How to cross train when injured
Chasing a runner’s high when you can’t run
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It was all going so well. I did better than expected at a three-day ultramarathon in the Highlands (that I’d been dreading) and recovery seemed to be good. I even managed to stay ahead of a twenty-something during a sprint at track. Big mistake.
Running flat out at speed – something I never normally do in training – aggravated a long-standing injury (torn meniscus in my left knee) which is usually kept at bay with strength training.
A week later and I found myself unable to run, the swelling in my knee creating a locking sensation (but fortunately no pain). I won’t get into the weeds of this injury and my various NHS appointments, but I’m hoping things will be better in a couple of weeks after I attend a specialist private clinic.
In the meantime, I am having to cross train. Some people might just take the opportunity to rest completely and do no exercise but I’m not some people. I need the endorphin hit, sweaty brow and raised heart rate to feel “normal” and I get very restless (and irritable) if I don’t exercise.
I also have a number of big races later this year, so I want to keep my fitness going so I’m not starting from scratch when I begin running again.
This means I’ve been experimenting with different ways of exercising which avoid putting any load or pressure through my knee.
A lot of people simply default to an exercise bike, be it a Watt bike, Peloton, turbo trainer or bike in the gym. I have an Echelon bike (I once had to review one, so the company kindly sent me one and set me up with a lifetime complimentary subscription) which is basically the poor relation of the Peloton (but still costs a fortune and has a hefty monthly subscription).
But I must admit I find cycling indoors pretty dull. And if I push myself on the Echelon classes I end up standing up on the pedals to grind up a hill which exacerbates my knee injury. So instead, I have been putting on a class, muting it, and then doing my own sit-down session while listening to a podcast. I can manage about 50 minutes before boredom sets in which is broken into a five minute warm-up then five minutes hard, five minutes easy, four times, followed by a cool-down.
It gets my heart rate up to about 120 - 130 beats per minute, and I do get extremely sweaty especially in my hot garage. By comparison an easy run would range between 130-170 bpm (often depending on how fast the dog is pulling me!). According to my watch I burn about 30% less calories on the bike but the science behind this calculation is fairly sketchy so I try not to take too much notice of it.
The bike, then, is an option, especially when the only time I can train is in the evenings and I know the gym will be rammed. Hopping in the garage to jump on the Echelon solves this problem.
I’m also using my hybrid bicycle when I coach my runners and it’s made me want to go out for a longer cycle over the weekend, especially now the weather is so good. I used to be in a triathlon club and absolutely hated slogging out cycling miles on the road but going off for an explore on my bike is now quite appealing.
When I can get to the gym during the middle of the day or at the weekend (when it is most quiet) I have found my favourite new activity. I tested out the rowing machine, ski-erg, elliptical and stair stepper, but wasn’t a massive fan of these. The stair stepper is good, but I can’t do it for very long, and the other cardio machines I find immensely boring, and they don’t get my heart rate up much.
The sweet spot seems to be hiking on the treadmill at a 15% incline (this is the highest it will go to). This is something which Sophie Power did a lot of when she was pregnant, so I decided to channel my inner SP and give it a try. The best thing about it? You can watch a film as you hike. I found an hour whizzed by and I was keen to get back to the gym to finish my film! My heart rate averaged at 145bpm (more than the bike) and it also felt like good training for a lot of the events I do, which often involve long stretches of uphill hiking. I tended to stick to 5km pace but varied it a bit going up to 5.5km to do some faster intervals for about 15 minutes in the middle of the session.
My second favourite cross training session has been swimming. I’ve always loved to swim but I’m quite slow. However I have bags of endurance so I can still do 60 lengths of front crawl even though I’ve not been in a pool for more than a year. I look forward to my weekly lunchtime swim and booking it in advance means I’ve already paid for it so I can’t pull out (I do keep forgetting a key piece of kit though - swimming cap, £1 for the locker, hairbrush…).
Heart rate wise it is similar to the bike (a little over 120bpm) but I definitely feel far more knackered after an hour in the pool than any of the other cross training activities. Plus, it’s a great all body, no-impact, workout.
Another option would be to increase my strength training, but I find putting any weight or resistance through my legs irritates my pesky knee. So, for now I’m just doing some core and upper body work but am leaving my legs well alone.
Over a week the training looks something like this:
Monday: 1 hour uphill treadmill hiking at gym (lunch time)
Tuesday: 1 hour swim (lunch time) plus 30 minute evening cycling while coaching my runners
Wednesday: 50 minute interval session on Echelon bike (evening)
Thursday: Rest day
Friday: 1 hour uphill treadmill hiking at gym (after school drop-off) plus 20 minutes core/upper body strength at gym
Saturday: 90 minutes cardo at gym (10 min row warm-up, 40 mins bike, 40 mins hike)
Sunday: 30 minutes core/upper body strength at gym
This is around six hours of cardio and 50 minutes of strength. In my usual running week I would do around six to 10 hours of running and 1 hour 15 minutes of strength depending on where I was in my training cycle.
By comparison my cross training is slightly less but throw in a longer bike ride at the weekend and it will be a similar amount, albeit at a slightly lower heart rate intensity. But I’m hoping I will get different gains such as building strength in muscles I don’t normally use and being able to watch lots more films! I’m currently halfway through the Martha Stewart documentary…
What’s your favourite cross training session? Is there anything I’m missing out on? Let me know!
Pick of the week
I’ve been testing out some Runderwear products over the past month which are designed specifically for exercising. I tried the women’s briefs and Balance low impact bra to cross train in. Both are incredibly soft as well as stretchy.
The pants are a little on the high-rise side for me, but I’ve had no issues with discomfort or chafing. The bra is a crop top style and easy to remove even when you are hot and sweaty. I hate getting stuck in an over-the-head bra as I try to remove it. Any woman will know what I mean. Your arms get all contorted and your boobs are hanging out, and you need to get someone else to disentangle you. Thankfully the Runderwear bra is super stretchy so you can take it off all by yourself.
This bra is not designed for running as it doesn’t really have any support but for cross training work at the gym, the bra was ideal. I could even wear it without a vest over the top as it doesn’t really look like a bra. Rather than being Runderwear it is more gymderwear.
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