Injury, Race Recaps, and a New Training Block

The high school basketball season has officially wrapped up which has freed up a lot of my time to focus more on training and racing. The weather is also starting to get nice, which has me looking forward to outdoor rides and running in shorts and a t-shirt. 

Hip Injury

In mid-January I started a 10k Nike training program focused on increasing my speed. The program included 2 days of speed work each week along with a long run on the weekend. Things started out very well and I was very pleased with my progress over the first month of training. In fact, I credit this program for my great race performances in February. Late in February, I started dealing with a lot of discomfort in my right hip, and not just when running. Additionally, I developed a sinus infection during the first week of March that completely drained my energy. I broke down and scheduled a doctor appointment on March 13th where I came away with antibiotics for the sinus infection and a diagnosis of Bursitis in my right hip, caused by overuse. 

The combination of anti-inflammatory meds, stretching, and limiting my running milage has led to my hip feeling much better after only a week. I've taken some time to reflect on the injury and have identified 3 things that I could have/should have done differently. 

1. I hadn't been making strength training a priority for several months. Consistent work on strength and mobility is a big key for me staying injury free
2. I tried out a new high intensity training program without a willingness to give up my run streak. My body got further and further behind on recovery as the weeks went on
3. This was my first training cycle of 2025, and my focus on increasing speed without building a base was a mistake. I should have spent December and early January on building a fitness base before starting such an ambitious program

I've already started to increase my strength and mobility work and will be slowly easing my way back into higher milage training in the next couple of weeks. 

Race Recaps

The timing of both the sinus infection and hip injury were unfortunate as I had back-to-back races scheduled for March 15th and March 16th. Even though my doctor suggested taking a week off of running, he also said to just focus on not doing anything that made it hurt. With no intentions to end my running streak, I decided that I would run the first mile of each race at a very slow pace and decide what to do based on how I felt. I also changed my registration from the 10K to the 5K for the Time to Paddy race on Sunday. 

St. Paddy's Day 5K

This is my 3rd time participating in the St. Paddy's Day races in downtown Des Moines. The race has really grown over the years. I positioned myself at the very back to start to ensure that I wasn't tempted to go out faster than I should. I slowly made my way through the streets of downtown before crossing the river and heading south towards Principal Park. I hit the 1 mile mark in a time of 13:10 and was feeling really good so decided to keep going. My hip was still feeling fine at the half way turn around so decided to keep going. I came through mile 2 in a time of 12:58 and decided that I was feeling well enough to run the whole race. I finished the race with an official time of 40:06, but more importantly, without any hip pain at all. 

Time to Paddy 5K

I was disappointed to not be racing the 10K as originally planned, but was still happy to be racing. I decided to use the same strategy that I had used on Saturday since it worked out so well. It was extremely windy and much colder on Sunday morning so I dressed warmer than normal with a jacket over my normal sweatshirt. Just like on Saturday, my hip felt great so I ran the whole way. I did feel a little discomfort in the last half mile but nothing that rose to the level of pain and it went away immediately after the race. The last 1/4 mile was directly into a brisk wind that made it hard to breathe and caused a coughing fit at the finish line. 

I definitely pushed harder in this race, but still didn't put forth an all out 5K effort. My final time was 39:03, which was good enough for 3rd in my age group, and I was happy with that. 

New Training Block

Returning from an injury is never fun. It takes a lot of conscious effort to not come back too fast and to build back confidence and fitness that has been lost. Tomorrow I start my next 8 week training block leading up to my first outdoor triathlon of the year at the Des Moines Corporate Games Triathlon on May 18th. I'll be using a familiar training plan that I used in 2018, 2019, and 2023 with a lot of success. My hope is that the focus on training across all 3 disciplines (and adding in consistent strength and mobility training) will allow my hip to fully recover. 

Thinking about triathlon is really getting me fired up and I'm excited to make a comeback after a disappointing season last year. I have a lot of work to to, but I'm ready to get after it!