With the Hardmoors race less than two weeks away and my chest still sore I decided to listen to advice (thanks for those who commented and rang) and went to casualty to check out what I'd actually done when I fell 11 days ago.
I thought it was a muscular thing but the pain is very similar to when I cracked a couple of ribs at the end of December. Either way there probably wasn't much they could do but I thought it was important to find out and get some advice.
One of the main reasons for not going until today was not wanting to hear that I need to rest for a few days. I've already reduced the miles I'd planned for these last two weeks from 55-60miles to 35miles last week and 27miles this week.
But I feel the priority now is to try and get to the start line on Saturday 20th March healthy with no pain from my chest. So if that means not running at all between now and the start then I'm prepared, reluctantly, to do that. I've been able to run over the last 11days with a sore chest but it's a struggle and I know I'm not running freely. I don't really want to run 55miles that way.
I'd rather go into the race feeling under cooked and healthy than having ran over the past two weeks but still sore.
I arrrived just after 2pm and after a 20min wait saw the triage nurse who said it might be another 90mins or so. Thankfully I took Peter Kay's 'Saturday Night Peter' to read so the time passed quickly.
The doctor had a good feel about and listened to my breathing which was fine. She thinks it is a muscle briuse and will ease in time. The problem is that each time I breathe it works the sore muscle. I asked whether it would help if I didn't run for a few days and she said it would.
So I'm going to have a few days off and see how it responds. Then I could have a few runs at the end of the week and the beginning of next week before the race on Saturday 20th March.
Congratulations to all those who ran in the first race in the new SUMS (Scottish Ultra Marathon Series) yesterday ... The Glasgow to Edinburgh Double marathon. I've not seen the official results but Silke kindly kept me in touch with how Thomas was doing .... and he was doing very well. Thomas finished 4th in 6hrs 55mins which is 27mins faster than he ran last year. Congratulations Thomas and Silke - a great team effort.
Silke has written up her account and Thomas has given a brief account of the race on his blog.
8 comments:
A muscle bruise is probably the best you could hope for. I had something similar a few year ago, and at first was seriously worries until the doctor gave me the same diagnosis. You'll be fine in a few days, and it sounds like your race will go ahead.
All the best!
good news is quite the right phrase but i'm glad it's nothing more serious. hope a few days good rest sees you back to training soon
I am sure the rest will do you good. Hope your chest feels better soon, and that you are able to get to the hardmoors start line without being in any discomfort.
vicky
Best wishes for a speedy recovery. Enjoy the rest
Hi John, I would say that the chances are that you HAVE cracked some ribs but I don't think that running or not running will make any difference to your recovery. I'd just do what running you can and I'm sure another couple of weeks will see it easing off more. It took 4 weeks before I could sleep comfortably with my ribs.
Wishing you all the best. Far better to take it easy and be well for the HM55, than to DNS.
Look after yourself John. You've done the hard graft so could get away with a couple of easy weeks.
Protein... protein... protein... Take a protein shake every 4 hours until a day or 2 after the pain goes. I find it half recovery time for any muscular injury.
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