John Gibbard

You’d think that after decades of modern running and sports science that we’d have reached a few consensuses wouldn’t you?

Last week I went along to Runners Need in Holborn to hear from Sam Murphy (see previous post), Brad Jones and a chap from SiS and another from Brooks. During the two hour seminar I learned a few new things: don’t stretch after long runs – especially the marathon itself – it just worsens the microtears in your soft-tissues; tendon injuries show no inflammation in their pathology and that SiS gels are isotonic so you don’t need to sink a load of water with them at the same time.

I also picked up a free running magazine Running Free which I sort of guessed would be a bit cheap and cheerful and so wasn’t surprised when I discovered a rogue apostrophe in Fiona Bugler‘s editorial.  Reading it on the train I found another article by Andy Dubois where he dismissed static stretching. Which I think was the final straw for me. Why is there so little consensus on even the basics of running and training? Surely after decades of research, millions of miles run and hours exercising we’d at least have come to some irrefutable conclusions about biomechanics and physiology?

Stretching
Listening to the chaps on Marathon Talk (regular long-term runners) I’ve heard them assert that they never or rarely stretch. Last night Brad Jones told us never to stretch a sore tendon, other sites tell you to do just that to avoid the build up of scar tissue. Then there’s Mr. Dubois telling me not to hold a stretch whereas everything I’d heard before then said hold for 30 seconds. Oh, and if you’ve got a tight tendon you might be advised to stretch this out or you might be told that stretching is bad.

Injuries
My physio tells me to use ice and heat cycles to flush out toxins and encourage repair. Other sites tell you to never heat an injury that is probably inflammation. Brad Jones told us last night that there is no inflammation in tendon injuries so heat and ice are just pain management tools and not restorative/curative at all.

I realise everybody’s body responds differently but surely we’re not all that different. Is it just the consequence of limited amounts of research? So perhaps there are just a handful of decent studies on this stuff? When there are billions of pounds invested in sport around the world I simply can’t believe this to be true.

But all the time there is no consensus I find myself scouring the web looking for the elusive magic answers for the constant round of tendon and muscle soreness that has plagued the second half of my marathon build-up.

On Sunday I ran for 3 hours, somewhere between 32.5 and 33.5km [20.8 miles] (depending on my Nike+ data vs. Runkeeper’s data) and today (14 March) I am pretty sore. Once again I ran too fast and ran too many hills. Next weekend is a half marathon speed session but I failed to get into an organised race so will have to trace out a measured and flat course. This will give me my final benchmark time for London by running it through the McMillan calculator.

And so, to cheer us all up, have a look at some poor lads who’ve been requisitioned to model their girlfriends’ creations on Etsy: Sad Etsy Boyfriends.

I expected to have lower-limb problems in my training with chronic patellar tendonitis, what i didn’t expect is that an acute ankle overuse injury would take me out for over a week, nor did i expect the psychological impact of a forced lay-off.

It’s been a bad week for my marathon effort. After a good two-hour slog on Sunday afternoon (13 February) I started to feel some pain on the outside of left ankle. By the following morning, walking was difficult and certainly my pain grade was in the 3-5 range. Clearly my 30′ easy run that evening would have to be canned. It turned out that the Tuesday intervals were canned too, the Wednesday rest was inevitable and then on Thursday, with no significant improvement in the walking phase, an attempted threshold session was abandoned after 3′ at just 10kph.

Fortunately I have access to Liam Grimley, and after some intensive manipulation and massage by Saturday morning I have finally started to feel improvement. I’m popping NSAIDs like Smarties, icing whenever convenient and, importantly, resting. But it is a mental challenge. I am desperate to get out on my feet again and I can see empty entries in my running log and the days ticking away. I know my CV won’t drop off a cliff and I’m checking my resting HR to ensure I’m not stepping backwards but there are always CV options at the gym and perhaps now would be a great opportunity to work at those core stabilising muscles.

What I have missed most this week is the structure. I have genuinely been at a bit of a loss with what to do with myself. In the last two months my saturdays have been configured around fueling up for the long run on sunday and getting a 30′ run in. Sunday has been a logisitcal challenge of domestic chores and the run-recovery cycle of increasingly long outings – made all the more difficult by the longest bathroom refurbishment project ever. I have tried to avoid buying Runners World and only briefly listened to an episode of Marathon Talk; not knowing if my injury is likely to entirely scupper London it’s a thought I just need t0 bury whilst I focus on rehab.

My personal feeling is that it is some sort of inflammation of the calcaneofibular ligament, a ligament on the lateral side of the ankle and that this is the consequence of the hypermobility in my ankle being tested in a long off-camber/trail run on the sunday. But frankly, I’ll let Liam decide and treat it.

So, with progress again today in term of pain decreasing, I’ll see how htings progress and hopefully be back on my feet with a good few weeks to go before London.