Injuries

Sport- be it team games like Soccer and Rugby of both codes, or individual pursuits like running, cycling or triathlon come with a risk of injuries sustained during the contest or training for the event as you gradually begin to stretch the limits of your body as you prepare to subject to a few hours of physical endurance.

And injuries suck big time- and I think can vouch for that from extensive experience!

My Rugby career endured a few enforced stoppages even from its early days…in order the following occurred.

Shin Splints, Strained Left Ankle Ligaments, Right Knee Medial Ligament strain, Runners Knee, Strained AC (Shoulder Joint), Prolapsed L5 Disc, Torn Gluteal Muscle, Torn Posterior Cruciate Ligaments in both knees, Torn Right Adductor, Broken Left Forearm…

Reads like a proper Butchers Bill, but I count myself lucky as none of them were career ending. As saw plenty of my team mates hang up their boots as they were on the end of an injury which the could not or were not willing to attempt to come back from- and I cast no judgement on the latter point on those who made that choice. Its personal and heart breaking to have to make that choice and can take as much courage as taking the field again.

So when it came to my return to training it shouldn’t have come as a surprise that I got my wings clipped early and succumbed to another- yes, yet another bloody injury!!

My training has been going well. Swimming was up to twice a week, I was riding to work and throwing in a Turbo session as well.

I had also started running with my local Running Club. A lovely group of people who would meet up one week night/ week officially and head off from a common meeting place in different groups based upon pace/ ability. It started promisingly and was going well. Then disaster struck.

We did a hilly 10Km route. This was a big test for me but I was going really well- the legs and the lungs had come to life! We got round the run and I headed the short walk home on foot.

I got back to the house and kicked off my shoes, and in event of stepping on the right heel of my trainer to slip it off, something went POP! on the inner side of my right knee as my foot came free sharply from shoe. Oh shit that hurt. (Lesson- always take your shoes off properly!)

By my own diagnosis I had torn/ badly strained one of the adductors on my right thigh. I could literally feel myself walking on that side of my body with all the wrong muscles in that leg. Coupled with that I had developed a form of Tendonitis around the top of my shin beneath the front of my knee known as Pes Anserinus Tendonitis.

I could still Swim, I could actually still Bike as well but running was out for a good while.

So a frustrating period ensued whereby I was limited over the winter to the above, plus a gym I session I set myself whereby I got on a rowing machine followed by a stint on a static bike, before stepping onto a treadmill and nurse my right knee progressively through longer workouts as the weeks progressed.

My first proper run was a week or so before my first Sprint Triathlon event. Myself and a few club mates went and rode the bike course leg and then ran the 5k, 3 lap route of the park the event was being held in.

I wasn’t running well but I knew I would get round- phew! But still my abiding memory is that I had forgotten how to run….how do you do that?

Well simply put, you lose what you don’t use! A chastening experience awaited me I felt.