Thread Rating:
  • 3 Vote(s) - 5 Average
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
February 2005 - Week 2
15-02-2005, 11:52 AM,
#17
February 2005 - Week 2
It's a funny feeling, your first trip to a proper physio.
My reaction was that of a nervous teenager (been a while since I felt like that I can tell you!). Tarting about in the bathroom for ages until finally Mrs Sweder threatened to beat down the door. Running history carefully prepared, running shoes (all of 'em) packed into a holdall, T-shirt carefully selected (Silverstone Half 2003, one of my favorites) . . .

I lucked out. Nicola, my new physio (I have to keep saying it - makes me feel like an athlete, or as Nigel would tell you, El Atleta - he has the badge to prove it) is a runner. And not just a weekend plodder like me; she's got 6 marathons and a number of ultra-marathons (50K!) under her belt. This news set me at ease right away and we got down to business.

Right off the bat she spotted some fundamental factors that contribute to my lack of running aptitude.
'Oh my, what flat feet!' she giggled. And they are, flat that is. We are talking Pancake City.
'Do they give you much trouble?'
'Nope', sheepish grin. 'I've never had so much as a blister'.
We reviewed my footwear.
'Ah, good shoes' she announced. I told her about my devotion to the Jog Shop.
'That's where I go' she affirmed. 'Best place around here.'
I like this lady, funny feet giggling notwithstanding.

We moved onto my glorious running history. 30 seconds later I recounted the tale of the injury and it was 'kit off, get on the bed'. Some exploratory stretching revealed what I already knew.
'Hmm, you are pretty tight'. My left leg is thrust upwards. It feels like it's behind my ear, but sadly it is barely vertical. Same with the right. No reaction in the danger zone, so we continue. 'On your front then'.
Hmm, nice bit of leg massage and bloody hell! There's a red hot poker prodding my hamstring!. The physio's thumb was embeded somewhere deep in my right leg, wiggling around seeking the offending muscle.

It turns out I have a class one (mild) strain of the bicep muscle. This was probably caused by 'breaking' on the downward section of my run, exascerbated by the lack of flex in my calves putting additional strain on the hamstring. All very interesting - what's the score now then?

Basically, no running the rest of this week. A week out will not affect my training unduly (whereas further damage will). I can run the Brighton Half on Sunday provided that
a) I treat it as a training run and do not seek a PB and
b) I am prepared to stop at the first sign of trouble
Brighton is a relatively flat course (apart from the last 6 miles, and even then it's not exactly SAS training) which will help. It would certainly be less harmful than my usual 2 1/2 hours over the downs.

I'm scheduled for another physio session on Thursday. Meanwhile, I have been given a series of torture acts to perform in an effort to bring some flexibility back to my legs. The one I particularly favour involves laying in an open doorway flat on my back, stretching my leg up the door frame twisting the leg first inwards then outwards under maximum tension. This works the separate muscle groups that makes up the hamstring, and hurts like a sonofabitch.

We talked about the perceived wisdom of pre-run stretches, a hot topic in the wider running community and the subject of earlier threads on this forum. The popular view now is pre-run stretches (on cold muscles) are a waste and can even be harmful. It is generally believed that a post-run warm-down followed by a disciplined series of stretches is best practice.

My problem with this is the last thing I feel like after a run is . . . another run, warm down or no. But seeing as I'm the guy on the treatment table, perhaps it's time to start.

More news on Thursday.
Will I run Brighton? Oooh, that's a tough one. I'll defer 'till Thursday night and consult again with the Physio. It boils down to 'can I control myself' in race conditions. OK, I pulled out of Sunday's run, and that was no small thing for me to do. But in the heat of the moment, with over two thousand people giving it the gun, can I really trust myself to bail at the first sign of trouble?

The harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph

Reply


Messages In This Thread
February 2005 - Week 2 - by Sweder - 07-02-2005, 09:25 PM
February 2005 - Week 2 - by Sweder - 07-02-2005, 09:36 PM
February 2005 - Week 2 - by Sweder - 08-02-2005, 11:12 PM
February 2005 - Week 2 - by Sweder - 10-02-2005, 09:52 AM
February 2005 - Week 2 - by Antonio247 - 10-02-2005, 02:59 PM
February 2005 - Week 2 - by Sweder - 10-02-2005, 03:11 PM
February 2005 - Week 2 - by Sweder - 11-02-2005, 07:10 PM
February 2005 - Week 2 - by Sweder - 12-02-2005, 02:42 PM
February 2005 - Week 2 - by El Gordo - 12-02-2005, 09:23 PM
February 2005 - Week 2 - by Sweder - 13-02-2005, 08:08 AM
February 2005 - Week 2 - by El Gordo - 13-02-2005, 08:44 AM
February 2005 - Week 2 - by Sweder - 13-02-2005, 12:32 PM
February 2005 - Week 2 - by Bierzo Baggie - 14-02-2005, 08:07 AM
February 2005 - Week 2 - by Sweder - 14-02-2005, 12:59 PM
February 2005 - Week 2 - by Seafront Plodder - 15-02-2005, 10:10 AM
February 2005 - Week 2 - by Sweder - 15-02-2005, 11:52 AM
February 2005 - Week 2 - by Seafront Plodder - 15-02-2005, 12:40 PM
February 2005 - Week 2 - by Seafront Plodder - 15-02-2005, 01:08 PM
February 2005 - Week 2 - by El Gordo - 15-02-2005, 01:23 PM
February 2005 - Week 2 - by Sweder - 15-02-2005, 03:12 PM
February 2005 - Week 2 - by Sweder - 15-02-2005, 10:35 PM

Possibly Related Threads…
Thread Author Replies Views Last Post
  February 2017 Sweder 28 19,085 26-02-2017, 01:29 PM
Last Post: Mid Life Crisis Marathon Man
  February 2016 Sweder 22 13,848 29-02-2016, 09:02 AM
Last Post: Sweder
  February 2014 Sweder 5 3,951 26-02-2014, 08:38 PM
Last Post: OutAlongTheRiver
  February 2013 Sweder 29 19,522 25-02-2013, 11:16 PM
Last Post: marathondan
  February 2011 Sweder 28 24,199 05-03-2011, 07:46 PM
Last Post: Mid Life Crisis Marathon Man
  February 2010 Sweder 27 25,962 01-03-2010, 01:03 PM
Last Post: Sweder
  February 2009 Sweder 44 39,077 04-03-2009, 10:28 AM
Last Post: Sweder
  February 2008 Sweder 26 19,019 27-02-2008, 01:19 PM
Last Post: Sweder
  February Sweder 54 42,408 04-03-2007, 03:08 PM
Last Post: El Gordo
  ConocoPhillips 10K - February 2006 Sweder 10 5,581 03-03-2006, 02:09 PM
Last Post: Nigel



Users browsing this thread: 10 Guest(s)