Having aches and pains in endurance sports is annoying. You have dealt with it, I have dealt with it, and it is a clear red flag that something is not quite right.
The risk factors for niggles or even a full-blown injury are innumerable, but there are some key areas to take a look at if you find yourself trapped in the cycle of injury.
Equipment
Let’s knock the lowest-hanging fruit out of the way first. If your equipment is not set up correctly or is worn out, you can be exposing yourself to injury without any errors in training or technique.
I have a nice anecdote to illustrate:
I recently found during a bike fit checkup, under professional guidance, that my cleat position was off. My foot was moving around in the shoe to gain stability, and as a result, my calves and quads were taking a beating. This was a bike fit element that was glossed over in the initial fit last winter because there were bigger fit issues to fry. This time around, my fitter put a wedge in my shoe and made some small adjustments to the cleat. Pedaling is more comfortable now.
The same idea can be applied to running shoes or other parts of a bike fit. If something is uncomfortable or painful, you may want to check for signs of wear in your equipment. You may also want to seek a professional fit for shoes or for your bike. It can have a profound return on investment given the amount of training hours you will be performing with said equipment.
Strength/flexibility/mobility
Just because you are injured does not mean you are weak. You may have flexibility deficits or mobility deficits that place your muscle/tendon in a position that is unfavorable for repetitive motion.
One thing I have found with my own aches and pains is that I develop minor compensations and within those compensation patterns, I have become quite strong. It does not mean these patterns are correct, especially if there is pain involved which has often been the case with various niggles I have developed in the past.
Trying to strengthen your way out of an issue when flexibility or mobility deficits may be your true problem may stall your progress. It is hard to say that everyone needs strength or everyone needs mobility. Deficits are highly individual.
I am biased, but this is why getting in contact with a physical therapist who has an understanding of these nuances and an understanding of endurance training can be a great investment. Developing a long-term partnership to help manage not only the musculoskeletal issues but also the training adaptations can direct you to a program with fewer errors.
The overall program
Speaking of errors, the one that many, myself included, won’t like to admit is that there is a loading error in the training program.
“I can handle it”
We can justify nearly anything within our training program.
More volume? Sure! Building that base!
More intensity? Sure! Getting race-ready!
The issue is not that these statements are false. Increasing volume and eventually translating over to performing more intensity is how you improve a physiological system.
The issue is that the ramps in load must be carefully applied or perhaps not even ramped at all.
Setting up yourself a basic week that you can roll for 6, 8, 12 weeks in a row with minimal disruption is going to place you further ahead than if you went gung-ho for a few weeks and developed a nagging injury. It may take a change in mindset to see the weekly volume total be lower than your aspirations, but it is far more encouraging when
You can still train
You don’t hurt
You developed a bigger portfolio of work over 3 months because the system was not disrupted
I have made these loading errors many times over. It is how I have become familiar with the value of modesty in training.
As your fitness builds, your body permits you to train more. You do not build fitness by forcing yourself to do more. The basic week compounds whereas the hero week is often a shock that is not worth playing with.
If you had a year marred by niggles, injury, or lack of progress, consider taking a look at the above 3 areas of your training program.
It is time you define your current limits, slowly push them upward, and gain some traction against the slippery slope of injury.