September 24th, 2010 -- Posted in Running Program |
It seems I never learn! I have had repeated episodes of illness and injury over the last year that have really hampered my training and meant that I’ve had to bail on some races that I was really looking forward to. Writing about my frustration is hopefully going to be therapy for me!
The problem is that illness and injury can affect you not just on race day itself, but also in the training during a running program that leads up to a race. This is particularly likely when training for a long race, such as a marathon where you need months of preparation in order to be ready for the day of the race. I have recently been struck by an injury which has curtailed my training early in my winter marathon training cycle. I’m afraid that if i do not get going again very soon, then I will have to abandon my plans for the race almost before I gotten started!
I have to say, it is my own fault to a large extent on this occasion. I went out for a planned 16 mile trail run that included a number of hills, and early on I felt a pain at the base of my left shin. I noticed it when the tongue of my training shoe pressed against my shin, just above the ankle. Nonetheless, I decided that it was not significant and continued on my run. I felt it again at around 8 miles, but of course by then I had no practical alternative but to continue on the run, since I was now halfway around a loop course. Most of the time during the run I didn’t really notice the pain and deemed it insignificant.
Later that night I became aware that the pain was growing in intensity, and was worse when I descended stairs and put additional pressure on that area. Then the following day I was reduced to hobbling around. Nonetheless, I still didn’t think it would be a great concern. I applied an ice-pack and took some Ibuprofen to help ease the swelling that was becoming more evident, but the pain got worse and the swelling increased and I could feel a crunchy feeling whenever I flexed and contracted my foot. It felt a bit like water being squeezed through a narrow tube.
At this point I decided that I had better see the doctor, who diagnosed it as Tenosynovitis and said that the only option was rest and definitely no running! He was at least sympathetic to my cause, being a runner himself. I didn’t want sympathy though – I wanted a quick fix so that I could get cracking-on with my marathon running program! It wasn’t to be, and as a result I had to completely curtail my marathon training.
About a week later my leg felt much better, and I was chomping at the bit to get going again. I was also concerned that my lack of activity would result in a return of my migraine headaches, so I tried a gentle three-mile run to ease back into training. Unfortunately, this aggravated the injury once more and later that evening I could feel the crunchiness returning with a slight pain. So I was reluctantly back to resting the leg and taking anti-inflammatory medication to try to undo the additional damage.
Another week passed and I again experimented with an easy run, though this time I started with only two miles and even slower running. I rested the following day, even though the shin was feeling fine, as I was desperate not to cause even worse problems. Then I ran three miles on my next outing, followed by another day of rest. So far, so good. I will continue the build-up as far as I can and as fast as I dare!
I feel like I am walking a tightrope at the moment. I do not want to cause more lasting damage that will stop me running, but I also would dearly like to make it to the starting line of my planned winter marathon. Only time will tell if I get the balancing act right. If I have to miss out on the race, then so be it. I’ll have to move on, though I can’t pretend that I won’t be disappointed.
Technorati Tags: headache, injury, marathon, migraine, Running Program, tenosynovitis, training
September 26th, 2009 -- Posted in Womens Heart Rate Monitor |
I have suffered from headaches of varying severity throughout my life. The worst ones were the real blinding migraines accompanied by tunnel vision, bright auras and nausea. I’ve put these down to a number of different factors.
I noticed, for example, that changes in environment (such as moving office workspace location at work) seemed to trigger some of the worst attacks over a period of a few weeks. I mitigated this by trying to be as near as possible to natural light wherever I was moved.
Not surprisingly, I have always considered alcohol to be the major contributor to many of my headaches. However, they continued for a period after I quit drinking alcohol, albeit to a lesser extent. After researching why this could be, I tried eliminating drinks that contained the chemical Aspartame. It was at this point that my headaches stopped almost entirely! Needless to say, I was convinced that Aspartame was a large contributory factor.
Since then, and for the last few years I have suffered very few headaches, and no blinding migraines at all. So it appeared to me that all of my conclusions were correct – until recently.
Around three months ago I started getting headaches again – two or three days each week. The migraines were starting to reappear too. On the scale of things, the migraines were relatively mild, but they were increasing in severity and still incapacitated me for a couple of hours. I visited my family doctor for blood tests, but he could subsequently offer little help beyond what I had heard in the past.
Then the penny dropped.
The recent spell of headaches had commenced at roughly the same time that I had stopped running and was no longer taking part in any form of physical activity. Could it be that a lack of exercise was the cause of the headaches? Even my partner commented that it may not be pure coincidence. Thinking back to the time when I began avoiding drinks containing Aspartame, it was also the same time that I began exercising! For sure, I have subsequently consumed drinks containing the chemical from time to time with no noticeable adverse effect relating to headaches (notwithstanding the possibility of other health detriment – I do still try to avoid artificial sweeteners).
Just under three weeks ago I resumed running and have continued with the activity for four days each week. Since then I haven’t suffered a single headache – not even a mild one! Needless to say, I am utterly convinced now that there is a link between an inactive lifestyle and headaches. Previously, I had never heard of the possibility that such an association existed. Surely there must be some sort of research into this phenomenon? Well, yes there is.
A study was published as recently as November/December 2008 in “Headache” entitled “Socio-Economic Factors, Lifestyle, and Headache Disorders – A Population-Based Study in Sweden”. The study was based on 43,770 respondents to a postal survey questionnaire to look for factors associated with recurrent headaches and migraines. In the results and conclusion they state
“Physically inactive subjects were more likely to suffer from headache disorders than physically active subjects.”
“Of lifestyle factors, physical inactivity was strongly associated with headache disorders independent of economic and psychosocial factors.”
This is a complete revelation to me, and I find it one of the most exciting pieces of news that I have found. There is nothing more frustrating than to suffer severe recurrent headaches that are beyond your control. However, I firmly believe that I now have some control and have it within my power to prevent my life being blighted by migraine.
If ever there was a reason to take up some form of physical activity and make it part of your lifestyle, then this has to be up there with the best. I hope you will join me in taking control of your life. I have tips, advice and a training diary to show you how I implement heart rate monitor training into a structured running program, so that you can try it for yourself. You can find my articles on the Women’s Heart Rate Monitor blog. And before you ask….. yes it’s okay for men to follow the methods too!
Technorati Tags: cure, headache, Heart Rate Monitor, migraine, natural, prevent, remedy, Running, Womens Heart Rate Monitor
