Managing injuries

As I'm typing today's blog the rain is hammering down outside and a runner has just past my window.  His head is down, the wind and rain are driving into him and he's just approaching the big hill - he's hard core.  Yesterday the wind was blowing 50 mph and the rain was tipping down but despite being up to my knees in water at Chatelherault, I was having fun because I was running with my team mates at  ATHelite.  We were soaked and filthy with the mud but had a great laugh as we went round.  Whilst I like the solitude you get from running on your own, running in a crowd or with a pal definitely pushes you harder and makes the kilometers pass quicker.
There were a few new members in the group and as happens the chat turns to what races you have lined up for the year and it's a diverse set of athletes so the range of races is huge.  As we were running up hill I didn't take part in the conversation as I was trying to save my breath.  I had to chuckle at one conversation which went on behind me when someone replied "I'm just doing an ultra".  The person who'd asked the question said  with some incredulity, "just an ultra"!!  It made me laugh because if the questioner hangs around with us long enough, he'll be signing up for an ultra.  It's just what happens when you keep bad company! 
It's less than 12 weeks before my first race of the year which is a 50 km trail ultra. But my longest run since coming back has been 15 km so there's a lot of work to be done and while I'm increasing the distance of my runs, I have to be careful to avoid injury or manage and the injuries I have.
This week I ran 15 km and it was a great run.  I averaged 5:04 per km which was the fastest sustained pace I have ran since coming back.  Perhaps last week's "speed session" had reminded my legs, and brain, that they can move faster.  In addition this week's speed session had me averaging 4:30 per km for the drills which shows improvement.  But I have a couple of niggles to take into account.
I referred to a knee niggle in last weeks blog so on Monday I went to Pamela, my sports therapist, who spent a full hour working on my VMO - the teardrop muscle above my knee, had me in tears that's for sure! It doesn't hurt when I run, but walking up stairs it sometimes grumbles.  Having a niggle like this needs to be managed so on Thursday I had a sports massage from Rhondda and she was surprised how tight my VMO was.  The good news was my back was in good condition and this is partly due to having had a couple of weeks off work.  Maybe one day when I retire from "driving a desk", but not retire from work, I'll find training much easier which certainly was the case during the festive break.
Today I'll test my VMO with a 45 turbo session followed by a core session.  At least they are indoor sessions so I'll get my music on loud and have a sweat fest!
One last injury to report on is my foot which has caused me issues over the years.  It's grumbling again but not enough to stop me running.  I only mention this to give hope to athletes of all standards, shapes and sizes who get injured.  A large percentage of us are carrying a niggle but get it seen to,  don't ignore it, follow the advice given and keep on going.  You may have to adapt your training for a while but keep your "engine" ticking over.  Have a great week and keep focusing on your goals realising that every training session is a step closer to achieving them.