Friday 24 September 2010

Recurring injury

Top of my mind this morning is my recurring injury problem.
I finally made it to the gym last night for my first session this week (apart from a few mobilisation exercises and minimal core stuff late on Tuesday when I arrived back in the hotel). Nursing my torn calf, I went for a good warm-up on the bike, stayed on it for 25 mins with the music cranked up tempo and pushing it hard. Then I stretched and twisted, mobilised and loosened. Then I hit the treadmill to WALK, with incline for 10 mins. Then I hit the rower for 25 mins - stopped in the end as I was wearing the new VibramFF's, and discovered that my heels hurt quite badly strapped into the footrests of the rower in them. And since I hadn't done the 40 mins I was planning, I hit the treadmill again. Started walking, and then the most delicious but dangerous thought occurred. Maybe I could run just a little. One track. After all, my calf always seems to go when running outside, not on the treadmill. So I changed track tempo on the i-pod, cranked up the speed and down the incline, and started jogging slowly, so gently. The VFFs felt good, if slightly unusual. I concentrated on how I was stepping. I consciously tried to relax my lower legs and just run. One and a half full minutes in, I had to hit the speed button to slow down. My calf didn't exactly go ping but it went tight and hurts.
I have always been convinced that the biggest problem was not warming up properly, but I think after last night I have to kick that theory into touch. I thought it might have something to do with my broken toe...but the VFFs correct my toe position very effectively and yet I still did the calf again last night wearing them.
I am lost for ideas about what to do. My PT couldn't seem to help me much either. It's now getting worrying and extremely annoying. I have a small 3k run on Sunday with the Mooselets at their school and I am convinced I will be embarrassed at not being able to actually run it. I have another company event coming up in 6 weeks where I will have to run too.
What I need is a plan.
1. Run this weekend because I have to. Accept I will damage my calf again. Do everything I can to protect it (warm-up, neoprene calf guard, even walk if I have to).
2. Ice afterwards and saunas next week.
3. Complete rest from running for 2 weeks until Sunday 10th October.
4. Find a sports injury specialist doctor...and go and see him!
5. Mobilisations and stretching every day.
6. Lose some more weight (since I am conscious it can't be generally good for my feet, legs and knees having all this weight pounding on them all day every day...)

Weigh-in tomorrow. A mixed week food-wise that I am struggling to estimate how it will impact the scales. I'm getting more used to judging the feel of whether I've lost (2 weeks ago I knew I had...I felt it, and last week I knew I had gained again). This week I feel like I've lost a little. Not as much as I'd like, but a little. Just to reverse off last week's gain will be nice, any more a raging success!!

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