Learning to “Read” Your Body
It is normal to have some pain while training for any competitive sport. In fact, at the start of training season, a veteran athlete looks forward to a bit of muscle soreness as a sign that the body is working its way back to a certain fitness level.
The pharmaceutical industry has created many pills that effectively manage pain, and these drugs are useful in many circumstances. Using a pain reliever to get through a workout when you have a serious injury will only make it worse, sending you to the sidelines, sometimes for an extended period.
Only the easiest of workouts will be pain free. The stress of pushing your muscles and tendons to another level, which is how you gain in strength and endurance, will bring some discomfort. For example, if you are doing some hill training, running or biking, it's going to hurt as you push yourself up that incline. If your swim session is focused on increasing your speed, your shoulders will be burning as you get to the end of the pool each time.
All that is normal. It is an entirely different matter when you experience unexpected or sharp pain. When that happens, the alarm bells should start going off. It is a mistake with potentially serious consequences to ignore acute pain or to train through it.
Whatever you are doing, if you feel a sharp pain, stop your activity. Walk if you are running, coast if you are biking, get to the side of the pool (or out of it) if you are swimming. Give yourself a few minutes, then resume whatever you were doing. If the pain persists, give up on that workout. With all but the most serious injuries, you can push through, ignoring the pain, but at what cost?
Pain in the hip area can be indicative of a stress fracture. Running on that kind of injury will only make it worse. You could end up on crutches for months.
I don't have sharp pain, but I'm sore all the time. What does that mean?
It is likely that you are overtraining, a common problem for athletes. You should make adjustments to the intensity and/or duration of your workouts, and consider eliminating one workout a week for a couple of weeks. It won't hurt your fitness, and it will keep you fresher.
As you get into training, you will learn to distinguish between the aches that are simply strain on the muscles and tendons and the pain that is the first sign of a potentially serious injury.
Pound for Pound
By far, the triathlon sport most likely to produce injury is the run, mostly because of the pounding the body takes from the impact of each step. Runners also have IT band problems, but there are many other potentially serious injuries and chronic conditions to deal with, including runner's knee, shin splints, and plantar fasciitis. Chapter 13 has detailed information about recognizing and dealing with the most common injuries.
The most common problem for swimmers is in the shoulder area, primarily the rotator cuff. A biker can have problems with the iliotibial band, a long tendon that runs down the side of the leg from the hip to just below the knee. It helps stabilize the knee and can become inflamed from overuse and failure to stretch.
Don't Do It Yourself
When that sharp pain doesn't go away with a brief break from your activity, and when it comes back even after a couple of days off, you may be dealing with a potentially serious issue. Sometimes rest and ice will do the trick, even extra stretching in some cases. If the recommended treatments don't bring relief, your best move is to find a physician, preferably one who knows sports injuries. A sports specialist will more easily diagnose your problem and prescribe the most effective treatments. More important, a sports doctor will also detect the more serious problems that, untreated, can lead to long periods of inactivity.
Consider Plan B
Don't give up on your triathlon if you come down with an injury that keeps you from training for one of the sports. You might still be able to compete on a relay team. Joining a team will help you keep your incentive to continue the training you are able to do, and you will have the fun of participating in the triathlon.
