Short of the HTFU posts…does anyone have a suggested path to get me to the start line at IMLou with the right balance between health and fitness?? I am dealing with a calf that is injured…not torn, but it had some serious adhesions in it after Muncie that I subsequently made worse by pushing through my planned 2 hour run the Thursday after…ever since the thing has nagged and just won’t go away…had a camp planned on July 25-26 at which we ran the IMLou run course one time. I got that done but by the end of 13.1, I was feeling it pretty badly and was afraid it was going to really seize up at any moment.
I can ride without issue and did a nice rainy 140 miler this past weekend and plan on a 150 miler this coming weekend…but last night I tried a simple 18 x 2 brick and while I ran o.k., I could feel “that spot” in my calf and realized that I am not ready to fully return to my run training…if I take another full week off from running I will be within 6 days of the planned beginning of my taper…no way I can build back to my normal run base that quickly without re-injuring the calf…
If you’re doing 150 mile training rides then I imagine that the race is important to you. Shoot, I don’t think I’ll ever do a 150 mile training ride and I know the race is important to me. So instead of next week, how about today? Or tomorrow? If next week is the earliest you can get in then that’s what you’ll have to do.
I’m doing the overmileage rides to compensate for the lack of running…normally I top out at 120-ish followed by a 6 mile run…that was originally to be next weekend in my “plan”…
That is a lot of time in the saddle. I’m sure your taint is happy that taper is coming. You know, that piece of prime real estate between Scrotumburg and Anusville.
For that reason, I am Mr.“Saddle” I have tried just about all of them!! Finally found one that works at those distances…that and I found a new taint lube that is really awesome (TBS - That Butt Stuff)…
As for the saddle time, I have found over the years that having that confidence of being able to nail the long rides makes race day seem easier and I come off the bike less fatigued and more ready to run to my potential (which ain’t sayin’ much but it is what it is…)…
ART … massage … dry needling … whatever treatment you can get in. Especially if it’s adhesions or knots that stuff can really help break things up. You still have a few weeks for the calf to calm down. You may also want to replace some of your planned runs with pool runs (boring but it works). I had to pool run for over 4 months with an achilles injury after college and ended up running a PR in my first indoor track race back. I would think if you continue to train smart and get some aggressive treatment for your calf you have a good chance of getting to that start line healthy.
Water Running, ART, and Stretching.
Deep Water Running is a great way to keep your current fitness levels for Louisville and with no impact it will allow the ART to fix the problem quicker.
Run as close to the same duration you had planned as possible…it can get boring but will get you to the start line in better condition than running on it. I speak from experience. Just try to keep your hr elevated.
I had a slightly torn calf about 12 years ago and raced on it all summer. I did exactly as you’ve indicated … I swam and biked way more and did no run training. I wasn’t doing IM racing then but my only runs were during races. I always wore heavy, mega supportive training shoes in the races (no speed laces either so I could make sure they were on and cinched up well for extra support) and did the first mile very slowly to warm it up for running. I would try this approach and do a little water running too but that is so boring it may be hard to go more than 45 minutes
Hope to see you in as good a shape as possible in a few weeks since I’m going to be trying to get through that one too.
I have dealt with soleus strains in the past and at this point getting to the line with a healthy calf would trump any minor gains in run fitness you could make. ART/massage, gentle stretching (if there is no pain, don’t stretch it with pain) and doing some contrast of ice/heat at night can help. Pool running helps to keep muscle memory and form, for me 1 hour is about the longest I can handle of pool running…good luck
