Injury and Overtraining | The Blog of David Glover

cat-right

Intramuscular Manual Therapy AKA Trigger Point Dry Needling

Intramuscular Manual Therapy AKA Trigger Point Dry...

My body is full of trigger points – tiny little contractions in my muscles that feel like "knots" and are often tender to the touch – especially in my legs. Trigger points develop in a muscle when it is injured or overworked. Trigger points can also cause pain elsewhere. An avid triathlete since 1995, I've logged thousands of training hours training for 26 Ironman-distance triathlons...

Strength Training for Triathletes: Yes or No?

Strength Training for Triathletes: Yes or No?...

One of my clients asked me about strength training this week: I have been doing these exercises with max weight at about 6-8 reps to build power this off season: Hip Abductors Leg Press Squats Calf raises Knee extension Hamstrings What are your thoughts and suggestions around these leg exercises? Should I not be doing these or is it too much? I responded: Those are good overall leg strength exercises. ...

Race Report: Christiana goes 10:39 at Roth

Race Report: Christiana goes 10:39 at Roth...

Christiana is one of my Ironman coaching clients who I've worked with since 2007. She had qualified and competed in Ironman Hawaii in 2006, incredibly finishing the race while running with a stress fracture. Rather than have me tell her story about her recent 10:39 PR at the Quelle Challenge Ironman in Roth Germany on July 12th, I'd like to share her race write up. If you're even thinking about doing an...

Foreclosure Looming: Managing the Stress

Foreclosure Looming: Managing the Stress...

“What is to give light must endure burning.” - Viktor Frankl On Tuesday, I received a notice from my mortgage company’s attorney saying that the mortgage company is moving forward with foreclosure on my townhouse in Reston. There is still a chance that my mortgage company will modify my loan as I requested back in February, but the decision is still pending. According to the attorney I spoke with,...

Buying a $750K Townhouse: It Seemed Like a Good Idea at the Time

Buying a $750K Townhouse: It Seemed Like a Good Id...

When I purchased my lakefront townhouse in the planned community of Reston, Virginia in March 2005 for $750,000, it seemed like a really good idea at the time. I’m now one of “those people” you read and hear about every day in the news: my house is worth much less than what I paid for it (~$225K less), my loan amount is more than the value of my house and my current income does not support my mortgage...

Follow up to my AMTP Assessment plus Injury Update

Follow up to my AMTP Assessment plus Injury Update...

“When you find yourself in a hole, stop digging.” – Will Rogers I’m in a hole. Actually, I’ve been in a hole for quite a while with a right hip and leg injury that’s plagued me since early 2008, but I’ve chosen to not aggressively treat it until this year. Up until this injury, I’ve been able to get by for the most part with the approach of: “I’ll take a few days easy...

Getting AMPT: Athletic Movement Performance Testing with Natalie King

Getting AMPT: Athletic Movement Performance Testin...

I got AMPT on January 29. I met with Natalie King, PTA, CIMT, for an innovative series of functional movement tests, postural assessments and gait analysis called AMPT. Being a triathlete herself and recognizing the challenging demands that training for each of the three sports – swim, bike and run – places on a triathlete's body, Natalie has developed AMPT specifically for triathletes. The entire test...

Overtraining: There Is a Silver Lining in This Cloud After All!

Overtraining: There Is a Silver Lining in This Clo...

“You may not realize it when it happens, but a kick in the teeth may be the best thing in the world for you.” - Walt Disney Photo: Me and my German hosts – Annika and Annette – in Roth, Germany After three weeks of feeling sorry for myself and high anxiety, I am now in a different place. I have have transformed my HATE relationship with overtraining into a LOVE / HATE relationship. I still...

Overtraining: What I HATE the Most About It

Overtraining: What I HATE the Most About It...

I HATE overtraining. It’s too vague, too subjective, too nebulous. It’s a waiting game with an uncertain amount of waiting time. I should have raced in Ironman Arizona alongside the cacti on Sunday, but instead I’m sitting on the sideline. What I struggle with – and what I imagine many other athletes struggle with as well – is that overtraining is not a tangible, physical body part that...

To Race Or Not to Race: When to Pull the Plug? (Part 2)

To Race Or Not to Race: When to Pull the Plug? (Pa...

I officially “pulled the plug” on Ironman Arizona today. My blood test results came back today. When my doctor called me, I felt like I was receiving my report card in grade school: mostly “Outstanding” grades with two “Needs to Improve” as follows: Outstanding: Low cholesterol, no mono, no lyme disease, no thyroid issues, no liver issues and no anemia. Needs to Improve: Deficient...

To Race Or Not to Race: When to Pull the Plug? (Part 1)

To Race Or Not to Race: When to Pull the Plug? (Pa...

Photo: Cheer sign from Quelle Challenge 2007 in Roth, Germany Have you ever asked yourself these questions in the days or weeks leading up to a big race? “Do I pull the plug?” “Am I just having an off day?” “Do I need to some extra rest?” I’m struggling with all of these questions right now. Today is Monday and I’m signed up to race Ironman Arizona this coming Sunday....

Caught a bug two weeks before a big race – now what?

Caught a bug two weeks before a big race – n...

The signs would have been obvious to the objective observer: More tired than usual Feeling “rundown” Congestion Scratchy throat Malaise However, to the subjective triathlete (me), the signs were not so obvious and/or I was in a state of denial: “I’m just having an off day” or “I’m a little tired from a long weekend” but never “I’m sick. I need to take a...

Four Necessary Tools for Muscle Recovery and Injury Mitigation

Four Necessary Tools for Muscle Recovery and Injur...

As a triathlon coach, pro athlete and race director, I am in contact with hundreds of athletes. One question that I keep getting asked over and over is: “I have developed some soreness in the muscles of my [insert body part]. How do I get rid of it?” Here are the four necessary tools for both reactive and proactive muscle treatment: (1) The Thera Cane Although it looks like it might appear in an adult...

It’s my two year Bikram Yoga anniversary – so why am I still doing it?

It’s my two year Bikram Yoga anniversary ...

The end of December marks my two year anniversary of attending the Reston Bikram Yoga studio. As a professional triathlete, I spend anywhere between 15-25 hours each week during the summer swimming, biking and running in order to prepare for my triathlon races. Even in the winter, the supposed “off season,” I am running 40-60 miles a week in preparation for a spring marathon. Consequently, I am constantly...

Overtraining: One of My Least Favorite Conditions as an Athlete

Overtraining: One of My Least Favorite Conditions ...

Overtraining is one of my favorite (or perhaps least favorite) topics to talk about. It can happen to anyone and is not necessarily caused by too much exercise. I picked this topic because a few clients and me have experienced over training in the past few weeks. Photo: Me by Richard Frasier. What is over training? I define overtraining as over stressing the body coupled with inadequate recovery over a sustained...

Race Report: My first DNF at the Kinetic 1/2 Ironman

Race Report: My first DNF at the Kinetic 1/2 Ironm...

Kinetic 1/2 Ironman (1.2-mile swim, 56-mile bike, 13.1-mile run) at Lake Anna State Park near Fredericksburg, VA. I knew going into this race that my left calf muscle might give me trouble. A week and a half before, the lower part of the soleus (inner calf muscle) had tightened near where it attaches to the Achilles’ tendon. I finished my run but the muscle did not loosen up. When I ran again a few days later,...