Thursday, 17 May 2012

My first running injury

I'm such a sensible girl you know, I got a niggle in my leg within a couple of weeks of starting running and so when it didn't go away after a week of trying to rest it I booked an appointment to see my very sympathetic sport-friendly doctor. I had gone to see her before starting out mountain biking all those many moons ago and she commended me on my sensible attitude towards getting a check-up before I started clocking up too many miles. I've clearly watched too many documentaries about obesity which have a disclaimer at the end pleading with you to "consult your doctor before embarking on any strenuous exercise".



So I booked the appointment 2 weeks ago and in true style the niggle has since lessened to a barely noticeable twinge. But still, just to make sure I went along to get it checked out.


Turns out, I've fallen into the over-eager trap and have done too much too soon. My excitement at how much I was enjoying running has made me run more miles than my legs were comfortable doing and this has resulted in aforementioned twinge. When twinge first appeared I tried to rest it, but it was so early into my running that I still went to club and still did parkrun and while it didn't go away it didn't get any worse either so I just decided to exercise through it. I was afraid of telling the doc this but when the words left my lips with me cowering behind them she merely shrugged and assured me that it wouldn't do me any harm as it's just a minor injury caused by overused muscles. Oh. Right. Nice one.

She did however stress the importance of getting a proper analysis done to make sure you're wearing the right kind of trainers. You see, although I have a proper pair of running trainers which I did get fitted for, I got fitted for them on the assumption that I was running off-road so they're not really suitable for tarmac or concrete running. So this Saturday Jane and I are going to Start Fitness in Newcastle to get the full shebang done and buy us some new bumpers.

I'm relieved that my 'injury' is nothing to worry about but I'll still keep a check on it in case it escalates to something more. I'm finding that in the first hour or so of waking up it's far worse but once I'm walking about and stretched the twinge goes away and when I'm running it barely bothers me. Still, I don't want to put an end to my running career when it has only just got started, especially considering how much I'm enjoying it.

I pat myself on the back for going to the docs to ask about it though, she said I could call back at any time and that she could easily arrange for some physio if I was concerned. You see, that's what GPs get paid to do - help you out with your health concerns. It's far more cost effective for me to query something early on and nip it in the bud than leave it and risk causing some serious damage that would cost the NHS far more to treat.

Moral of the story: if in doubt, get it checked out.

Today's motivational phrase: You only regret the exercise you don't do.

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