I’ve had adductor niggles for the past month of training, culminating in a grade one strain on my left side (although right has been implicated as well). We think it’s pectineus is because it is sore to palpate by medial to rec fem attachment and also painful in adduction and hip flexion.
We are at the end of SPP but with a 12 week pre-comp to come (so this is more like a very general SPP) and doing 3 track sessions a week with one hill session at the end of the week. I’m a 400/200m runner training age ~ 4 and aged 19. PBs: 46.2 (done about 2 weeks ago at the end of the last SPP cycle)
Mon - Off/Therapy
Tues - Speed (up to 80m) e.g. 3x20, 2x40, 2x60, 1x80 (no more than 300-400m) and some tyre drags (up to 400m of these) and Weights (Olympic Lifts)
Wed - Speedball, Skipping, Med Ball throws, Core
Thurs - Special endurance (e.g. 450, 350, 300 on full recs) + Uppers
Fri - Tempo (~1500m-2000m) + Boxing (focus pads) + Core
Sat - Speed Endurance (100-150m total volume <600m) + Weights (Dynamic Squats, Cleans, Deep Catch Snatch + some RDLs)
Sun - Long Hills (e.g. 2x4x120m) and med ball throws
As I’m feeling the niggles mostly in accel and not really at top speed, do you guys think it may be because of the amount of accelerating I am doing? I try to alternate my start leg in some of the more general stuff, but the problems I am getting (adductor longus on right side - doing extension, and pectineus on left side - doing flexion), seem to correspond to starting off my right leg, which I do >75% of the time.
Hills and tyre drags put you in an accelerating position almost constantly and I’ve tended to notice the problems come on off the back of block starts or tyre drags on the Tues, which is a very big day (tyres probably not necessary at this stage but coach wants to keep them in there)
That’s quite extraordinary, considering that the best U20 400m runner in the current Australian rankings is down with a 47.62.
What competition was that?
Regarding your injury: The adductors also work as hip flexors, and since hip flexion is more active during acceleration, they are more likely to cause problems here. Maybe you can do most of your speed work (i.e. your Tuesday session) with rolling starts or easy, gradual accelerations for a while to help your adductors settle down. I’d definitely drop the tyre drags for now. As a 400m runner your top speed (for speed reserve) and speed endurance are much more important than acceleration anyway. Are you taking ibuprofen or some other NSAID (orally and/or topically)?
I’ve seen that time too but wasn’t that on the rankings from last year? I missed last year as I was focusing on finishing school so this will be my first year full time at it. I ran that time at a ANSW ‘permit meet’ at Blacktown a couple of weeks ago - which I’m pretty sure doesn’t count for rankings anyway cos theyre handtimed (the meet was timed by people from the crowd, and the time they gave me was 48.2 - which is how quickly I normally run through in on a 500 - but both my coach and my dad got me at 46.2 and 46.3 respectively so that’s what we’re going on as my training times would indicate that I’m in 45.4-46.0 form. It was also quite dodgy as it took them quite some time to come up with this time, so they might have missed it completely and just made something up.)
Thanks for your feedback on my injury - I think we will have to drop the tyre work - as you say it is fairly unspecific to the training objectives given my main focus is on the 400m. I think putting that at the end of my speed session meant I was already fatigued and would tend to shuffle off (think Matt Shirvington) the start rather than accelerate in a straight line, putting more strain on the adductors, especially because I am tall.
Have just had it assessed as ‘muscle overload’ in the adductor region - as oppose to a specific muscle strain - because the pain I am getting is fairly generalised and I still have full strength/ROM. Currently I am not taking any NSAIDs because I suspected a strain, however I have been told that this is OK from tomorrow to help it settle down.