Argument with asst coach over workout...who was right???

I hate to break it to you, but I don't think you're right here.

If you have some sort of repetitive stress injury, running, say, 2 miles of hard quarters on it is NOT the same as running 2M of easy jogging, just because they end up being the same total distance. If you are really hurt, you shouldn't be hopping into speed workouts just to try to maintain your fitness. Get yourself fully healed, then work your way back into running, first with some easy-to-moderate paced running. Trying to workout while injured is a good way to make sure you never get fully healed.

A kid on my team has been in a similar situation to you. He's had a nagging injury that keeps him from running too much, yet he'll hop into workouts with the rest of the team and hammer away. Then, he's surprised when he's in pain and can't run for the next few days. Finally, feeling good, he'll jump back in for a workout or long run, etc. The process repeats itself - you can see, it's not particularly productive.

So, in summation, I'd say that you should be patient. Don't try to force fitness by jumping into a workout every time you feel decent. You should have a consistent block of feeling good before you attempt any faster work, not just one day. Good luck!

damn - i am embarrassed that i am associated with a sport now populated with a bunch of whiners.

stop being such a fvckin' whiny b1tch.

listen to your coach. Why, because she has your best interest at heart and doesn't want you to reinjure your knee. Perhaps if you told her you didn't have pain the next time she might have allowed you to go 60% and maybe the next time after that 75%. From my experience many young kids will get hurt, take time off and as soon as they feel better push themselves too hard and get hurt again. Be patient and listen to your coach.

I agree with the above poster, you didn't need to do that workout, and it would only put you deeper in the hole. Your assistant coach was right.

You're dumb as f*** I'm not whining I'm asking a question...why do idiots like you go on every single post and post stupid shit like this?

I have come to the conclusion that the only way to get through patellar tendonitis is to run twice a day, ever day so that it is always loose. Many contemporaries agree with me. I cured mine by doing that as well as several friends. I suggest you do as well.

I appreciate people that actually gave me a good reply, the thing is, i get the same pain from easy running, and in some cases it is worse. I might be wrong but it seems to me like I have better form when I am going hard. I wish I could take time off, but I have to keep racing until the season is over so I will rest it during the summer. There are really no other options for getting a workout while injured, the injured people mainly just do exercises and walk, and I have to stay ready for racing somehow...what kind of running do you guys think would be better for me?

Because there is a never ending supply of dumbasses like yourself asking stupid questions when the answer is blatantly obvious to everyone but you.

purple wrote:

You're dumb as f*** I'm not whining I'm asking a question...why do idiots like you go on every single post and post stupid shit like this?

Well if you know so much about running how about you explain to me this blatantly obvious answer instead of making annoying remarks...

Either do all of the workouts or rest until your knee gets better otherwise. Your half assed workouts are stupid - do them all or not at all.

purple wrote:

Well if you know so much about running how about you explain to me this blatantly obvious answer instead of making annoying remarks...

Ouch. Your coach is right.

Do you really think that running 400m repeats at 80 seconds a lap is the same as running them at 60?

Think about it. The stress on your soft tissue is much greater if you are going at 100% effort. You are NOT ready to workout yet. The worst thing to do with something that is inflamed is to run hard on it for an extended period of time.

Again, your coach is right, you are wrong. The hardest thing for athletes that are injured to learn, is to allow their body to heal. Just because you feel better one day does not mean that you are magically ready to hop into a workout. In fact, that is the absolute best way to re-injure yourself.

the faster you run, the higher leg turnover you have. the more leg turnover your have, the more your muscles and tendons are moving/inflaming. get it?

purple wrote:

I am a high school distance runner

that was all i read, so i'm pretty sure you are wrong.

purple wrote:

I appreciate people that actually gave me a good reply, the thing is, i get the same pain from easy running, and in some cases it is worse. I might be wrong but it seems to me like I have better form when I am going hard. I wish I could take time off, but I have to keep racing until the season is over so I will rest it during the summer. There are really no other options for getting a workout while injured, the injured people mainly just do exercises and walk, and I have to stay ready for racing somehow...what kind of running do you guys think would be better for me?

If you don't stop now you'll get in trouble because pattellar tendonitis tends to become chronical easilly. Rest and go to a doctor so you can go on a rehabilitation programme. It should heal in about 2-3 weeks. Then you can resume your training, strating low and regain fitness. If you delay this you may do further harm on your knee and in the worst case turn your injury into a chronical one.

YOU HAVE TO STOP AND HEAL COMPLETLY, THAT'S OF UTMOST IMPORTANCE.

QFE: "Again, your coach is right, you are wrong."

Your body is telling you that it is damages. Listen to your body. Rest and do non running rehab and the inflammation will subside. At that point, you can start to train properly and consistantly.

I'm actually going to agree with the original poster here...to a certain extent.

I don't think most people are really answering his question.

Will running these fast 400s keep your injury lingering around longer? Yeah most likely. But if you are dead set on continuing to race this season and not taking time off, running the hard workouts will probably keep your fitness up the best.

It is almost May, and at this point the injury probably won't get better until maybe by the very end of the season. So, if you are just trying to get through the season as best as possible, running the workouts is probably the way to go.

But I'm not saying that is what you should actually do. If this was your last year in college, then yeah maybe go for it.

But, you are only a high school sophomore, just take some time off, rest up and get better so you don't hurt yourself more down the road.

I think you are technically right, but also kind of stupid (in a young kid way, not an actual idiot way).

Do you have college-level potential as a runner? If so, you might want to listen to your coach here and take it easy so you don't screw yourself in the long run. Trust me, I've been where you are.

I had a hamstring injury in high school that prevented me from competing pretty much my entire senior year of outdoor track. I injured it at the indoor state championships, and I was so eager to get back out and put the hammer down that I would go out and try to run workouts with the team before I was ready. Anytime my hamstring started feeling pretty good I would go out and put the pedal to the metal, preventing my hamstring from fully healing, resulting in multiple re-injuries. Re-injuring my hammy on multiple occasions resulted in a long term problem that I still have issues with to this day (I'm 30 years old). If I had simply chilled out and allowed my hamstring to fully heal, I would have missed half my senior season. Instead, I kept trying to keep up with the team and compete, so I missed my entire senior season.

Based on my junior year credentials I was able to walk-on to a DI team. But my hamstring issues persisted and I was rarely able to compete. I eventually quit before my junior year because it just seemed hopeless by that point. Again, my college coach insisted that I go to the trainer everyday to get my hamstring worked on, and he insisted that I abstain from speed workouts until it was healed. But I didn't listen to him, just like I didn't listen to my high school coach. As a result, my running career went in the shitter.

the magic rat wrote:

If this was your last year in college, then yeah maybe go for it.

But, you are only a high school sophomore, just take some time off, rest up and get better so you don't hurt yourself more down the road.

I think you are technically right, but also kind of stupid (in a young kid way, not an actual idiot way).

I'd guess that this was the asst. coach's feeling.

Obviously, the coach is looking out for his health and future, and this knee issue has also surely been an ongoing problem - I'm sure dozens of workouts have been either missed or cut short at this point, and this conversation wasn't the first about it, I'd wager. His training and racing are probably pretty stagnant.

I question, really, how effective any hard workout is, if you're then taking 3-4 days off. At that point, you might as well just rest up to feel good on meet days and any possible postseason racing.

One or two decent workouts a week aren't going to help significantly in terms of racing faster, and you're doing damage by running the hard workouts, so what's the payoff?

It's ineffectve yo-yo training that's just delaying (and possibly reversing) any healing process... it's no-man's land.

If you're not able to train enough to improve, then what are you really doing?

You need to be healthy enough to train hard enough to improve. If you can sort that sentence out, it will make sense.

I suspect your doctor or physical therapist is in a better position than an assistant coach to identify the best route to recovery.