Ive been running for over 20 years (not continuously!) and in that time I've achieved a fair amount - many many 10k's and half marathons, several marathons and numerous rather more obscure but no less challenging distances and events. During that time I've been pretty lucky on the injury front and managed to come through fairly unscathed each year. In fact looking back over my sporting life thus far, I seem to have avoided any kind of serious injury.
When I was at school, I played a lot of rugby both for school and club and most weekends and once or twice during the week, I would be running around a rugby pitch either in training or playing a match. As I left school, my rugby career came to an end and, other than a few scars and minor bumps, I seemed to remain remarkably injury free. Now some of my team mates may say that that demonstrated a lack of committment to the cause and whilst I full accept that my total try tally remained very much in single figures, I did pride myself on being able to tackle even the largest of opposition 2nd rows. Other team mates seemed to regularly break collar bones, arms, legs and other appendages but not me!
As well as running, I spent many years competing in Triathlons and managed some reasonable placings in National events. I finished many half Ironman events and a full Ironman back in '96. At this point I was training most days of the week, sometimes twice a day, and racing regularly. Much of my cycle training was spent on the main road between Glasgow and Helensburgh at 6:00pm when the mass migration of 4x4's takes place but again, never a crash, a bump or an injury did I sustain.
Three years ago I decided to get back into running seriously again and entered the West Highland Way Race. As I increased my mileage, for the first time, my body seemed to object and the first of a raft of injuries appeared. In that first year, they were enough for me to withdraw from the race before even getting to start the line and although I have since gone on to finish it and many other ultras, rarely can I say that I am running injury free. When I read other runners blogs and reports, it is clear that my mileage by comparison is fairly minimal. I'm not putting in 70 miles a week, week in week out but clearly what I am doing is causing me some damage.
When I tell people that I am prone to heading out for a 40 mile run at the weekends or taking part in a 95 mile trail race, their image is of an incredibly fit individual leaping through the hills for hours on end. The reality is that whilst my heart and lungs are pretty efficient, leaping and bounding do not feature very high on my list of abilities. It is encouraging however to know that I am not alone. When I talk to other runners, conversation normally comes round to injuries and from my experience, it's a miracle that any of us are walking at all let alone running. Everyone seems to be carrying some degree of ailment or injury that the doctor's said they should rest but we all seem to be able to carry on regardless. I once visited a local GP to seek advice on knee pain I was experiencing. After a brief consultation and a cursory look at the offending area he described me as being like a car that from the outside looked in great shape, well maintained, good paintwork and bodywork, but when you get behind the wheel and turn on the engine you realise that it's already done 100,000 miles! He told me that this was only to be expected and offered me a cortisone injection that would "see me alright for a few months and then you can come back for another"!. Needless to say I managed to find an alternative practitioner who was able to treat the problem and not just the symptoms.
So what does all this mean? Is running really good for you or is it a means of slowly inflicting an ever increasing degree of stress onto a weakening body? There is one factor that perhaps I have been deliberately ignoring - when I played rugby I was in my teens; when I started running I was in my twenty's, when I raced Triathlons I was in my thirty's - now I am in my forty's and much as I hate to admit it, this must have some impact. I know that 42 is not old and a look at this years WHW race entry list shows many runners competing well into their 50's and beyond but I can't hide from the fact that my PB days are behind me and that perhaps I need to pay a bit more attention to the daily maintenance to ensure that I've still got another 100,000 miles on the clock!
3 comments:
Graham,
Runners are probably the least fit people active today! Heart and lung wise, along with all the usual endurance athletes, we will top the list of most fit, but as far as muscular damage goes we are always stiff,inflexible and suffering from some ailment or other. Why? The constant running, often without any cross training to relieve the pounding can only damage the body. I always describe getting fit as "not through training but resting sufficiently to allow the damaged fibres to repair, thereby getting stronger" this applies not only to muscle but every tissue and physiological system in the body.
If you think about your past history, did rugby require you to constantly repeat the same action, therefore tiring the same muscles, or was your 80 minute effort made up of various activities, thereby spreading the load, and frequent "breathers".Most rugby injuries are contact injuries, not necessarily causing the type of wear and tear we gradually accumulate when running. Your tri days by definition spread the load into three different exercises two non weight bearing. In addition, as we age the body takes a little longer to repair itself, and as runners we lack the patience to await recovery, again leading to injury. We can choose to train when we like for as long as we like, whereas in team sports we generally abide by fixed training sessions and match lengths.
There is also a wee problem that I think runners suffer from more than most; when injury repairs the nervous system has "noted" the injury for so long that it does not realise the tissue has repaired and your brain continues to recognise symptoms and convinces you that the injury is still there. Only a scan (and try getting one of them in your local health centre) will finally convince the brain the injury is clear! That is particularly prevalent in elite runners, for whom every drama is a crisis. Next time you here a coach telling an athlete that his injury is in his head, that's where he's coming from.
Another injury problem is the secondary injury. You have an injury, say a left hamstring tear. You then take every step favouring that injury, your gait suffers and puts pressure on your right side then when your hamstring repairs you have a tight right calf. That becomes a vicious circle and your next injury is to your left hip because you favour the right calf. Familiar?
I spent my twenties and thirties lozzocking around on boats and boards and zooming round on motorbikes and have come to endurance sports late (in a mid-life crisis stylee!). See me, I'm that elusive bargain of an old MkII golf GTI with only 25,000 miles on it. Doesn't seem to stop me geting injured though! As well as age and mileage you can blame that part of your pysche that gets you out training whatever, I have been somewhat surprised to discover that I share it - must be in the genes somewhere. Actually when you think on Helensburgh's fittest septegenarian it all makes sense.
Nice work at the deerstalker although judging by the pics your hat seems to have come off at the start.
As the recipient of the majority of the fractures and dislocations mentioned I should have, with hind sight, stopped rugby at 20 - but such is life.
I see my self as the Older BMW 5 series, still plenty of pace & power but with soft suspension and dodgey brakes.
Where is your hat? The guy behind you looks way faster..
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