Marathon You Can Do It

Suffering injuries is part of the deal of choosing a running lifestyle.

The last week I suffered my first injury as I continue training for 2009 Standard Chartered Nairobi Marathon. I have suffered an Achilles Tendonittis in other words it is an inflammation of the Achilles. For a good description look at the image below.

If I was to take an x-ray of my leg it would look something like that.

Thanks to the injury I had to cancel one day of speed work and I have decided to cancel my weekly long run.

I have this nagging pain on the area, it is not serious and I could still run with the pain but I have decided to take precaution and avoid see it turn into something more serious. After all time is on my side, I started marathon training two months ago and I have made great progress and I still have two more months before the marathon. Start your training early and you will have time to treat inevitable injuries and get back to training.

What caused the Achilles Tendinitis.

I speculate it has something today with the changes in my training. The last two week I have been doing serious speed work and I guese the fast running was more than my body could handle.

Treatment of the Achilles tendinitis

A one week rest,wearing my sports shoes instead of my heavy boots to work, a few calf muscle strength exercise plus applying an anti-inflammation cream should heal the archilles tendonitis.

written by Constantine Njeru \\ tags: achilles tendinitis, Achilles Tendonitis, Achilles Tendons, Archilles, Calf Muscle, Cancel, Heavy Boots, Inflammation, Lifestyle, Marathon Training, Muscle Strength, Nairobi, Precaution, Shoes Boots, Speed work, Speedwork, Sports Shoes, Stanchart Marathon, Standard Chartered, Strength Exercise, Suffering, tendon, Time Is On My Side, X Ray

When most people undergo surgery of knee, ankle, hip or any other part of the leg they wonder whether it is possible to get back running. The answer is Yes.

Inspiration for recovering surgery from Joan Samuelson

Joan Samuelson was the first woman Olympic marathon champion. Looking at her career you will see she had a record of surgeries but she was able to return to road running and win races at the top level.

Joan Story story of overcoming surgeries

Born in Cape Elizabeth, Maine, Benoit took to long-distance running to help recover from a broken leg suffered while slaloming. At Bowdoin College she excelled in athletics and then entered the 1979 Boston Marathon as a relative unknown. She won the race, while wearing a Red Sox cap,[1] in 2:35:15, knocking eight minutes off the competition record. She repeated that success with a victory again in 1983 that took more than two minutes off the world’s best time, set by Grete Waitz in the London Marathon just the day before, despite having had surgery on her Achilles tendons two years earlier.

At the 1984 Summer Olympics she won the first Olympic women’s marathon in a time of 2:24.52 in hot and smoggy conditions, more than a minute ahead of her rivals; again despite surgery, this time arthroscopic surgery on her knee 17 days before the trials earlier that year.

From Joan story, you can see it is possible to recover from surgery and get back to running. To get back to running you have to allow a full recovery. Make sure your Doctor is informed with your intention so that he can monitor your recovery because he alone has the authority to give you a green light to start running again.

Once your doctor gives you a go ahead start running on soft surfaces  first such as treadmills, oval track and grass before hitting the tarmac.

Happy healing

written by Constantine Njeru \\ tags: 1984 Summer Olympics, Achilles Tendons, Boston Marathon, Bowdoin College, Broken Leg, Cape Elizabeth Maine, Competition Record, First Woman, Joan Samuelson, Knee Ankle, london marathon, Marathon Champion, olympic marathon, Olympic Women, Oval Track, Runnign, Slaloming, Soft Surfaces, summer olympics, Treadmills, Waitz