This post could have been titled “note to self” as I am sure that my injury record is worse than most! I put it down to age and only finding running six years ago, but on the one rainy day in our Scilly stay, I got to thinking about why this happens.
This train of thought started with a long chat with my physio the day after my May solo HM. I wasn’t injured, but I thought that a post run sports massage might help; it definitely did! She found knots and tightness in calves and hamstrings which at that point hadn’t caused me a problem; but would have done if left. As a distraction from the pain, I asked her about the most common running injuries people bring to her. Top was knee pain, which surprised me, but she went on to explain that the usually the pain was caused by issues elsewhere. Next was calves (which we would all have guessed) and ankles, the latter being caused by sudden switches from road running to trail running without adjusting pace and distance to allow ankles to build up strength to cope with the additional loads.
The biggest underlying cause; failure to stretch properly (or at all!) post run!! I definitely plead guilty to that; why would you need to stretch when you feel fine….answer? Because the tightness quietly creeps in and before you know it, you are in knots, especially if you sleep prior to stretching. So, from that day onwards, I have been doing regular stretches; nerve glides on both legs( sorts out any post run achilles pain), crab walks and squats (both with exercise bands), adductor stretches, quad and hamstring stretches and Happy Baby pose. Pre intervals, hamstring and quad stretches after 5 minutes of warm up run are built in to the NRC programmes. So, is it paying off?
Answer; definitely. Injury has blighted my last three stays on Scilly (zero running last year). The four runs on the Isles of Scilly this year, and the runs which preceded them after my HM, have been so much better in terms of pace, lower Average Heart Rate and higher VO2 max. The runs on Scilly are quite hilly (!) but it didn’t seem to matter. Long distance travel, for me, is another muscle stiffness trap, but even the 12 hour journey home on Friday, including lugging heavy suitcases, hasn’t caused a problem. I did a steady 5k yesterday and everything felt really strong. I think all the miles we walked on holiday helped too…sounds more like a workout than a holiday, but we love walking around the different islands together … and consuming the best flat white in the world on St Agnes (thanks Francesca!!).
Finishing where I started; a lot of this may just be my age, and if so, maybe this is just a warning from an older geezer, if so, good really. Proper run stretches are her to stay for me, as are pre faster run(but post warm up!) stretches too.
Enough from me; this is your weekly chat, so spill the beans, tell us how it is going, the good, the bad and the aesthetically challenged!! Hope everyone is enjoying better weather, holidays….and lovely runs 🙂
Thanks Beachcomber66 for the timely reminder about stretching - it’s so important (particularly to those of us who are getting on a bit! 😂) As you know, I volunteer at Cardiac Rehab every week. There’s a lot of emphasis on stretching of course, so I use the rehab exercises as the basis for my running stretches and warming up.
In terms of my running, I’m following a plan on Garmin as I work towards the New Forest Half Marathon in September. I’m using the ‘Jeffing’ technique, run:walking at the ratio of 4:1. It seems to be going well so far and I ‘Jeffed’ 8 miles on Saturday. Just another 5 miles to achieve over the remaining 9 weeks of the programme! Jeffing helps to keep my heart rate down, while building my heart back up. I’ll never be able to run at the pace I used to, but I’m doing what I can and I’m pleased with how it’s going.
Good luck everyone, just keep doing what you can and enjoy your running! 🏃♀️➡️🏃♂️➡️
You have dealt with your heart issue brilliantly David. An example to all. Learning to make the most of what we can do at the moment, enjoying it and sharing expertise and experience with others are really positive things to do.👍
Jeffing is very good. It seems a bit odd to be walking early on in races but it works! 😀👍 I finished my first marathon in good order by sticking to the plan 🙂
I found a website that gives the detail of run/walk timings for your projected marathon time based on recent races (or most recent longer run). It’s a strategy to get you round and to finish in one piece 🙂.
I think it gave me a time of 6 hours. My run was 2.5k then walk 0.5 k if memory serves 🤔. I know it felt counter intuitive to be walking early on but I trusted it so stayed with it. I am happy to say it worked and I was fine afterwards
I’m rubbish at doing anything to support my running but I’m certainly going to be introducing regular foam rolling. I travelled with a friend to do the marathon & she rolls all the time. Mine sits in the cupboard. Rolled legs are fast legs according to my friend.
Happy week everyone! ❤️🏃♀️🏃🏻♂️
No run today so here’s a photo from Friday’s run 😎
Foam rollers don’t work for me. I must be too old and gnarly! I use a spiky exercise ball on the site of any knots, as recommended by my physio. It works really well….provided I remember to do it 🙄! I think that my daily dog walks help too. Useful being retired of course….
I think dog walks help too. I am dog minding all week so I’ve been walking slowly backwards, stretching out my feet and legs, while keeping an eye on doggo 🐕. 🏃♀️Tipping it down outside today and he only went a few yards before heading back inside. I’d got all my wet weather gear on. All dressed up and nowhere to go ☺️
Clever dog! Now our dog is older, she doesn’t pull on the lead….36k pulling me about probably didn’t help sore calves! Pouring down up here too. Time for coffee!!
I loved our running days together and thank him for my losing weight and getting fit. I used him to recce runs. I could go anywhere with him and feel safe 😀🐕. I love him to bits 🥰. We bimble about together quite happily. he dragged me down countless times before I got fast enough to keep up with him 😊.
He is getting quite doddery on his feet and gets out of breath easily so we’re enjoying doing what he wants to do. He managed to reach the pet shop yesterday which is always a good sign 🙂
They take root in your heart don’t they! Molly is just 12 now, which is as long as we have managed to keep any Old English. She has slowed down a bit(which is as well!) but we make the cafe walk most days and sometimes extend to make about 4 miles in total. She always has been much more interested in people than chasing sticks or balls. Lots of females in particular ask if they can giver her a stroke ….OH calls her my babe magnet 😂
The dawg is still here 🐕. There must be some travel delay I’ve heard nothing so hopefully he will be going home today. I’ve got a race tomorrow evening. I’ve only run once since he’s been here 🙄.
I got a reply from Physio at the hospital. i have been put on the waiting list.
I had 7 whole days off running before finally running yesterday. 9 k, including 4km tempo, with Coach Bennett. The run went better than I thought it would. I got cut off by flood water again and had to turn back and take another route home 🏃♀️
That’s a good run. I have moved from free style to selecting individual NRC runs which appeal. I will go back to the HM plan soon, but after my HM in June I have tried to avoid the injuries which sometimes follow a long run. So far so good.
The trails drain pretty well up here, which is just as well. The nearest major river is miles away and it never floods 🤞🤞🤞🤞🤞
It sounds like you’re in a happy place Beachcomber66 , and how smart to think about a preventative massage after your HM! I’m so glad that went well, plus of course your holiday running too. 🙏
I’m so lax in stretching of any kind, and I’m not proud of it! I do a warmup walk - basically just a walk, nothing more - to where I plan to start my run, and I do similar afterwards! My lackadaisical attitude to my utter luck of never having sustained a running injury I guess. 🤷♀️ One day it’ll come back to haunt me I’m sure, but I have a foam roller and some tennis balls to hand if I need them! 😅
I need to fit in some runs this week somehow, but it’s going to be hard. I did PR on Saturday but I didn’t have time yesterday or today for one, and tomorrow Mr Cheeky and I are off to Wimbledon. I’m sure Pimms and strawberries are part of the runners’ diet aren’t they? I’ll see if I squeeze the gym in on Wednesday morning, otherwise it might be a very slender running week. Lucky my HM plan allows for that. 🙏
I think that you run comfortably for the most part cheeky; I probably push my limited boundaries too much, hence my injury record. You are the sensible one.🙂
I am sure that the fact you don’t push your speed does mean that you haven’t suffered the injuries that many of us have cheekychipmunks . Definitely Mrs Sensible.
It sounds like you have found a good formula for what works for you BC. For me, at the end of a long run I just do a few stair stretches (one foot on the fourth stair the other on the ground - I’m sure it has a more official name) and that works for me. The game changer in recovery for me was getting enough sodium into my system before and during the run. I learned this last year training for Berlin. That has made recovery so much better. I just did a 28k run on Saturday (writing a report on it now) and I am just a little stiff, but functional otherwise. Mowed the lawn yesterday with no issue. Also walking is a big help. A 1-2min cooldown walk at the end of a long run helps to settle everything before fully stopping. I only use rollers for specific pain issues but those have been thankfully rare in the past couple of years.
I am sure that there is an age/age when I started running aspect to this Decker. I never had any problems in my football, tennis etc playing days. Just rock up, put on the right footwear and get on with it in those days!
Yeah it’s true. We are all at different stages and have different requirements based on our backgrounds or physiology etc. I am wary of trying new things too.
I do think walking afterwards is a big recovery aid. I remember one 10K race when I lost my brain cells and forgot where I arranged to meet my husband. It was a huge event and I hadn’t taken my phone so I had to walk for ages one way and then the other looking for him. Eventually we found each other but I had walked for so long that I had zero aches afterwards!
Ha! Yes something similar happened to me in May for the Ottawa half marathon and I wound up walking back to the hotel feeling great. I find that even a minute or so makes a difference in how I feel. Aches vs no aches
Hi BC, I have a little routine I try to do after every run. It only lasts about 5 minutes but it covers quite a lot. Certainly stops my hips getting too tight.
Katnap has this controversial view that stretching is pointless, that you’ll damage already stressed muscles. Mind you his muscles are odd anyway due to his muscular condition, so maybe it’s different for him.
I’ve just finished wk 4 of Berlin training. Cut back week this week before the higher mileage starts to kick in. Just treated myself to yet more shoes as my comfy long run trainers have done quite a lot of mileage. Spent the past few days clearing my mum’s house out so needed something to cheer myself up as well. A lady can never have too many shoes 🤣🤣
Have a great week everyone and stay off that IC BC! 😍😍
That’s the plan TC; staying off the IC is top of my list. Maybe this topic is more appropriate to C25k and Bridge to 10k. I guess lots of people who hit 10k upwards have got this issue sorted before now…..except me apparently 🙄. Hills in particular produce tight hamstrings, quads and calves for me and they have to be sorted out between runs. I can feel dense sections in my calf muscles post quicker runs in particular; they have to be ironed out between runs or they just get worse and eventually I have to stop running and go to the physio. Aiming for prevention rather than cure!
Have you tried wearing calf sleeves and rollering regularly? I find that helps, especially on the longer runs. Also, shoes… I know I have a lot of them but it’s amazing the difference the right shoes make. For instance, Ghosts wreck my knees, Speed 2s wreck my hips, Speed 3s kill my achilles. You use Adrenalines don’t you? Have you tried a different shoe? Or just varying your shoes?
Adrenalines have been the best shoes I have ever had. The high heel drop has virtually vanquished Achilles pain. They are physio recommended for me. I do get some pain there sometimes in one achilles, but a nifty nerve glide from my physio deals with that in one post run exercise. Over the years I have had all types of shoe, but nothing has worked better than my adrenalines.
I have tried calf sleeves, but they don’t seem to make any difference.
I think that my problem is that my leg muscles are just prone to tightening up, which could be age. A warm up run pre any “fast” stuff like intervals or a 5k helps, anything else is now swept up by my post run exercises/ massage ball work. If I just stopped post run stretches (whilst the muscles are warm) I would never be away from the physio. Touch wood, I am not missing weeks of running any more; it is just that I have to work hard to keep it that way….which I fully intend to do.
Good on you! I wish I got on with high heel drops, I could do with them at my height! Very glad you’ve found your perfect shoe, it does make life easier (& cheaper!)
🙄 I was caught out this year….I had to get the latest version…I usually buy the previous year’s version at a considerable discount! They look good though…or did before the monsoon season hit up here!
My sports podiatrist doesn't believe in stretching and admits he never does it and he’s a very fast runner! Maybe there’s something in what Katnap says…
I wouldn’t be surprised. We’re all built differently after all. Katnap doesn’t get injured very often and he finds warming up and then a post race massage much more beneficial.
No, I got Asics Superblast 2s. Jury is still out on them even though most people seem to think they’re the best thing since sliced bread. Personally, for race day, I’d get a discounted pair of Saucony Pro 3s. The Speeds aren’t so good for mileage beyond HM imho.
Glad to hear you got back home okay Beachcomber66 . You’re right about exercising when you get old older. I always do a warm up programme now before running as well as a walk usually. I am not always as good at the post run exercises , but seem to be getting away with it. After long runs I make a bit more effort.
I ran a 4km last Wednesday but haven’t been able to run since , due to social commitments . I volunteered at parkrun on Saturday when Coddfish achieved her amazing 250th run. She really is an inspiration to us all.
Coincidentally I am also off to Wimbledon tomorrow (fortunately to a court with a roof) so no running until Wednesday at the earliest. If I see a chipmunk there you will no doubt find out. 😂🍓🍹🥂
I thought that I written a reply to this Dexy5 but it seems to have disappeared! Thanks for mentioning the Park Run; I had missed the post…now rectified.
No drunken behaviour tomorrow please….having you two together at Wimbledon should be an insurable risk!
Realistically, I think that my issues are probably age related. I have found “work arounds”; 🤞🤞🤞and I have not missed months of running for a while. I will just keep doing what works for me.
Hi MissW. Was this an on line booking which left you wondering whether it had worked? My physio sends a confirmation e.mail pdq. Is this still your painful achilles; I hope not?
The last time I had a bath (as opposed to a shower) immediately post run was when I picked up an injury in the GSR in 2022. I had the greatest difficulty getting out. My legs had had enough. Bath was nice though🙂. Bit difficult getting stuck in a bath in a hotel 😂
Yes it was an online booking. It was unusual in that a block of text kept obscuring the box I was trying to type my details into. I couldn’t check for typo’s so Lord knows what I’ve submitted. If anything 🤷♀️🤔
Yes, it’s my ankle 😏
I’ve got the old dog for the week so just plodding slowly about the locale with him instead of prepping myself for a tough 10k hill race next week. Oh well 🙄. Best laid plans ey 🙂
The rain is not usually too horrible to put up with unless it’s really cold 🥶 I was reminded when running on Sunday that it wasn’t as bad as when I ran my pre-marathon 20 miler in the pouring rain last November. That was thoroughly miserable 😩 I recall taking shelter under some scaffolding while waiting for the green man at the pedestrian crossing. Ah what fun 🙄🏃♀️😁
I am always banging on about stretches and such...I do 'em because I am older and I feel, every little helps, as a well known supermarket proclaims!
My morning routines are now, just a good habit.. wake up yoga, 15 minutes, all done in bed, which incudes arms and leg stretches...and for me, fingers and toes...teeth cleaning squats . and ankle raises.
I think having a lot of gardening projects, plus a whiz wham of a seven and a half year old, granddaughter. keeps me moving and strengthens most parts of my body! And my mind!
Stretching before and after the run, again is just a habit, which seems to keep everything happy.
I am working through the NRC 10K plan.. just to get me back to my longer Sunday Funday runs... it is a way to keep me focused and to shake things up a tad, with a new 10K plan... that and I do, of course, love Coach Bennett. Started Week 2 today...
I would like to move onwards gently and maybe even, eventually, get back to a 10 mile point again. ( I whispered that ).
We all do what feels right for us... the trick is though is to recognize sometimes, that may not be quite enough...?
I’ve been moaning about lack of progress through having a dodgy ankle, and recalling the recent times I would run a monthly half marathon. I did a 14 k on Sunday, admittedly with a break half way for a cuppa and dry socks 😁🏃♀️
It’s about being thankful for small mercies isn’t it 😀
Spot on as ever Floss. I like to warm up before stretching muscles; as you know NRC does that on interval and tempo runs. I like CB runs too and will return to him soon; I am just enjoying a “free running” period after my HM.
I think that these regular pre and post run stretches are helping me to avoid injury …..something is working as I am much more resilient 🤞🤞🤞🤞. Probably more important as we get a tiny bit older 🙂
I have always stretched because it makes me feel better, not because I believe it’s doing me any good. I stretch every day, not a lot, just a little, and whether I run or not but then I’m constantly “using” my body and it does tend to get stiff quickly so I benefit from a regular routine of easing things out.
My back stiffens up a lot and so my osteopath advises me to move it and gently stretch it to keep it mobile. Every physio I’ve ever had advises stretching but I’ve read a lot about the subject and can find no scientific evidence that it benefits runners.
I’ve even googled “do elite runners stretch?” and can find nothing. Must keep an eye out at the olympics!
When I look back at my worst injury history I see they are always my own fault. Too much gardening, running in old shoes, overdoing the distance, and even overdoing a particular exercise 🙄 Very simple things to avoid and I’m trying hard to learn from them but I believe that I still would have suffered from every single injury whether I was stretching or not. In fact I know that over-stretching made things worse in a few cases.
I do good warmups and spend more time on that now than the stretching afterwards and that is working well for me at the minute. I foam roll too and get regular sports massages which I believe all help.
I think we each have to do what suits us. Some runners stretch, some don’t.
I’m in a nice routine at the minute and am working through a HM plan, so all is good in my running world 😍
Good morning IP. I have started the day with a long meeting about a property project; I will need to stretch before I run next.
I never stretch cold muscles; asking for trouble as you know. My physio got me to do non stretching exercises first in my routine as a warm up before moving on to stretches. On run days I have a 10 minute warm up walk, so can stretch carefully after that, and for NRC intervals there is the built in pause after 5 minutes jogging specifically for stretches. I just find that I get less tightness and lumps in muscles when I do that. My spiky massage ball dispatches any lumps which do emerge. We are all different though. What prompted my post was that I have made a big change in stretching routines and it is working. Post my HM I needed a physio visit; I find hamstrings particularly difficult to slacken off without help…..so I am not about to put physios out of business ….but it is good to be able to help myself too. Hope the IC gremlins are not listening in!
Hello Beachcomber66 😊 Sounds like you have a good routine going there. I am pretty good at stretching after a run but I do need to start doing some strength training alongside the running. I use a spikey ball for tight calf muscles too and it works a treat. I have just built up to 5k after 5 months (!) off running due to achilles tendonitis. The rehab was SLOOOW...
Just did my second 5k run on Sunday and afterwards I felt a pain in the front of my thigh, possibly a strain. It's still there when I get up in the morning and when I get up after sitting a while, so I'm taking a few days off.
I am particularly injury prone, probably due to age (big 60 coming up soon! 😱) and the fact that I only took up running later in life. I really really don't want to end up back on the IC again, so being sensible and letting the niggle subside...I may need to look at getting different shoes too...
I would be cautious too. 60 is no age though! I am 72 and didn’t start running until I was 66.
There is always a bit of a gamble involved. My physio says that runners of my age are like horses…. You need to get them back on their feet again as soon as possible. So she rarely says “don’t run”. Message being if we sit around for too long we go backwards. Your quad pain should soon go; it doesn’t sound like much….but no sense in taking risks as you say, especially after such a long lay off.
Because I have high arches, I started using Brooks Adrenaline about three years ago. They have a 12 mm heel drop. I have far fewer heel and foot issues now. But…..we are all made differently. Hope you are back out there soon.👍
Thank you Beachcomber66 I am probably being over cautious, but better safe than sorry. I don't intend to stay in the stable long though! 🐎I have quite flat feet...my physio did advise to try shoes with more of a drop, because I was in Altras (zero drop). I like the Altras because of the wide toe box - I have quite wide feet. I bought some Hokas in a wide fit but they feel huge and clumsy - they may have affected my gait. I think I need to visit a running shop!
Stretch, stretches, stretching, three beautiful words.....😀
Most people, not only runners, forget or aren't even aware of the importance of stretched, relaxed, comfortable muscles and what it means to walk taller when older. I've written about it here and elsewhere and I know how my own body benefits from it.
Injuries will hit us, whether we are old geezers or young strong runners. We all have limits, and we often don't know how far we can go, especially if we are feeling well. A week ago I drove three hours to an airport, stiff and focused, abroad and in the unknown. Then the flight. At Heathrow I was dehydrated and tired, took me a while to schlep back home.....and then I went for a 10K run. It felt fantastic. I was warm, relaxed and enjoyed the scenery, all well. The next morning I couldn't bend my right leg, stiff as a stick. It took me a week to get back to easy activity, 10 days to go back to training.
I agree with you. Poor knee wasn't guilty, I think it started with my IT band through hours of not moving and sitting still and the pain focused on the side of the top of my knee.
But hey, imagine we do nothing and simply decide to age? Would all the pain go? No, it would get way worse. Our muscles would waste away, our brain would tell them they were not needed ('use it or lose it'), we would fall and break our brittle bones and end up.......like my old man basically, who celebrated when managing to put on his shoe....but not the other, couldn't bend the other way.
Yeah, we get injured because we are working on our bodies, and we are learning how not to get injured, and that's a long and often tricky process. Now we know that stretching after exercises is beneficial ('Because the tightness quietly creeps in and before you know it, you are in knots') and we need to figure out which specific exercises work best for us, given that we are all so different.
A lot in that mrrun. When we start C25k, many of us (definitely me included!) don’t know much about our anatomy in general or any particular weak points we may have as individuals. I am tempted to say that we find out by making mistakes, but that is too harsh a judgement. In truth, we learn about our personal running related physiology through experiencing the aches and pains which happen as we ask our legs, lungs and hearts (and more) to do new things. Only then, with a lot of help from my physio, did I identify the areas which needed extra work and start to piece together a picture of each leg as a whole; so, for example knee pain meant in my case that hips need work! My maintenance regime came out of that.
Bottom line may be that we each have very particular training needs, which we identify over time and hopefully adopt training regimes which work for us. So it isn’t surprising that we find a divergence of views as to the value of different approaches.
On stretching; long journeys by road, rail or air are, for me, bad news….as is sitting around. Muscles tighten and shorten. The same happens on hill runs and when I try to run less slowly (I can’t say fast in this company!), but warming the muscles up and stretching them works for me. We all find our own way in the end….🙂
Stretching is definitely a superpower although at a young age I decided it was something irrelevant to the likes of me - it was done by kids at school who took sport a bit serious and got injured and stuff.
When I began C25K at age 62 I dutifully went through the post run stretches quite perfunctorily.
Then one day after a run I felt a sharp pain in my left leg around the outside of the knee. I did an ITB stretch and it worked superbly, like uncoiling a tightly wound spring. Revelation!
Although I resent the 5 minutes or so it takes, when I am keen for a hot drink and maybe a bite to eat, I remind myself that it could be saving me days or weeks on the IC, and then I'm very happy to take the time to do them properly.
11.2k Saturday, I'm following the NRC, 6 a side Monday, gym Tuesday and a 27 minutes run and last night did a hill repeat run going to rest today and hopefully parkrun tomorrow
Content on HealthUnlocked does not replace the relationship between you and doctors or other healthcare professionals nor the advice you receive from them.
Never delay seeking advice or dialling emergency services because of something that you have read on HealthUnlocked.
