Published: 1st March 2025
Either other people don’t talk much about their running injuries so I’m not aware of them, or I am particularly adept at collecting them. I’d like to say I didn’t get many injuries as a child, and I don’t think I did… Not the kind of overuse injuries many runner collect anyway. I did manage to trip over another girl when I was out for a run ages 13, and broke my wrist. That didn’t really stop me running though, but my mum did stop me going to training that evening and tricked me into going to A&E to get it checked. My stubborn arse refused to believe it could possibly be broken. I also managed to slice my knee open at a track meet, climbing the fence to get to the long jump in time. I still have the scar, it probably needed stitches, but I refused to not compete and so we made do with a plaster. A large plaster.
Later in my teens, my dad picked up running as something to pass the time whilst I was at training, invited by the other dads at the track. He called them the triple Andy’s, and I’m sure at one time there were three Andy’s, but usually he just ran with one Andy, who became known as Triple Andy, though I’m not sure he ever knew. Once some fitness was acquired (Dad was generally fairly fit and active so it only took a month or so), he and I would head out running together. One fateful evening, we went for a run in the woods and I did a particularly good job of twisting my ankle, ending up on crutches for a few days. Major ankle twist 1/4.
I got through university without any major injuries, but that was probably largely due to me not doing so much running. I focused mainly on climbing and the social scene that came along with it. After graduating, I decided to run a marathon, and so the injuries began. I had IT band syndrome at some point, which continued to plague me for years on and off after. Characterised by blinding pain in the knee, and a weird weak feeling in the hip, it’s one of the more unpleasant injuries. I hold that sentiment mainly because the physio I saw the first time said something along the lines of: I will massage your outer thigh – please tell me if the pain is unbearable but also please tolerate as much pain as you can. Also, massage is a word I had always associated with a pleasant experience, which this was not.
2018 and 2019 were particularly good years for obstacle course racing for me, taking the age group wins in a number of races, my running was fairly strong and the climbing had given me an aptitude for the obstacles. Queue achilles tendinopathy. I again visited a physio as it was proving hard to shift. The first physio I ever saw with this injury was actually fairly terrible at treating it, giving me dynamic, bouncy exercises that only seemed to make the pain worse. Eventually I found another physio and an exercise regime that helped it heal, and since then this regime works for every flare up. Something I could probably avoid if I actually stuck at the exercises…. new year, new me, 2025 – the year of the strength training.
2020 was a weird year for running. It started strong with a marathon training block that did not end with a race after everything was cancelled. Later in the year, I thought it would be a good idea to run the Race to the Stones virtual challenge, but to do 50km on the first day of the 100km week. It probably would have been fine if I hadn’t gone into the 50km already injured with some top-of-foot pain. By the end of the day, my foot was very sore, and the next day I couldn’t walk. James deposited me at A&E after I rang my doctors for advice. I received some confused looks when I told the staff how I did it… I also got lost in the hospital moving from X-ray to the waiting room, and remained lost despite asking directions 3 times! It was suspected to be a stress fracture, or a tendon injury from overuse. It healed up fine, but the end of 2020 was major ankle injury 2/4, and the suspect for the longer term pain I have in the left ankle, along with the clunking and clicking it still likes to do…
Major ankle injury 2/4 was closely followed by major ankle injury 3/4. I was returning to running and took Milo the beagle for a run. He put me slightly off balance as he noticed another dog, and crack. Right ankle crunched. Immediately I knew it was not right, as it swelled up like an egg and was accompanied by a deep aching. Ironically, I was staying with James and Milo the beagle because my sister was heavily pregnant and I was on call for the hospital call. She ended up taking me to the minor injuries clinic to confirm an avulsion fracture. Fortunately no cast was needed and I was on hand 5 days later when she went into labour.
2021 was fairly incident free, though the first ultra did leave me with some IT band syndrome pain that lingered for a while. 2022 started will with two marathons in preparation for Endure24 with Sarah, and Race to the Stones again. Recovery was going well after Race to the Stones. Too well in fact. I ran with Notts AC in a summer league a few weeks after, feeling like my fitness was fantastic. My achilles was a little tight after, but I was feeling motivated, so I returned to training. Two weeks later I ran a track session with an achilles ache, and it turned to a sharp pain that took 5 months and many rounds of physio to heal. That was a dumb one.
2023 was the shitshow year, so any injuries paled in comparison to the emotional turmoil. I was probably injured a lot as a result of the stress I felt. Stress and running are a wonderful combination for injury. 2024 felt like I was managing my body. It was the year the left ankle caught up to me, with the physio clicking it back into place repeatedly. Endure24 solo was the big race of the year and I put my all into it. My achilles was a little wrecked after, but I was sensible on the recovery this time round, keeping runs short to not increase the pain. Things were going well until October and the major ankle injury 4/4. Whilst running at a very casual pace, my right ankle rolled and turned into an egg (possibly dog assisted). That was my first trip to a Danish hospital, as I currently live between Copenhagen and Leek. An X-ray showed another avulsion fracture with a small chip of bone going solo. It was a bit of a bummer, but has forced me back to the gym for strength work, and seems to have healed with no lasting pain. And now here we are, in 2025, hoping that this year, I can get through without adding to my injury list. I will be 30 this year, and maybe the next decade will bring some sense to my approach to running and injuries, with more strength training, and less running in hope that the little pain won’t turn into a big pain…
Distinctly Average Ultra Runner 