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I have learnt quite a lot about training and rehab during this injury. The first few weeks of injury were not as bad because I was certain that I would be recovered for the last XC races but I didn’t realise how bad shin splints (as I have been told that is what it is) can be. After being off running for over a month now I am beginning to get very frustrated as all I want to do is run XC. I know my injury is not as bad a others who have been off running for months on end (Ellen, @teenrunnerblog) but any injury is a pain. The physio is impressed with the improvement of my shin since my first appointment when he said I was very close to a stress fracture. The pain has moved from the whole of my shin to the lower part near my ankle which he said is positive but my over-pronation is not helping.
1. Reduce longer runs/replace with interval training The physio said that most of the pro athletes that he has worked with focus on speed sessions and interval training once they know they can run the longer distances. This means that they can focus on increasing speed and then apply it to their distances. As a long distance runner myself I think this is going to be very helpful. Currently I only do speed work at Chi Runners on Wednesday’s, occasionally on Monday’s at home too. 2. Cross training Pre-injury I swam twice a week and ran the other days. However when I am back running I think I am going to reduce it down to running 3-4 times a week, cycling and swimming, as well as more strength training at the gym. Emma (@fruitsandroutes) also suffers from bad shin splints and has written a long blog post on them (which was very helpful). https://fruitsandroutes.com/how-to-tackle-shin-splints/ We have both been told that it should be quality over quantity so reducing the number of runs a week will help prevent further damage. 3. Strength training I have quite an obvious muscular imbalance; an extremely weak core and glutes but strong quads and calfs. This means that when I run, instead of the impact being spread across my body and my glutes taking a lot of it, the impact is sent through my knees and shins which can be detrimental and cause injuries. The physio gave me glute exercises to do to prevent this being a recurring problem. I have been going to the gym regularly whilst not being able to run and have actually noticed a significant difference. I have gone from only being able to cope with 25kg on the adductor and abductor to 45kg, so I am hoping this will pay off when I can run again. I have also been working on my core and upper body to try and combat muscular imbalance to improve my performance in the future. Example of strength work:
4. Friendships So this is a bit of a random one but injury is always a hard experience for an athlete, especially in race seasons. Personally I have got quite upset at some times (including the National XC at Parliament Hill yesterday) and my friends and family have helped to keep me sane. I have also messaged them in panic and they have helped to calm me down and keep up the positive vibes because it really isn’t the end of the world. They improve my mood and tell me that I will be back at running and “smashing races in no time”, this actually makes a huge difference to me because it helps me maintain self-belief. Yesterday I watched Alice and Beth race the National XC. They both had such a strong run and I enjoyed cheering them on. 5. Stretching Shin splints are the inflammation of tissue surrounding the bones in the shin which is caused by tight muscles pulling at the fibres between the muscle and bone. At the beginning of January I felt my shin getting very tight; I tried to ‘foam roll it out’ but I really couldn’t shift it, I thought that it would go if I reduced my mileage but obviously it didn’t. Stretching is essential for runners because the repetitive movements cause muscles to tighten which can increase your risk of injury and/or reduce you performance. 6. Injury makes you appreciate your sport so much more Each time I get injured I become more aware of how to improve my training to be the best runner I can. I also realise how much running improves my mentality and acts as an outlet for stress at school. Quotes that help with being injured:
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As I have progressed with my running I have acknowledged the importance of cross training, especially since I injured my knee and shin.
Within the strengths of runners we all tend to have the same weaknesses if we don’t have other forms of exercise. Quads that overpower our hamstrings, neglected upper bodies, and poor flexibility, all of which could lead to problems. Today marks the 3rd week of cross training with my shin injury, I have definitely found some muscles I didn't know I had. I have not run since the Schools Inter-counties (which I shouldn't have raced at), I have also been to the physio who put my paranoid thoughts of a stress fracture at rest. 1. Swimming Swimming is my main form of cross training – I nearly enjoy it as much as running. Swimming is an active form of recovery, swim sessions increase endurance and oxygen capacity whilst giving your legs a break from ‘ pounding the pavements’ which can lead to knee injuries and shin splints. Swimming can also work other muscles that tend not to be used in running which can in turn improve your overall running performance. I usually swim once or twice a week for about an hour or so. I do front crawl, arm pulling and breaststroke (which I am awful at partially because I wasn’t allowed to do it when I hurt my knee). Aqua jogging is also a great workout in the water because it is such low impact. I have to say I haven’t properly ever done it because I don’t have the guts to do it in front of everyone in the pool. One day, one day… 2. Cycling I am currently saving up for a road bike so I can go on long bike rides once a week instead of running to mix up my training. We have a spinning machine at home so I sometimes use that to either cool down after a run or instead of a run. I have to say I don’t use as much as I could. 3. Gym I am currently going to the gym about 3 or 4 times a week with my shin injury. Previously I didn’t go that much as it is expensive but now I have a membership I use it more. It is a great way of incorporating strength training to improve performance. I never use the treadmill because I hate it, I sometimes use the rowing machine, spin bike and cross trainer but I tend to focus on the weighted machines and bodyweight exercises on the mats. 4. Paddleboarding I love paddle boarding in the summer. When we were in Canada I went out quite a lot and it was a serious balance/core workout. If you have access to a water sports centre or a paddle board I definitely recommend trying it. It is not too hard either, once you have got your balance, it is quite relaxing (apart from when your uncle comes out on his speed boat to create waves and try to knock you off.) 5. Cross Trainer As I said above, I often use the cross trainer at the gym instead of going for a run. The cross trainer mimics the movement of running but is much lower impact. The cross trainer/elliptical works most muscle groups; calves,quads,biceps,triceps, even your core. 6. Dance Dance/yoga is a great way of working other muscle groups that get neglected when running. It also helps stretch tight muscles from running. I have dance once a week for 2 hours. I will definitely not be a professional dancer but I enjoy it and I always feel better/less tight after dance. 7. Classes HIIT/RPM/Conditioning/Toning classes are a great form of cross training, you can strengthen your cardiovascular system as well as work different muscle groups and give your body a break from running. 8. Walking Living in the South Downs means I often go for walks with my family. Walking is something you can do on a rest day to keep moving but allow your body to recover and muscles repair. "Rest days are an essential in training. They may seem like you're slacking and make you worry that you won't build strength or increase speed, time off allows your body and mind to fully recover. Never taking a day off sets the body up for a breakdown. You become more susceptible to severe muscle soreness, a suppressed immune system, improper sleep, a decrease in strength and performance, and injury.” A week in training – being injured
Leading up to the southerns, my calf had been tight for a few weeks, I foam rolled and stretched but on the morning of the race, my shin was very sore. For the first time in forever I considered dropping out (I didn’t). After the race it was sore but not excruciatingly painful. Sunday = SLR but when I woke up my leg was killing me so I ditched the SLR and iced and rested (R.I.C.E) At this point I still didn’t know what was wrong, I thought it was most probably shin splints. I decided not to run this week to see how it was and to see whether I would be ok to race at the School Inter-counties. On Monday I began to get quite paranoid as I thought it might be a tibial stress fracture because it was so sore, even when I walked. I still don't know what it is but if it has not calmed down by next week I am going to go to the physio. Monday Swim 2.6km 40 lengths front crawl relatively fast 10 lengths arm pulling 20 lengths of alternate arm pull and front crawl 2 lengths cool down breaststroke Core work: (20 leg lifts, 50 crunches, 50 russian twists, 1:00 plank) x2 Tuesday Gym – am 20 minutes cross trainer (resitance 14) (20 lateral pull down) x3 Step machine – 10 minutes Rowing machine – 1500m Leg press x50 Swim – pm 2km swim 40 lengths front crawl 20 lengths arm pull Wednesday I was sad not to be able to go to training but it would have been a bad idea. Swim – am 2km 20 lengths front crawl 20 lengths alternate arm pull and front crawl 16 lengths arm pull 4 lengths breaststroke Gym- pm 20 minute cross trainer (resisatce 14) 150 reps adductor – 25kg 100 reps- 30kg Core work (1:00 plank, 50 weighted Russian twists, 50 crunches, 25 leg lifts, 1:00 plank with foam roller) 10 minute row Step machine Stretch Thursday Trial run day for Saturday 5 miles at an easy pace I planned to go on a short, easy run in one of my free periods. It turned out to be the complete opposite as you may have seen on my instgram. Beth,Alice and I went together and lets just say it was a run full of mnay laughs – aimed at me mostly. I slipped when trying to jump across a bog and fell straight in, I wqas coated in stinky mud; it was disgusting. My shin held up ok, it was quite sore towards the end of the run but I chose to run on satursday (in hindsight I would’ve chosen not to) Pm- Dance Friday Swim – am 2.6km 30 lengths front crawl 10 lengths alternate arm pull and front crawl 30 lengths arm pull 10 lengths breaststroke Saturday Race day – South East Inter-county Schools XC I really shouldn’t have raced, I should’ve listened to others, but I wanted to try and I also wanted to support Beth and Alice (+my mum was taking) The race went quite well, I placed 15th out of 74. I know that if I were in top form I could've placed in the top 10 or at least top 12. My shin and knee didn’t bother me too much when racing but after it was sore, no where near as bad as I thought it would be. I took ice packs with me so on the journey home I iced my shin to reduce inflammation. Sunday 2 mile recovery run- am I took it very slow. I have to say I didn’t enjoy it than much; slow, short runs are not my thing. Dance show – the rest of the day It was good fun, after months of working on our dances, we finally performed them. I was completely exhausted at the end of the day, hence the lack of blog post last night. I pretty much went to bed straight away after dinner. This week I am not going to run either (i hate injuries) I hope everyone had a good week! Imogen xx |
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August 2023
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