THR Long daily walks : good or bad ?

[Poppet]

Thanks Mihai

Yes we have all the accessories and gear.. We have taken to this like a duck takes to water..

SO was in special forces so in the past we did a lot of Rick climbing, propelling etc.. earlier years we were called the adrenaline junkies.. Happy just to master my new found life of NW right now..

Understand what you mean about mtb and mud.. A bit like black ice we are experiencing at the moment. You are so right, there will be many, many more races in the future for you. I also think that having the goal was just what you needed for your recovery..

Yes, I will be in touch via email soon

 

[adaflorida]

Incredible update and phots. INSPIRING.

Thanks!

Be well,

Alicia

 

[raducanmihai]

Unfortunately I didn't go today to the mtb race I wanted to. The reason is not the weather,but a sharp pain in my muscle above my right knee. I canceled a few days ago my registration to the race and the hotel reservation,as I supposed to go a day before and spend one night there.
This annoying pain bothered me from the moment I returned from my last hiking trip (pictures above). At first,I thought that after a few days will go away. But it didn't.I am not sure what it is but it seems to come from the knee (even if the pain is 10-15 cm above) and it is the worst when walking downhill. Going uphill there is (almost) no pain. I reduced the intensity of my workouts,keeping the same time (more than 12 hours this last week). If necessary,I will also reduce the time to around 8 hours/week,but I hope it won't be.

 

[Jamie]

So sorry your plans had to be changed. Please let us know how you're getting along. If you continue to experience this pain, you may need to get it checked out.

 

[Poppet]

Hi Mihai

So sorry you had to cancel your mtb race, I know this has been your ultimate goal and the stimulus to train throughout your recovery and you must be incredibly disappointed... but, our THR's always have to come first in life and especially yours because you went through a lot to even be here.

I am hopeful that you have strained the muscle and would suggest the best thing for that is going to be complete rest, elevate, ice/ heat and if it were me, I would stop all training for at least three days and see if it settles. However, as Jamie said, if it continues you should get it checked out.

I have an app which shows all the muscles in 3D images, and I just checked it out in the area you are describing. I have tried capturing it to show you here but it is difficult on my iPad so will send it via email.. It may help you identify the area of the pain let me know if you get the email

Once again, I am sorry and disappointed for you - take care.

 

[raducanmihai]

Thank you Sandy,I've got your emails. Very nice and detailed pictures ! My pain is about 15 cm above the right knee,on the outer part of my leg. It is a deep,sharp pain,but it seems to have no origin point. I can't put the finger on a spot and say : this is where the pain starts.
As I said,I suspect the pain comes from the knee and it is transmitted through a nerve ,as I also feel a faint pain below my kneecap.Also,during the downhill portions,the pressure on the joints is the greatest,so it makes sense for the pain to increase,if it comes from the knee. For the record,I like (like anybody else) to diagnose myself,but I think it is one of the biggest mistakes someone can do. The measures/medication someone takes after diagnosing himself/herself can do more damage to the real medical problems they have. But,for now,I am unable (for different reasons) to see a doctor,so I have to wait and see what happens.
The total rest didn't work for me. After I came back from the hike,I rested for 3 days and I only exercised for about 3 hours that week,so that it was almost like a total rest for me.

How about you Sandy ? I've red that you fell ! I hope you are you ok. Unfortunately,this type of things will happen at one point or another to everybody,no matter how much they pay attention.

 

[Poppet]

Hi Mihai

I am going to tag Jo, to throw some light on your pain Josephine;

Hang in there

 

[Josephine]

I always think it's a mistake to try and pin down a pain to a particular structure as it's usually more widespread than that. Obviously this generally follows the path of the IT band but that's not to say it is necessarily confined to that. Have a look here and see where the IT band is Ilio-tibial band (ITB) issues and pain: exercises

Try this massage technique:
- sit down with your leg on a stool and slightly internally rotated so you can easily get at the outside of the thigh
- make a fist and with your finger knuckles, massage the area up and down as hard as you can and as hard as you can tolerate. This will be exquisitely painful for a while but should ease as you continue. Ice for a while afterwards. Do this daily and eventually the pain of it should ease. This is called acu-pressure, by the way.

 

[raducanmihai]

Thank you very much for this ! The line of the ilio-tibial band is exactly where it hurts. Starting just above the knee (very little pain there) and going up to about 15-18 cm (6-7 inches) where I have the sharp,deep pain . I'll try the massage and I'll use a bag of frozen vegetables as ice .I'll let you know in about a week how this treatment worked for me.

 

[Lgastreich]

Hi, Mihai...just wanted to add a note that I'm sorry you had to miss the race, but glad you took the more conservative route and sat out. I hope the treatment plan works for you.

 

[raducanmihai]

I have an update about my sharp pain. Sometimes is better,sometimes is worse,but the massage is definitely working.One time it was so worse that I was actually limping was after a swimming session. I usually don't swim because I don't have a pool nearby and I don't really like it too much. I can't do the crawl technique (because of my shoulder),so I breaststroke. I wanted to see if I can swim 1 km (20X50m pool lengths). I did,but after that,all day long I was limping.
Anyway,I found in my house a "device" made from wood that is usually used for back massage but I found it very useful for my leg. The "wheels" are turning (they are mounted on a pin) and the bumps are inducing a nice massage-like feeling.It looks like this :

 

[Poppet]

Hi Mihai

pleased that the massage is helping. I have a wooden massage roller just like yours somewhere hidden away in a box.

Do you think that maybe you should rest a little more? I am concerned for you that you may be overdoing it.... concerned for you

 

[raducanmihai]

I took 2 days off : yesterday and today and,depending how I'll feel tomorrow,I will exercise or not. Thank you for your concern,I'll try to take it easier.

 

[Poppet]

Hi Mihai, hope the added rest days help.. It is very much two steps forward and one back sometimes. It is a complex surgery to get over, but you will improve I am sure

 

[raducanmihai]

First of all : the pain is almost gone! The massage is definitely working. Thank very much for your help!

Second: It seems I am over trained. My first alarm signal was the pain I was talking about (above my right knee). The second sign was a general fatigue and lack of power in my legs (when cycling). Luckily,my new toy (Suunto T6d watch/heart rate monitor) can do some nice tricks and with the help of a complex software (Firstbeat) confirmed my suspicion that I am over trained/unrecovered.
In my quest for loosing weight and getting fitter, I did a lot of hard workouts (at least,hard for me) and not enough recovery sessions. I also took very few days off (in some weeks not a single day). The result is over training.
Now,that I know the cause, it seems easy to fix it. I just have to take it a little easier. The Firstbeat software also has a feature called "Training Coach" that,based on your data (age,sex,height,weight,maxHR,VO2max,restingHR,activity level),tells you when, how much time and how intense you should train. It mixes hard workouts with recovery workouts and rest days is a way that you do not over train ,but you only progress in getting fitter. I will try to follow closely this program and see what happens next.

 

[Josephine]

That sounds like a canny piece of software - perhaps we should get it for BoneSmart. But £370? Gee wizz - expensive toy!

Glad the massage is working. My chiro insists a person cannot do acupressure to themselves because they will naturally hold back from the intensity that will work best. I just told him "wanna bet?" The only thing that held me back from total success with it was my weak wrists and shoulders - just couldn't apply that much pressure.

 

[raducanmihai]

It is not only the heart rate monitor (Suunto T6d) that does the work. Also,the software (Firstbeat) does the calculation. The watch collects the data and the software analyze it. So,one can't do without the other. The recovery analyze it is based on the R-R interval,or better say : the heart rate variability. The watch can measure this and ,based on that, the software does its thing.

 

[Poppet]

I want one for my Nordic Walking...

Hehehe! Poppet has to have her toys!

Hi Mihai, so pleased you are resting.. not good to over train.. will write soon

 

[raducanmihai]

I am not only resting but also doing recovery workouts. That means between 30 minutes and 2 hours of maximum 70% of maxHR.
If everything works well,this Sunday I'll do a short and relatively easy (28km/17miles and 700m/2300 feet elevation gain). I'm not doing any plans yet,because the last time I planned something like this it ended up with a big disappointment for me.

 

[Poppet]

Hi Mihai

Just checking in with you to see how you are recovering. Did you get to go for a ride last weekend?