Here’s hoping…..

I haven’t uploaded anything for a while now, not because I don’t have any material, but I just didn’t feel that I wanted to until I was either running again or at the very least on the brink of doing so.

By the time I do run again, it will have been three months since my initial injury. I’d like to say it hasn’t seemed that long but it really has, and more! If anyone said to me back in March that what seemed like a minor calf strain would sideline me for so long, I would not have accepted the possibility. However, I have had to accept it and have also had to accept that the period of time could maybe have been shorter if I had been a little more patient earlier on. As ever, hindsight is great.

Notwithstanding, I feel that since re-injury in Devon back in early May I have followed a patient and appropriate programme of recovery and rehabilitation. I resolved from the outset that I would not run again until July at the earliest, however positively I felt about recovery in the intervening weeks.

Following nearly four weeks of rest and normal sedentary walking activity, I introduced massage, a variety of calf-strengthening exercises in addition to using the bonus time and energy to focus on some quality upper body work.

I introduced the Stairmaster about two weeks ago, combined with lower body weight training and further calf-focussed exercises and plyometrics, all with the intent to build capability in my calves that would withstand a return to running and minimise the likelihood of recurring injury.  

At the time of writing, I can significantly exceed the number of sets/reps in all of the individual calf exercises which are purported to indicate a readiness to run again. I will continue this for another week along with continued stairmaster and resistance work. I assess that I have done things right so I therefore believe that I should imminently be ready to begin a slow return to running.

I have missed running more than I can describe, especially at one of the best times of year, in addition to the loss of planned events and races. I have immersed myself in running media and race coverage during my enforced absence. Things must have been desperate though as I even caught myself watching a couple of videos on The Running Channel which I can only really describe as similar to watching children’s TV as an adult. Somewhere between Blue Peter and the Teletubbies.

So, am I excited at the prospect of running again after such a long hiatus? Ignoring the fact that I don’t really do excitement, there is nothing I would welcome more but I also approach this crucial juncture with a strong sense of trepidation.

Everything tells me that I will be ready to introduce running next week but do I have any confidence in my calf at this point? No, I do not. I really want to be proved wrong but only time and physical results will tell. The best I can do is take things in a slow and measured manner.

I’ll start on the treadmill, building up from slow walk/run intervals, gradually increasing the duration of the running segments. I will then introduce a similar programme outside, introducing some gradient and outdoor surface into the mix. Things will go from there. My plan is to keep a tight grip on the reins in terms of distance and speed during July. That will do no harm in any event as I rebuild my aerobic base after the time away from running.  That will then give me two months to train more intensely, and specifically, for Morocco. That race will all be about base fitness, long endurance, leg conditioning and climbing ability. I can train for that without resorting to much tempo work which is what places the greatest stress on my poor old calves.

On that subject, I have been working for a while on a piece about foot striking. It seems even more relevant to me now in the wake of this injury which is a fairly direct outcome of my foot strike and associated stresses. I’ll see if I can finalise that piece sooner rather than later.

Meantime, watch this space. Fingers crossed….