I have a long road ahead of me to get to where I want to go. Throughout this whole journey I've felt like one giant science experiment... with me as both the fabled 'mad scientist', and the strangely assembled collection of decrepit body-parts that I am attempting to keep breathing life into. Being the ultra-marathon equivalent to a pre-animate Frankenstein's Monster isn't easy.
It requires patience, bouncebackability, and an open-mindedness to shift gears when things aren't working. That said it does get to you after a while, and that's the hardest thing to overcome at this stage. When you are running and training relatively pain free, it's easier. You get to enjoy what you are doing. When you are wary with each physical step you take for fear of pain and injury, it has a tendency to suck the joy out of training out of possible. This last week for me has been a bit like that. I had further treatment, took a couple of days out to recover, had some weird reaction in my back with some spasms, and taken yet more time off training this week. It does lower the mood somewhat.
And then there's the guilt... Knowing I really need to be doing something constructive, rather than feel like the little fitness I have remaining is ebbing away from me... in a slow grey waking shuffle towards the grave....
Dramatic, I know.... but you get the point.
But no fear as today the back spasms have stopped, the Achilles is back to being constantly tight (but manageable at a 4/10 on the pain scale for now), and I am ready to begin experimenting with training again to put the foundations in place (a process which feels like it's taking forever).
This requires different actions to achieve different outcomes. It means testing movement and training to find what is giving me the right value for what I need. Right now it's rehab. This means focusing on testing activity that will assist me recovering from injury, reducing the pain, increasing mobility, and building strength back in weakened muscles and tendons.
In order to help find the right path, one thing I've done is book a consultation for Shockwave Therapy (or recommended better alternative) in 3 weeks time with the Team GB Olympic Head Physio (who runs a practice in my home town!!).
My intention is that she recognises the combination of problems and can map out an effective recovery programme as well as the best therapy to intervene. For instance, I have a strong suspicion I have calcification in my Achilles tendon insertion point. I understand that Shockwave therapy can be very helpful here. Her level of expertise is meant to be world-class, so I'm looking forward to hearing what she has to say about it with fresh eyes.
While I wait for this appointment, it should give me a little chance to build a bit more strength back into my hamstring, while also some benefit to putting load on my Achilles through a bunch of static exercises over the next 3 weeks. It costs more than normal, but if she can be in charge of the health and rehab of world-record holders, then that's a good starting point this time around to understanding WTAF is going on my my left heel/ankle/Achilles tendon. Exercise-wise for this month I will be doing the following:
Bike VO2 Max sessions - 2x a week
Active Walking 40 mins - 3x a week (this is walking at a faster pace approx 5.5km/h)
Hamstring/Quad/Glute/Core conditioning & strength - 2x a week
The aim is to build towards being able to start treadmill run-walk-run by the end of this month (4 weeks).
This is a VERY tricky month though, and I'm having to be very careful not to set myself back even further. The problem I have is still very much there. Lurking in the background, watching, waiting, and ready to shit in my cornflakes the moment I go too far.
Too many times now, I've had a solid restart only to have an injury related issue come screaming at me like a lunatic who's had their ray gun stolen. This time my intention is to take it slowly, commit to the recommendations I gain later this month, listen carefully to what my body is saying, and gradually test my movement step by step.
Wish me luck. Thanks for reading...
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