This first week of #ScotTourTrain(ing) did not go quite to plan. I intended to ride four days in a row (Sunday - Wednesday) then rest until Friday's night ride from Whitstable (72 miles).
Sunday, Monday and Tuesday went well, with Tuesday being a fairly tough day. But instead of getting a 'recovery ride' on Wednesday, I got a migraine and spent most of the day in bed rather than on a bike. Thursday, I did housework and bike fettling. Friday, I went into town by bus then pottered around the house (cleaning cleats being my main accomplishment), and took an afternoon nap.
Then I got ready for the night ride. However, the moment my butt made contact with my saddle, I experienced a very sharp pain (like a pinch) in my upper right thigh. I pedaled as far as the end of the road, scooting around to see if I would get some relief. I didn't. I knew I could not endure a ride of any length at all with such an intense pain, so called it quits and freewheeled home. I was so disappointed, I actually cried.
Casting my mind back over the week, I recalled feeling some saddle discomfort on Tuesday's ride, and tightness/soreness when stretching the inner thighs that night. I had also re-introduced the "clam" to my exercise regime, having let it slip off the radar about a year ago.
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| http://lesserevillife.com/4-knee-friendly-lower-body-toning-exercises/ via Google Images |
Stupidly, I did about the same number of reps as I used to do back when I was doing that exercise regularly, and I probably over-did it.
Against that 'back story' and based on the location and nature of the pain, I suspect I've got a flare up of adductor tendonitis, one variety of what is commonly called "groin strain". This is an inflammation of the tendon that connects the Adductor longus muscle to the pubic bone.
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| http://www.mendmeshop.com/groin/adductor-tendinopathy.php |
The adductors are a group of muscles on the inside front of the leg that work as partner to the gluteal group of muscles at the outside/rear of the leg. Together, these muscles control the movement of the leg through the hip joint.
The fact is, cycling doesn't engage adductor muscles much. Mine are probably pretty weak. I re-introduced the clam to 'wake up' the medial glute muscle (around the side of the hip located "under the back pocket"), which helps stabilise the knee joint while cycling. But of course while the glute med pulls the leg outwards (or upwards during the clam), the adductors have to bring it back.
Cycling is a tricky activity as you increase mileage and the time you spend riding. Often one group of muscles will get stronger and stronger while the muscles that control the opposite movement remain weak. Cross-training (with activity that works the opposing sets of muscle) helps prevent this inequality. Physiotherapists often recommend specific exercises for cyclists to build up the weaker partner muscles in order to better support the muscles doing the bulk of the work. The most common advice relates to strengthening the abdomen or core to support the spinal muscles that are used while the cyclist is in a static hunched position. Similar principles apply to stretching and flexibility.) Strengthening the opposing muscles equalizes the forcesbeing put on the body but also, crucially, helps to prevent injury -- which usually takes the form of muscle strain or tendon inflammation.
And that's where I've gone wrong.
I've had adductor tendonitis before, about four years ago, that time in the left leg. I don't know what triggered it, but the saddle I was using at the time put pressure exactly on the adductor tendon (confirmed by my chiropractor). That prompted me away from pear-shaped saddles (i.e. Brooks B17) to t-shaped saddles (i.e. Brooks B15 Swallow).
Last summer, I began using the Selle SMP Dynamic saddle to do away with pressure from the saddle nose on the genitals. The Dynamic is the perfect saddle for me in that regard but it is unfortunately slightly more pear-shaped than I'd like. From the beginning, I've been aware of a degree of pressure from the gently curving side of the saddle on the adductor tendon. Until now, however, that hasn't caused me any pain or outright discomfort. During this same time period, I've had a varying degree of tightness in the adductor muscles and hip flexors, which has kept me quite vigilant about keeping good posture while riding.
But with a full-blown case of inflammation, the Dynamic saddle hits me in a very tender area, hence my pain the other night.
I can only hope this inflammation will ease without much time off the bike. Certainly if I can get the acute inflammation down so that I can bear to ride my Dynamic saddle, cycling itself shouldn't aggravate the muscle. In any case, I really don't fancy embarking on yet another saddle search, especially with only 5 months to go until our 12-day cycle tour!
Meanwhile, it's all about ice compresses, very gentle stretching and, once back on the back, careful posture. I may also think about seeing my sports therapist for an assessment, massage and advice.
Summary:
Cycled 3 days out of 7.
No long weekend ride.
Total 83.8 km.
"Kilometre-age" breakdown for the week:
Sunday: 23.5 km over 1 hr 20 min 43 sec (17.47 km/hr average)
Monday: 20.6 km over 1 hr 24 min 6 sec (14.7 km/hr average)
Tuesday: 39.7 km over 2 hr 37 min 33 sec (15.12 km/hr average)
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