Running Injured: How I’m avoiding making things worse.

A week ago, I’d taken myself off for a gentle half-marathon, only to find my right hamstring tightening up in the last kilometre. Cramps happen, and I’ve had tight calves for weeks, but this felt different. While nothing hurt, it was a discomfort that I didn’t want to ignore. 

The next day, I rested, even though my hamstring felt a lot better. By Friday, I was keen to try another half. The first 5 km were a gentle jog with Joy, and everything seemed to be working okay, so I took myself off around Ho Tay. 

I felt strong until about 12 kilometres in, and then my hamstring started to grumble. I’d been carrying a bit of general fatigue into the run as well, having had a few poor nights’ sleep, which affected how I felt about my prospects.

At this stage, I’m old enough to know when to dial things back, and despite feeling disappointed, I alternated between a slow jog and a walk all the way home. I wouldn’t be attempting the planned long runs over the weekend. Over the last five days, I’ve been on one gentle 5 km jog, plodding around at a 7 min/km pace. 

It’s eleven days until I start my run in Japan, and as I sit here writing this, I’m still aware of my hamstring (and also my right calf). This isn’t ideal, but I knew I was going to have to deal with some muscular problems somewhere along the line; it may as well be at a time when I can rest. 

And rest is what I’m doing. I’m not going to get that much fitter or stronger in these last two weeks. I’ll take myself off on the odd short jog, do some light strength training, and work on some mobility and range of motion. But that’s it. The aim is to maintain and recover to be as fit as possible. 

This is at odds with how I’d have approached things in combat sports. It’s common to have something not at 100% in the lead-up to a fight. You’re training so hard, with coaches reminding you that your opponent is also working hard, that you end up pushing past places where it might be more sensible to stop. 

And it makes sense, in that high-intensity environment, where every ounce of fitness matters, a minor problem here or there can be ignored for three very intense rounds. After the fight, there’s usually plenty of time to rest and recover.

Ultramarathon running is the polar opposite. I’d rather be slightly under-trained than over. That little niggle that can be ignored through three rounds of boxing can cause significant issues over 50 kilometres of repetitive use. And for the Japan run, I’ll likely have around 16 hours to recover before setting out on another run. 

For example, a slight change in running gait due to knee pain on the left, while not causing issues over a short distance, adds a little extra pressure somewhere else. And the stress on that somewhere else compounds over time, and somewhere over 75 days, you suddenly find that your right hip no longer functions. 

This is the scenario I’m trying to avoid. Making something else worse by trying to continue training through the discomfort on my right side. 

Between now and Japan, I’ve got a few things lined up. Acupuncture tomorrow, a couple of massages, and I’ll do some stretching and some RDLs. I’ve upped both my protein intake and my sleep. I’ll throw some more ice on my hamstring from time to time. It’s all very boring and sensible things. 

I will do some jogging, but I’m being disciplined about how often and how far. I think a little bit of movement and getting the blood flowing through the muscle is a good thing, but I’m really easing off the pace and the distance. For now, 5 km in 35 minutes is enough. If I do that and feel really good, perhaps I’ll do an extra couple.

But I’m not going to be pushing either the pace or the distance. The risk of what happens if I push too hard isn’t worth it at this stage. Flights and trains are booked, we’ve announced our start date, everything is set. I just have to be ready.