Injuries

As I've become more active this year, I've been more prone to injury. It started a ways into my half marthon training with a tight back and tight legs. Then my left calf muscle went haywire on me, taking 3 weeks to recover. Not long after that was fixed, I hurt my left foot. And now, just when that's feeling back to normal, I've pulled my groin. What's my problem?? I think partly it's due to following a race preparation schedule that hasn't been tailored for the individual (me), and partly it's due to not knowing my body well enough to see the problems before they hit. If I've learned anything it's that, while the body can adapt and grow stronger, it is a complex thing, and any weakness can cause a breakdown as you push yourself further and further.

Now that I'm getting back into some half marathon training (targeting September), it will be interesting to see whether I can train injury free. This time I'd like to fare on the side of progressing slowly, even if it means that my long-slow-distance runs aren't up to 20k by September.

July 8th Update: This week I pulled the other side of my groin at ultimate. Two realizations: 1) Not wearing cleats appears to put more stress on your stability muscles, and 2) Playing ultimate in a competitive setting is not a good idea unless you're in a very good, injury free state!

My plan at this point is to train for next May's Ottawa marathon.