Oh look! An Achilles or calf injury!

Which is why I wrote this running injury protocol post.

What injury?

Left Achilles, but fairly high up, so it might be a muscle.

There is a painful-to-touch lump on the side of my Achilles, though. Not sure if it has been there since I did the injury on Thursday or if it's from today's hike.

What now? Throw the kitchen sink at it:

• See if I can run on the flat (tomorrow or Tuesday)
• Rehab exercises from today (calf raise holds to start with)
• Lots of leg and other strength training now that I'll be running less if it all
  
• Cross-training (swim, hike, bike and kettlebells)
• Physio if I can get an appointment soon
• Patience. At least I get to start again!
  

Running injury recovery protocol

For everything from:

• niggles you get over in a week to serious injuries that drag on for months
• relapse injuries to unfamiliar pain

Not for things you know are nothing.

Disclaimer: this advice is for me. It's based on my experience and what I've read, heard and seen. I'm not an expert of any kind.

1. Rest up front

• One to three days (straight after the injury)
  
• Light cross-training only, if anything. Resist the urge to jump into heavy cross-training. Let your body direct all its resource to healing. Also, cross-training may confuse pain messages
• Up or maintain usual protein intake
• Apply ice (even if just to reduce pain)
  
• Possibly tape (if it doesn't confuse the signal)
  

2. Find a starting point for activity

 Running or endurance cross-training

• Find a relatively pain free starting point for the most running-similar activity possible that you can do nearly every day (i.e. running, run/walk, hiking or walking; e.g. 20' running with breaks every 5', 60' hiking or 45' easy running on the flat)
  
• Two indicators for this point:
• Pain not worse or better at end of run
  
• Pain not worse or better 24 hours later
• Supplement the running or running-like activity with cross-training if necessary (i.e. you're doing hardly anything)
• If you can't do a running-like activity, cross train until you can
  
• If you can't cross train, rest until you can
• Tape as necessary
• Train consistently (every day if possible)
  
• Build up training to normal running

Lower-body strength training

• Find a starting point for general, running-specific and rehab strength training
• Rehab exercises probably won't be necessary for niggles
  
• Train consistently (every day for the rehab exercises)
  
• Build up to normal strength (for serious injuries or weaknesses you discover through niggles)
  

Other training

• Right from the start (in the first three days), turn up the volume on body weight and kettlebell training: pullups, dips, snatches, Turkish get-ups, swings, cleans and presses. This will give you another focus
  
• Strength training and exercise in general may trigger protein synthesis. So training another body part may help heal your leg or foot injury
  

Tendon versus muscle injuries

• Muscle injuries can cause more pain in the beginning but will heal quicker. So pain can be a good guide as to when to restart activity
• Tendon injuries may hurt less early on, but the pain can last longer and will often still be there when you can run again. So don't pay as much attention to pain with tendon injuries once you are training consistently and building up sensibly

Niggles and light injuries 

You may discover after a few days rest that you don't have anything serious. This should be the case most of the time if you take days off whenever new, sudden and unfamiliar pain occurs.

If you only have a niggle, still follow the above protocol. The manageable starting points will just be toned down or adapted versions of usual training until most signs of weakness have gone. This may only be one day.

The problem with recovery weeks

They're in just about every plan you find, and everyone says you should have them. But should we schedule recover weeks? Maybe it's better to let them happen by de facto when you have a niggle or some other commitment stops you from training as you normally would.

Last week I was feeling great. But it was a recovery week, so I held off from running on a couple of days and kept my long run short.

I had this feeling that I might be wasting an opportunity to get in a good week. Who knew what would happen next week?

Lo and behold, next week has come along, and I'm struggling to hold it together.

First, an adductor strain because I was too keen with my cross-training, and today a strain in my lower left calf that might mean taking a day or two off.

So maybe last week I should have done a normal long run and even hill sprints.

You never know what's coming!

I'm not sure what to do with this information. But I think it goes back to listening more to your body.

But then you can feel really good, do more, get injured, and then look at your over zealous ramp and see that as the problem.

But perhaps there's a way to both things.

Follow a plan loosely, make sure you don't make any big jumps, but always understand that even the next workout isn't guaranteed. You might have to cancel it because of a niggle.

And don't stop if you don't need to. Maybe just wait until you get a niggle to take a couple of days off.

Picking up niggles while cross training: Fail!

That'll learn me! Too much breaststroke on sore muscles = adductor niggle.

I was eager to train some more on Tuesday afternoon. I couldn't do my ME workout because my legs were still sore from a leg workout I did on Sunday (starting again, hence the sore muscles).

So I swam some laps.

I ended up doing lots of breaststroke, probably too much. I just wanted to stay in the pool longer! Later on I noticed a niggle in my always weaker or at least overstressed left adductor. Fail!

It was nothing serious and is now gone (on Thursday). But it did mean I couldn't do the ME workout I wanted to do yesterday.

Lesson: Take cross training easy when it's for recovery, especially on sore legs when doing a movement you don't usually do!

Relaxing legs and feet while in flight

Tip five in this post is to "Keep lower legs loose".

This was something I always wondered about. Should I relax my feet and ankles while they are in the air?

Apparently, yes. I should.

I should go even further and identify other body parts higher up in the chain that may be tensing to compensate.

I remember back to when I first started to become mindful of my body when running. I realised that my feet were tensed up like a fist and I was in fact nearly running on the side of my foot.

Although I've gotten a lot slower since those days of running tense and with pain a lot of the time, I've improved at least in this respect. Quite a lot, actually. 

My feet fall flat and are more or less relaxed. But I'm sure there are some areas of tension left to discover and release.

Are calf raises too specific?

And are they necessary? I mean as a strengthening exercise for running.

Having strong and healthy calves is a good and necessary thing for running.

But I feel calf raises may be too specific an exercise. I've tried doing them at different times but have always given them up as they cause twinges and tweaks other leg exercise never seem to.

Can you train your calves enough doing more functional strengthening exercises like squats, dead lifts, and step ups? And why do calf raises bother me?

Maybe I just haven't done enough of them.

The problem with Stryd (and perhaps running power in general)

Useless on trails and steep hills

The main problem I've found with the Stryd running power meter is that it's useless off road and on steep hills, where the reading Styrd gives is inconsistent with effort on the flat.

So it's useless for trail running.

Meh on the road

Styrd is consistent on the road and rolling hills, and I used it to train for a marathon, but it's no better than pace, for which it is just a proxy anyway.

It's not even as reliable as pace.

When I was training for that marathon, for some reason a few weeks before the race, my RE (running efficiency) improved out of sight. This changed my power numbers, and threw all my power thresholds out of whack.

I recalculated them, but I ended up using pace on the day.

But pace or time is probably always going to be the smartest metric to target on the road. Because, after all, pace or time is the real world thing you are measuring your performance with.

Why muddy the waters with a proxy?

So Styrd's useless for the trails and not any better than pace on the roads.

Why use Stryd then?

Wind, hills and distance

The new version takes wind into account, so this might be useful for adjusting effort in blustery conditions. Although I have no idea how accurate the wind factoring is.

Styrd says its pod is good for pacing on the hills. But again, pace should get you by in this case. And the pace reading on your watch doesn't lag as much as the power number does --- despite Styrd's insistence it's instantaneous.

Apparently Stryd is more accurate than GPS for measuring distance. I have no idea whether this is true. 

Regardless, one use case I've read about is using the pod with your watch in a GPS-battery-saving mode to make your watch last longer. The Stryd eventually dies, but you'll have more charge left in your watch than you otherwise would have.

Don't believe the hype!

Despite what Stryd say, running power meters (indirect proxy measures concocted by algorithms) are not just like power meters in cycling (direct measures).

Unless they can perfect the algorithms so running power meters are consistent on the trails, no revolution will happen.

Would I buy another one?

Probably not. It's too arbitrary and inconsistent over differing terrain.

Altra King MT 2.0: better in a way I thought wouldn't be possible!

 

Alta King MT 2.0s and the original version

The original Altra King MTs have long been a favourite of mine for everything on the trail: long and short, wet and dry. Even thought they are supposedly only for short, wet and muddy.

The Vibram sole give you a ground feel no other Altras I've tried does, except maybe the original Superiors.

But I love the update, even more than the originals. Although time will tell.

The 2.0s fix a problem I thought was inherent in having Vibram soles: they felt disconnected from the rest of the shoe and could leave your foot to move about a bit (even with a good fit).

But no. This problem is not a given because it's been solved in the 2.0s. The more sturdy upper holds your foot perfectly to the Vibram sole. So Altra's made a good shoe better.

The 2.0s are also a bit lighter than the originals (310g vs 330g in EU size 46).

What are the chances of my races being held this year?

I'm signed up for three races at the moment. What are the chances I'll get to do them?

Xtrail Alella (21km, 1050m+), 21 February

Don't like my chances. Already postponed once from April to November in 2020.

Ultra Montseny (76km, 4374m+), 10 April

You'd think pretty good, but you can never tell with the rona!

Ultra Pirineu (94km, 6200m+), 2 October

This one hasn't even been fully confirmed, but it's got to be the most likely of the three to happen.

If I don't get to any of them, I don't care. As long as I can train.

Yes, I am getting mountain stronger!

What I suspected in my last post has been confirmed this week.

I did my longest muscular endurance workout yesterday evening with and increase in weight, and I felt fine during it and even pretty fresh on my run this morning.

Niggles mean something! Who'd've thought?

I'm also seeing how wise it was to take days off here and there a few weeks ago when I was getting seemingly random niggles.

They were frustrating, but they certainly weren't random. It looks like my body was asking for a bit of rest so it could adapt to the new stimuli.

In hindsight, it's obvious. But at the time it wasn't because I didn't feel tired, fatigued or even sore. I just got tweaks and niggles out of the blue. (Of course it wasn't out of the blue because I was doing new things.)

Now I see that these niggles meant something. I was right to heed them. 

In my usual short-sighted way, I thought I'd never get through them at the time. I thought I'd have to scrap the training plan. But now I see how small a setback those niggles and few days off were.

Let's hope I can remember this for next time.

End of week 7 of Big Vert plan: getting on top of it

Just finished week 7 of the Big Vert plan. I finally seem to be getting on top of it.

Past the teething niggles?

I hope so. I think so.

I've had the gamut of lower-leg complaints: both calves, one foot, both heels and one knee. Probably from all the extra climbing. It feels easy --- not as hard as running on the flat --- but it's a new stimulus that has taken a toll.

But I think I'm on top of it now. And I've been pretty smart (for me!) about handling the niggles: days off here and there and adapting the plan but not paying too much attention to the niggles --- some pains need to be run out.

Learnt how to do the muscular endurance (ME) workouts

I was handling these OK but getting niggles.

But I've got the trick to them this week: don't push to hard. Don't do the exercises as explosively and as fast as you can, even though you can do them more explosively and faster because you're getting better at them.

Just get through them. Just get used to them.

I even managed to get through the ME session this week nursing a calf niggle that never became worse because (I think) I took it slow.

Nearing uncharted training waters

Certainly in terms of weekly average climbing but also total climbing in one run.

Last Saturday's long run was one of my biggest training runs ever in terms of elevation gain (1250m+ or so). When I get over 1400m+, that will be my record.

Week 8 is a recovery week. I'll follow it but perhaps add in hill sprints, which I haven't done for a while.

The main goal in running is to not get injured

That's it: don't get injured!

At now, for me, a 48 year old. But even before.

Perhaps not when I was running in high school, doing cross country and training for other sports. 

Perhaps not when I was in my twenties and running just to stay fit and get outside. Although I did have injuries and niggles even in then.

But in my late 20s and beyond, when I was trying to get better at running and doing races, the goal always should have been just to not get injured. Everything else would have taken care of itself.

I wasted many a year piling training on injuries and niggles until I buried all chance of making it to the start line.

Other sports aren't like this. Even the contact sports I've done. You can get injured. But serious injuries --- ones that stop you from training --- are near freak events. And most of the minor injuries can be trained around. You can still do your chosen sport.

But the threat of running injuries always looms. And the injuries normally stop you doing your sport.

Not even cycling's like this. You can overtrain. But it's difficult to get overuse injuries unless you've got serious imbalances. You can fall off your bike. But these are one-offs that are easier to take. Even if it means time away from training. It wasn't the action of cycling, per se, that caused the injury. So it doesn't seem as bad.

Despite this, when I'm healthy and running well, I don't think about avoiding injury. I can't imagine having an injury or niggle. Even though I've had hundreds from running. My mind is on upping my training as much as possible to do as well as I can in the next event I've signed up for.

Eventually something snaps, and I get a small injury. A niggle perhaps. But I don't treat it properly and end up see-sawing between resting and running. I get less fit and robust and even more vulnerable to injury. Other niggles emerge. From there it's a downhill spiral.

Not in recent years, I should say. I have had injuries and niggles, but I've mainly handled them well.

But I need to keep the goal in mind: First, don't get injured!

Shoes for lighter runners vs heavier runners?

Why do reviewers classify shoes like this? It doesn't make sense.

I come across this every time I look at the Altra shoes I like (Superior, King MT, Escalante, etc.). They just about always give this caveat for these models: for lighter runners and shorter distances.

That's simply not true. If you're used to this kind of shoe, it doesn't matter how much you weigh or how far you run. 

For instance, I'm so used to the models I like, I can't even wear Altra shoes with more cushioning.

They cause fasciitis plantar in one foot similar to if I wear shoes with big drops. I think it has to do with the shoes being less flexible. Either way, I'd destroy my feet in those shoes the reviewers say are meant for longer differences.

It would make more sense to say shoes for more experienced or efficient runners, runners with good technique, or even faster runners. But even then, I'm not sure. I think it's just what you're used to. But never heavier or lighter runners.

Surely a 60 and an 80 kg runner with the same BMI running at similar relative speeds --- everything else being equal --- would fare just as well in the same model and style of shoe.

But maybe heavier or lighter runner is a euphemism for overweight versus trim. That might hold more water.

Anyway, I wish they give up the trite caveats.

Nonplussed about new trekking poles

Teià and Barcelona in the distance

The poles themselves are great (Black Diamond Distance Carbon Z): lightweight and easy to fit to my running vest.

But they don't seem to help much.

My heart rate was higher --- as you'd expect since I'm using more of my body --- but even on the steep patches they didn't seem much use. And I felt far less nimble.

I'm sure part of it is a matter of practice. And there might be a benefit in long ultras to just being able to use them to change your gait, even if there is no meaningful efficiency gain.

My gait definitely changed today with them. I know for sure because my heels started hurting in a way I may have only ever felt when getting over an Achilles injury. And maybe not even then.

Anyway, more experimenting to be done here.

6 weeks into the Big Vert plan: tough on my lower limbs

My body has handled the workouts OK --- they've felt easy --- but my training's been stop-start as I've been plagued with niggles and minor injuries: three calf and two knee tweaks that have each meant taking off at least a day and adapting the plan (removing workouts).

This is probably because I'm trying three new things at once:

1. more elevation
2. muscular endurance (ME) workouts
3. steep hill sprints

I didn't think the increased elevation would be a problem. It doesn't feel tough when I'm doing it. My long runs now are much easier than the flatter ones I used to do. But it's tougher on my lower legs especially.

Should I drop the ME workouts for a while and just concentrate on getting the elevation and miles in?

The thing is, I'm improving in the ME workouts --- I'm doing the exercises noticeable faster. But any small niggle going into these workouts gets exasperated into a flow blown tweak in a way that just going for a run never does. And then I have to take a day off.

I could also just plug the ME exercises into a strength workout in a watered down fashion. Just to get used to them.

Either way, I have to listen my body more when doing ME workouts, like I used to when doing heavy squats and deadlifts, stopping at any hint of out-of-place pain.

The other day, for instance, I noticed my left glute tired and sore when doing step ups. I ploughed on, though, and shortly after the inside of my knee was hurt. Was this caused by the glute being restricted and not working properly? Perhaps. Perhaps I should have cut the workout short at that point.

The hill sprints are OK. But they're adding fatigue. The other day on my long run a day after the sprints I tweaked my calf. I can't help but think that the load of the sprints from the day before contributed to this injury. I was also pushing the pace into Z2 on the uphill. Something unnecessary if I'm trying to do the bare minimum to stay healthy.

Perhaps in future I should have an easy day in between hill sprints and the long runs. When I get used to the sprints, they may be an activation type workout, but at the moment they are still too new. I feel good doing them and can go at full pace, but it might be too much. I could also go them at 70% for a while.

Anyway, my idea for this first cycle was to get used to the plan and try out the workouts. I'm doing that at least. I'll try to persevere with the new stuff, perhaps at more spaced out intervals.

Number one running goal for 2021: no big injuries

My main running goal for 2021 is to not have any serious injury or niggle, with a serious injury or niggle being when I have to take more than three days off in a row from running.

So I can rest up to three days without it counting as an injury. This should encourage me to take days off to avoid injury.

In 2020, I only took more than three days off in a row twice. Once four days for a sore foot (the top of it). The other time, nine days for a knee injury. Not bad! Better than I would have thought.

Anyway, the goal this year is to get that number down to zero.

Other goals

1. Do the two ultras I'm signed up for: the Ultra Montseny in April (76k, 4347m+) and the Ultra Pirineu in October (94k, 6200m+)
2. Get comfortable doing 3000m+ a week running or hiking
3. Run or hike 2600km, 75,000m+ and 270 hours in 2021

I don't care so much about goals 2 and 3. The main thing is to not get injured and get to the starting line and finish the two ultras.

It's nice to see you've done a certain amount of work each week, month or year, but I don't think it should be the main focus if you're managing to train enough each day to keep you sane and happy. 

Focusing on mileage type goals is like following a training plan blindly. It can make the means an end that jeopardises the real end or goal.