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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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August 2023
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