Injuries suffered in 2021 (and 2022)

Woe me, 2021 will be remembered as the year of suffering. Well, I can’t complain, I am still alive and, thanks to the vaccination which I completed in July, I’ve avoided Covid-19 disease (so far). But my muscles and tendons have seen better days for sure. The good news is that I have became wiser (meaning: I let my body be my guide, and not my impulses) and I’ve learnt how not to stress my legs and feet when it is not needed. Furthermore, I gained more knowledge on new diseases which I previously ignored. But let’s proceed step-by-step.

Periarthritis

Over the first months of the year, I increasingly perceived an aching and severe pain on my left shoulder whenever I wore a jacket or a shirt. The pain started gradually in 2020, probably due to excess of push-up repetitions in the summer. It was really painful and annoying, even if I did not perceive any pain when I did not rotate my left arm backward. But whenever I did that movement, damn! I could feel the pain. I made some research and I found out that I was suffering from periarthritis, commonly known as “frozen shoulder”, a “condition characterized by stiffness and pain in your shoulder joint. Signs and symptoms typically begin gradually, worsen over time and then resolve, usually within one to three years.” Three long years! No way! Luckily, on YouTube I found a nice video posted by a professional physiatrist, who showed clear instructions for a soft treatment, which I applied to my shoulder for 5 weeks, 20 minutes every morning. I am not sure whether the pain went away naturally (all in all, it lasted around 6 months), but I tend to think that the exercises I did quickened my recovery. After the 5-week treatment, the pain disappeared and now I can wear a jacket with no obstacle. On top of that, I’ve started again my push-up and pull-up series (actually, this problem did not prevent me from doing the upper body sessions, but I did not want to run any risk).

Achilles’ tendonitis

In autumn 2020 I joined a running team in my home town. We met 2 or 3 times a week to do long sessions and repetitions. Things went on quite well and I was close to break the 20 minutes wall in the 5K distance, thanks to the advice and motivation provided by the running companions. In October 2020, I started feeling a strange sensation on my left ankle, something I had perceived in the summer but I overlooked. Unfortunately, I decided to stop when it was already too late: my Achilles tendons were so inflamed that I felt a sharp pain on my ankle even when I caressed my skin. I quit running for one month, then I resumed it but the pain came back. The beginning of 2021 did not bring me any good news: in the meantime, the pain had changed its location, from the external part of the ankle to the internal part of the left foot. It was no more an inflammation, rather an “osseus” ache. It took many weeks before disappearing in February 2021.

Plantar fasciitis

In July 2021 I experienced an acute pain on the sole of my right foot. It was strange, as those days I was not running (I was busy with a training course in Rome, during which I ran only once during my free afternoon). However, it was a very stressful period of my life. When I came back, I resumed my running sessions using the super-light Nike Streak Zoom 6. Right after 5K performed at a fast pace, the pain I felt in Rome came back, but it was so sharp that I could not even walk on the stairs. I’ve never had this kind of trouble before! Reading on the internet, I found out that I was suffering from plantar fasciitis, which is not an inflammation, but a degeneration of the tissues of the foot. According to the articles I read, it could last a few weeks, but the most serious cases can last up to 6 months! Luckily, also this time I found an effective treatment, which I combined with 4 weeks rest. This occurred in August 2021, when I was close to improve my records and I was forced to stop my training, unwillingly. However, this experience taught me to be patient and to listen to my body (I am not a teenager anymore, you see!). I suspect that the problem might have been caused by the “abuse” of my beloved Nike Streak Zoom 6, which wrap the foot narrowly just around the part when I felt the pain. For this reason, now I am using only the Pegasus 34 and I am running with a pace that doesn’t go below the 4’40” mins/km threshold.  

Osteitis pubis

On 12 February 2022, I had the bad the idea to run beyond my limits without previous training, and I covered 15 km in a single running session. Not only did I avoid stopping when my body told me to do so, but I also concluded the run with some dangerous hill sprints. The result? The day after I felt an aching pain on the left groin. And the bad news is that it didn't go away easily: it took 3 and a half months to disappear. It goes without saying that during that time I could not do any hill running. But I learned a good lesson (which I already knew): listen to your body! 

Brand new shoes (for a brand new beginning...)

The Covid-19 pandemic, caused by the infamous SARS-CoV-2 virus, will be remembered as one of the most disruptive events in human history. As far as I'am concerned, this disease has had an impact on my running routine, too. Unlike many professionals, my workload has dramatically increased over the last year and a half, and my working hours have become much unregular. Being a methodic runner, it was hard for me to keep my body well-trained. In addition to that, the stress caused by an overdose of online meetings led me to develop reflux (I really need to start a therapy for that...). As a result, I could not train as regularly as I wanted. In the past years, I used to run almost 200 km in July and in August, but in 2021 I barely reached 90 km. In spite of all these hardships, I was able to record some achievement: a few days ago, I ran 5 km in the glorious ring of "Stadio dei Marmi" in Rome, where I conducted my first residential training after 18 months. The place is a great track surrounded by marble statues. I intended to cover the distance in 22'30" (meaning: 4'30"/km), but on the last bend I broke down and had to stop. No problem: back home, I ran the same distance in less than 22 minutes, a performance that gave me renewed confidence in my quest to break the 20 minutes wall. Will I make it? I don't know. What I know for sure is that now I have one more ally in my attempt: the superb Nike Streak Zoom 7, just arrived this morning (with the very useful bag inside the box!) from "Koala Sport", one of my favourite online shop specialised in running shoes (at a price of 76,50 €, delivery costs included). I haven't tried them on the road yet, but the feeling is fantastic: even more comfortable than the 6! Not to mention the color of this model, as you can see in the picture. Now I can count on 4 different Nike models for my running: the Streak Flyknit, the 6, the 7, and the Pegasus 34 for the long excursions. I am looking forward to using them all till their soles wear down!