Injured!

I'm injured! This is my first real problem in 2 years. I lay awake last night with everything going round my head, weighing up the options, generally stressing. Non-runners (like my manager) can't appreciate how much stress this causes. After 6 months of hard effort, everything is jeopardised by the simple fact that I failed to get a massage at the training camp.

I picked up a bit of a strain to the soleus after the training camp. I ran the training camp with some tightness in my soleus, which could have been sorted out with a simple massage. I could have booked a session if I'd realised I had to queue at 9am to get an early booking, but by the time I got my act together I could only book for the last day so didn't bother. Ah hindsight! I only strained it after my return and the muscle tightened with 2 days rest.

I had some physio on the Monday of my return, had a day's rest, and carried on running up to last Saturday. I was running OK, albeit with some tightness that was still causing some bone soreness (similar to shin splints), but I was getting occasional twinges in the side of my leg. I carried on running. Things weren't getting worse, but as far as the twinges and general low level aching on the side of my leg went, they weren't getting any better.

On Friday evening I got a big twinge whilst playing the piano - not exactly an energetic activity - and I wasn't even working the sustain pedal; just sitting there. This maybe should have told me something about the nature of the problem. I ran 6 miles on Saturday without any twinges - things looking up! I then put on my Skins compression tights under my jeans, and went shopping. My leg felt so sore! In the evening I got another big twinge, this time whilst chopping vegetables - again not exactly a high energy activity! I rose on Sunday morning, leg feeling good, and had my pre-run breakfast, but as I walked around, the aching came back. I dejectedly decided it was best to not run that day.

Another rest day on Monday followed, with a physio session Monday evening. She gave me ultrasound again - there was definitely a problem, but was it really as bad as the aching seemed to imply?

Tuesday morning and the leg felt fine, so my enthusiasm was returning, with the prospect of a gentle evening run to test the leg. As the morning wore on though, the aching grew and my mood lowered. Then at lunchtime as I walked to my car I got another big twinge and my leg suddenly felt far worse. Had I torn something again? As I walked around the supermarket I was almost limping. Oh no!

How could my leg be worse after a physio session?

A few hours later my leg actually felt much better - back to the previous levels of background aching rather than the soreness I'd experienced at lunchtime. I decided not to run Tuesday evening - 3 rest days and the prospect of aquajogging looming!

Last night I slept in my Skins compression tights. In contrast to previous nights when my leg improved overnight (as you'd expect), my leg seemed to get worse as far as the tingly ache in the side of my leg was concerned. I lay awake formulating my thoughts, planning my diary, should I need to drop Abingdon and run Luton, and generally wondering why my leg seemed to get worse with rest.

Some observations:
- I've not noticed any improvement in the general tingly ache around the middle of the calf.
- The site of the actual injury further up seems a lot better, and the muscle generally feels relaxed and OK.
- Physio seems to make the lower problem worse (!)
- Compression tights seem to make it worse.
- Stretching seems fine and doesn't hurt.
- The twinges I've been getting are not during exercise, but during rest periods followed by a gentle movement rather than a sudden demand on the muscle.

All this leads me to the conclusion that the pain I'm getting is due to damage to a nerve running down the side of my leg. I can feel a structure at the site of the pain which may be a nerve rather than a vein or muscle fibre. I can well believe that the damage was caused by my amateur attempts at physio after the training camp. The 'proper' physio may well be aggravating this, although it does seem to have fixed the original muscular problem. I'm seeing my physio on Friday and I'll see what her opinion is.

I'm running out of time here, with only 2 weeks to go this weekend. I'll resume running later today, ignoring the ache, maybe using some ibuprofen gel, and see how it goes. The weekend 20-miler will be the final test of my leg. I suspect I will still be sore, but providing I can do the run then I should be OK for Abingdon.

One way or another I will know whether the race is on by next Monday. Fingers crossed!