before it all came out at the marathon. Thanks.
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