Training Update

It is exactly a month since my last training update with no posts since on training or very much at all, at least as far as my running is concerned. There is a very good reason for that – there has been no running for the last four weeks.

You may well ask why, given that my update a month ago seemed to indicate that things were on track and I was back running with some measure of confidence. Well, that only lasted as long as the next run after I posted that update.

I set out for some tarmac loops from my home address and by the time I had reached three miles, there was a growing pain in my right calf. A small part of the muscle, on the inside of my leg right up below the knee. So, basically nothing directly to do with the previous injury. I say directly as it is very likely that there was a link between the two on some level.

The really frustrating thing was that it was a small muscle in the calf which did not directly affect my running, but it was sore enough, and worsening, to know that I had to stop. By now, I know the difference between the many fleeting pains of age and a minor injury.

I am sure you can appreciate my mood, already three months since the original injury. I couldn’t even bring myself to post anything about the injury. Even I was bored thinking and talking about it!

I thought I would give it two weeks. That turned into three and I then decided to make it four. There was no pain in the calf after the first few days, although I continued to do stair-climbing and incline walking at the gym, which did cause it a little discomfort. Four weeks seemed a reasonable length of time, in the absence of any meaningful feedback from the injury site.

So, today I ventured onto the treadmill and did three miles of walk/run intervals. The running pace started at just above walking and never exceeded an 11 min/mile pace. I could feel a slight tension in the calf but no pain or impediment.

My plan is to take it slowly and build up over the next few weeks. There are no events on the horizon so I just have to build up patiently and hope I can be in a better place in September.

I do have a trip in less than three weeks. It will involve running (hopefully) but the trip is not wholly dependent on being able to run and the running I have planned will be short distances (nothing over 9-10 miles) and at leisure with plenty of rest. I don’t want to tempt fate, so I am going to say nothing more about the trip for now. It is however completely different from anything I have done to date.

Meantime, is it asking too much to be able to run again??!!