Not saying this is what you have but stress injuries often don’t show up on x-rays until there is a proper fracture. Don’t know if they would on US, maybe @Chriswim might?
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Wasnt stress fracture, actually pain went after 2 days. The pain was also at side of foot, no where near original injury.
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I assume you did the wise thing, and forgot about St George?
Sounds like you are on track @Matthew_Spooner subject to managing the footniggle away. Excellent work!
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yep, it was an aberation. Made no sense given my season and personal life.
However, I am no knocking St George, it will be an excellent race and worthy World Championship
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I’ve only ever heard of it being used in children for fractures, despite lots of reading into bone stress injuries out of personal interest. Can’t imagine the sensitivity would be very good compared to MRI, which is expensive and inaccessible mostly.
I assume the ultrasound was of the calf rather than the foot? Ruling out DVT, which seems more like a random test for anything rather than actual high clinical suspicion.
This go-fish approach seems much more common in a risk-averse health system with a private sector is my NHS-trained sceptic bias, although I am learning and shifting philosophy on the pros/cons of being taking risks with missing diagnoses.
EDIT: That said, if I had access to it I’d be wanting MRIs left right and centre for patients/myself. Had two this week with normal CT scans with an MRI showing spinal fractures needing emergency surgery.
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The Ultrasound was to look for DVT. The swelling was directly on a blood vessel in my foot. However, there was no sign of DVT. Dr said that if it doesn’t clear this week then she would send me for an MRI. Luckily the pain and swelling I had last week has gone and pain in metatasal is slowly clearing. So I don’t see too much point
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8 weeks in since I started increasing training quite a bit, and hit TSS of 100 for the first ever time today.
Prompting a look back at previous seasons. 2019 I had a peak of 68 for OW-bike-run, so guess around 80 if included pool swims.
2020 was a peak of 63 before Helvellyn.
Feeling good though, definitely manageable and got room to keep increasing training load which is pleasing. Best sign of fitness that I feel like I’m recovering faster and faster from sessions. Or that instead of feeling like I’m training hard/want race day to come I’m mentally wishing I was doing more/had started earlier/thinking what I could do 2023 if I kept going.
About to be a 10 day holiday, then 14 weeks to go when I get back.
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Sound like is all going in the right direction. Holiday might be beneficial too.
Yep, this last fortnight wouldn’t have been quite as hard if wasn’t going to be much bigger than normal rest week. Will aim to try do up to ~4hrs swim-run across the 10days, plus walking, but if not convenient could easily come home having done nothing.
Got an Olympic race 5 days after I come back that I want to race well at, so first week back will be getting back going again. First big test.
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Its interesting that we have totally different approach, and will be fascinating how we both perform. I am probably double the volume, averaging over 20h per week this year, but lower intensity, my CTL is 150.
I am not feeling fatigued, despite the load, however, that may be very personal
To do the type of training I am currently doing it would be impossible with a full time job
This is why performance coaching is so much fun, and a challenge. So many different ways that all may end in a similar destination, but very much depends on an individuals physiology. I could take two athletes train them identically and one would perform well, but the other could fall short. Thats why any decent coach will never have one size fits all and athlete/ coach may need a season to find a fit that works for them (although with a decent ent recent history you can have a decent stab at what may work best)
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Team, how is the training and focus? In peak training period now - how is consistency and key markers tracking?
Getting Covid a couple of weeks ago didn’t really help. Even though my symptoms were very mild, and I only took 2 days off training, I find that high intensity efforts are very tough. If I train in Zone 2, I feel normal and my recovery is normal, however, Zwift races, or intervals on the track wipe me out
I have been really focused this year. I am making huge gains in swimming, Taken between 15-20s off my 100m pace, and I am still seeing my times come down on a weekly basis. Its been a combination of more time in the water and being consistent, as well as S&C with a focus on upper body
Running I am finally injury free, my run is not where it was at this time last year, however, last year I peaked too early, so by the time I did Roth, my run was well off my best form. Hopefully this year, I can peak in running at the same time as I am racing
On the bike, I have been happy with my training so far. However, I need to get some longer rides done. Looking at my stats, I don’t have the same power I had last year, however, my HR seems lower when I compare like for like rides at similar power levels.
I am seeing a real difference this year. In previous years, the jump in performance, year on year, was very obvious, other than swimming, I am finding that gains are much harder to identify. Its probably a combination of factors, I am getting older and at some point age will catch up, and secondly I must be pretty close to my maximum potential
The first good indication will be in Challenge Salou in just over 3 weeks. I’ve not done a 70.3 since 2019, and have no idea where I am. Would be nice to do a sub 33 swim, 2:15 bike and sub 1:30 run, so 4:25 would be the target, but it depends on conditions on the day
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That was pretty much my experience, slowly regaining although I did have about 8 day break as I largely decided not to risk overloading my immune system. I was WFH for most of it so had that stress.
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I am binning my training today.
Swim last night was very tough, overall pace was only a bit slower, but it really wiped me out.
Not sure if this is just the normal after effects of Covid, or sign of over training. Whatever, I need a bit of a break. So next week will be a recovery week. No Zwift races, no hard efforts.
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I am struggling as well at the moment Matt, I was ill a couple of weeks back, tested negative but had a couple of total days off and then only light running/cycling. I then tested positive, I kept going, but again only light. I now feel fine, 8 days after positive test, no fatigue but I can feel something on the top part of my chest. Also my pace has dropped a lot for ‘easy HR’ when running, so I am not through. Quite frustrating as I want to kick on, but like you I think, we are in a waiting game until covid is done with us
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Hoping you both recover a lot quicker than my missus. Not saying she’s had covid (she never got PCR as never typical symptoms), but shortly after SA opened borders and had its covid wave she became very fatigued, sleeping through the day, massive lymph node in her neck, and tight chest perception. All sounded generic viral at the time → 4 weeks later she had normal bloods and chest XR → 8 weeks on she’s still struggling with just a daily walk/yoga or a 2-3 km easy swim, definitely no running for her.
Thankfully despite working in an A+E I still seem ok.
I have an adductor strain, which I’m thinking is related to cycling on TT bike, as it came on after I did 4 sessions in one week (2 with low cadence work), and had similar issue when I first bought the TT bike 4 months ago. I think I’m well fitted to it, but certainly if get another flare and think it’s related I’ll be going back to the fitter.
Waited til after my Olympic Tri at the weekend to have an answer.
As covered on the 2022 race thread, it went pretty much perfectly off the harder work I did starting from Christmas. Really looking forward to building the volume now and continue shifting towards longer stuff. Noticeably increasing fitness with quicker recoveries and longer capacity. Managed an easy 2.5hr ride yesterday and 2x90 minute swims today despite a hard weekend going into that Sunday race. Double swim due to missing tonights run, but I’m definitely swimming more than I ever have since starting tri as starting to be able to handle extra load after bike/run.
Best bit is that result in the context that I’m still increasing training and have more to give, but writing that sounds alarm bells of the risk of pushing too far so we’ll see.
Progress Summary with 12.5 weeks to go.
Swim - Going perfectly/Already sorted.
Bike - Some promising signs it’s about to start progressing
Run - Nowhere near panic mode, but do want to get in 8 weeks of consistent time on feet to get some Ironman resilience, as feel my marathon performance would be a long way behind my 10km.
Next true test is a 1/2 distance in 4 weeks time @Adam, then a recovery week (working nights), then 6 weeks hard training and 2 weeks taper.
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Oh and the race situation update:
Got approval for time off work last week.
Looked at flights, planned which ones I’ll get, need to book
Looked at the actual race for the first time with location etc. Realise its split transitions 30km apart.
Booked accommodation, and hire car.
Plan to fly Wednesday morning, and stay in Cairns Wednesday Thursday (to be cheap +/- see the expo, easy restaurants/cafes etc).
Pick up hire car Friday and drive 30km North to Palm Cove, stay there Friday night.
Saturday rack bike at Palm Cove, drive back to Cairns to leave my T2 stuff, and collect the missus from the airport. Back to Palm Cove for the night before the race.
Sunday: Race starts at 07:40 - As if the heat wasn’t going to be a big enough issue on the run anyway?! But hence why staying in Palm Cove so don’t have to get the 04:00 bus from Cairns to get there redicuously early.
Eat more than any sports science guide says you should. Conquer the swim. Be cheered on by the missus while she will just be praying it goes well so she can beat half the spectators into their cars to drive down to Cairns. Enjoy 5 hours on the bike in the rainforest with downpours and a headwind back, while she spends 2-3 hours trying to drive the 30km in the opposite direction but along the race route that also has a 70.3 coming back towards Cairns as on it that set off an hour ahead of us.
Enjoy a run round Cairns, where she pretends to watch, but is actually just enjoying cocktails by the beach with the rest of the team support, knowing no matter how drunk she gets she’ll still make more sense then anything I can say in the evening.
Sleep Sunday night in Cairns. Drive back North Monday, collect bike, and carry on North around Queensland for a weeks holiday.
Plan is coming together. I just need to actually enter the race now.
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As per my comments above, I’m slowly getting back, but it’s still 1 step forward and 1 step back.
I suspect it’s taking a bit longer to completely get over it, and the general public don’t push themselves to the point they’d notice it.
As with Matt it was the top 5-10% for me, very similar to after a blood donation, but for longer.
You might recover quicker with being younger?
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