Injured - Do I still race? Help needed!

Dawn Cass

Hello, looking for some feedback please....been in an emotional roller coaster the last weeks on A race....

Last year was a fantastic year, completed first full IM at top 15% of AG, a month later raced HIM and took 2nd, and fall marathon with a PR and 1st in AG.  All my goals were more than exceeded.

October I started to get hamstring pain on and off....spring of this year has gotten very painful.  In April they finally did a scan and told me it's tendinosis.  Had PRP where they also treated a small tear in hamstring....this was done July 1st.  Rested (didn't even lift things) for 2 weeks, and in the month of July longest run has been 4.5 miles.  It's still painful...and comes on within 1 mile of running.

No pain while swimming or cycling.  Have been doing 100 mile rides and kept to training schedule apart from runs.

On the swimming and cycling fronts, I have never been in such good shape....based on my times and the stats, I could probably take a HUGE chunk of time off my race.  I was happy with my 12.30 hrs last year....and was shooting for sub 11 and have been on track for getting there.....apart from the running.

So where I need everyone's feedback....do I still race Madison (Sept 7th) this year?  I could probably nail the swim and cycle but my overall fitness would need to carry me through the run.....and would probably be a run/walk at best.  I did HIM in Colorado this year and had pain throughout the run....I just ran through it and came in top 15% of AG.  My brain may have me "run through it" on the full if my leg tolerates.

I am very upset as my fitness is extremely high and it seems a waste not to do the race.  That said, if I do it....do I risk injury even further that sets me back from getting back to fitness for 2015?  They say that this is a pretty serious injury that can take 3 months-year to recover from.  No one is saying specifically "don't" do the race otherwise tendon will tear/snap, etc.

I would appreciate thoughts.

From, your stressed and upset fellow racer... 

morpheus

Here's my personal opinion.....

An IM costs alot of $$$ and I would do it if I could. Knowing that the run will suck. Would run it really REALLY conservatively cuz I'd expect my hammy to seize up when it fatigues. Baby steps type running. Don't try to sneak anything by it. It's waiting for that and will revolt at the opportunity.

Will long term damage be done? Who knows. But, I'm pretty stubborn and if I paid for that kind of race/event, and I'm not in a body cast, I'm going to do it. If it were an olympic dist, no way. A marathon? no way. An IM? probably.

After you have 'played the hand that was dealt ya', you should put all your energy into recovering and getting healthy. FOR REAL! I half assed recovery for injuries for several years and never fully got over any of the calf or hammy stuff, 4 years running. Thought I was doing it right, but looking back on it, ....delusional. REST. AS LONG AS IT TAKES.
On the extreme side, I took this whole year off from racing and I'm now better than when I started this gig. Practically, IM type training, but without a race deadline. So, I have the flexibility to shut it down if my legs are tired or sore or if my sleep is waning, etc. Not looking at weeklong progresses. Just hard work vs long work vs recovery...that's as far as my training telescope reaches.

Point is....alot of $$$ into an IM. Can you be OK with a crappy, but safe, run? If so, go put another notch on the belt and just accept that you best time wasn't meant to be this year. If the money doesn't matter to you or you can't be ok with that angle, then rest, and start getting healthy for next year.

You just have to be brutally honest with yourself from here on to get to where you want to be.



Good luck!

donymo

If I were in your situation, I would do it and be aggressive on the bike and walk the marathon.

Carrie Chavez

If it were me, I would do an Aqua/Bike and turn in my chip. Race as if I was doing the whole thing- same Ironman effort on swim and bike so I have an idea of my true fitness gains ( as you speak of all your improvements this year). Then I would do the big recovery needed starting from a place that is not hugely jacked up as would happen if I raced the marathon. I would not stress or worry anymore about it and enjoy my swim and bike and be excited for a strong and healthy 2015. Once you make your decision be at peace with it and find the joy in what you can do and your hope for the future. Shoulda couda wouda statements don't help you at all. I wish you luck in your decision.

Carrie ( have not posted in ages but thought I would chime in)

rlh2000

I agree with Carrie's post, as long as you think you'll be able to turn the chip in after the bike. Sounds like you have big dreams, so it might be very tempting to just try out that marathon thing. To that, I'd say NO!! Based on the injury/run training, your chances of a PR on the run are slim to none, so really nothing to gain that you can't get just from the aquabike. Think of how much better your 2015 season can be if you don't have to wait to recover on a marathon, especially a marathon done with an injury!!

In terms of the $$, yes, IM is a lot, but as someone who has had to bail on races this year, you come out even or ahead as long as you cancel hotels, travel, etc.

david ware

I am in a similar situation with knee surgery coming up Thursday; week 6 of 20 and no running for another 6-8 weeks. At best I will have 4-6 weeks to start running. I am planning on the swim and bike and will mostly walk with a little running to just get to the finish. I have mentally set myself for that and will take no chances that might have a long term harm. I plan to just have fun. If you can put the competitive drive in your pocket and feel like doing a walk/run then go for it. If you would be tempted to push yourself then I would take Carrie's advice and stop after the bike. Best wishes!

Mike Roberts

Hey Dawn, so sorry to hear about your injury. I lost 1.5 yrs to a knee injury, so can relate to the frustration. Odds are, if running makes your leg hurt, then true healing won't start until you stop making it hurt. Which means, no running. If it were me (the 45yo version, not the 28yo who fought thru knee pain for a year before giving in to surgery), I'd start the healing now and put all my focus into rehab and start planning my comeback next year. With a month to go and very little run base, there's no realistic chance of you having a good all-around race, let alone compete in your AG. It just won't happen. If finishing Moo means a ton to you, and you're OK with the thought of walking 6 hours, then do it - as long as your doc signs off. If walking will embarrass you or piss you off and make you think you wasted your time/$, bail now and turn yourself into a rehab ninja. Personally, I couldn't plan on turning my chip in after the bike. I just couldn't mentally get up for a month of hard training, then spend the time and money going to an event where my perfect dream-come-true result is a DNF. That's just me, though. Whatever you chose, I hope to see you happy and healthy very soon.

SLICKARCH

Dawn
Agree with most. Im going on 20 years of various tris distances. Through that time period I have been in a few injury modes. Pushing through some injuries can basically prolong that injury and/or create another from over compensation. I have rejoined EN (hopefully to return to competition ) after about 5 months of mod to this side of serious degenerative discs. I even had basic life skills i.e bending over to tie shoes being too damn hard. Could not even compete this year -yuk. So, in a sense it may be better to go through the PT etc and do other things (swim bike etc) and wait until "complete recovery" and rebuild. Impatience appears to be in our genetic code. There's always late season or 2015 doing another form of competition to keep the soul tame and a healthy one at that. Good luck

MattAaronson

Any money already spent (e.g. nonrefundable registration fees) is irrelevant to this decision. That is the sunk cost fallacy. From a financial perspective, the only money that matters is that which isn't yet spent but will be spent in the course of doing the race if you decide to go.

Personally I would not emphasize financial considerations in any case. For me this would be a psychological issue. You were jazzed about getting top 15% in your AG, so going out and walking the marathon and not doing anything close to your capabilities is probably going to be very tough to handle and unfulfilling. At least that would be the case for me. I got injured in January and pulled the plug on doing 70.3 Florida in April not because I wasn't capable of finishing, but because there would have been no point. But everyone is different in this respect so if getting across the finish line is going to really fire you up, perhaps it’s a good idea.

All of the above of course assumes the act of walking the marathon doesn't aggravate the injury and make things worse and/or prolong the recovery time…

Leslie Knight

Dawn, I think it depends on your goals.  Forget any PRs or even a decent performance.  Do you LOVE doing the event itself?  I agree with the sunk cost fallacy- spent costs are spent- don;t worry about that.  But here's the thing...with tendinosis, you are at uh higher risk for tendon rupture (which could happen as you run up a hill) and a longer recovery time or even surgery.  You should only continue to train for and do this race if you are willing to take the risk that you could do worse damage than you have now.  Should you choose to race just for the joy of being there that day, then I recommend you commit to a long period of rest and recovery and don't even sign up for another race until you are completely 100% pain free.  That could be 12-18 months.  Then start low and go slow.  You'd have to pretend you are a newbie and slow down at the first sign of injury or pain.  

Dawn Cass

All, thanks for the inputs and your posts....very helpful as I try to figure out best way forward. Every time I decide in my head, am not going to do it...something else there says do it....so great to get everyone's perspective!

I think the reality is that I would not be happy at all to walk most / all of the marathon. I did it before for a standalone marathon due to injury and it was no fun. Clearly not going to get a PR and a longer time would upset me....even if it's "justified." Think it would still be upsetting. And to consider....@Matt, as you mention....this assumes I don't do further damage to it.

I may look into an official aqua bike race to at least test my fitness there...and not feel pressured to do the run. Then I think however...is it not just best to rest it and not even push (racing 2.4 swim and 112 cycle is still going to stress the injury).

Now thinking to change my outlook....spend 2014 on recovery...and hit 2015 hard, and even focus on how could I train to be a KQ? Not sure it's in me but you never know what can happen even with roll down.

Still on the fence but getting closer to jumping to one side or the other!

Any other helpful thoughts I am all ears. ;-)

Coach Rich

If you are of the mindset of racing an Ironman for performance, then I can't imagine there would be anything enjoyable or productive, looking long term, in walking much of the marathon: a rather crappy way to spend an afternoon, high potential for making things worse, etc.

Dawn Cass

Thanks Coach Rich for the post....think my head is there as well.

If 2015 is going to be "my" year....getting healthy is key, however will want to sign up this year for one of the races in anticipation. All IMs are tough....but would like your thoughts on which races may be better suited to me based on course and my capabilities....thinking how to maximize PR opportunity.

Best to set up a meeting to chat?

Thanks.

Dawn

Dawn Cass

All - thanks for all the posts....has really helped me to come to a conclusion. Still feeling upset about it....however have decided to give this year a bye. There is no way in the world I can actually race the entire course and for me, walking a marathon and risking further injury just doesn't sound fun. I still need to get my head around the disappointment of not racing this year to be fair so trying to get myself looking forward to 2015. Now in the mode of "best race" selection....ie, which would give me best chances at a PR, given my strengths, and could give me best shot at KQ. This is all assuming I am healthy however by not doing this year, I will increase my chances of that happening at the very least.

Thanks again!

morpheus

Great call, Dawn. (when I offered my opinion at the start of this thread, I said that I would probably gimp thru it....I never said I was smart about stuff like this. Since KQ will never be an option for me, it's a little easier to do stupid stuff, intentionally or not!)

Now, reset your timetable. No pressure or deadlines this far out. Get healed up and take as long as it has to take. Use all the tools available to you to rehab and recover. My favorite is sleep.

Good luck and I'm betting you crush some A race in 2015.

Dawn Cass

Thanks Chris....and do appreciate all your posts...forced me to do some serious thinking. Let's keep in touch and cross fingers for healthy times ahead. ;-)