Need Advice

[newbieinPA]

Hi everyone,

My first tri is coming up (8/29)! My training is supposed to peak starting this weekend and then start scaling back next weekend (8/21). The problem is that I sprained my ankle this past Monday. I skipped my Tuesday and Wednesday workouts and swam Thursday and biked today but did an easier pace as I didn't want to overwork/hurt my ankle.

So my question is, if I take it easy and don't train too much over the next two weeks, will I be okay to compete on 8/29? Or should I just not do this one and lose the registration $$. There's another one 9/19 but I was hoping to do two this season.

If it helps, I'm training for a sprint - I have done all the bike/run distances at some point during my training and I hope to get a 600yd swim in the week before the race. Oh and I'm not really worried about my ankle hurting during the race - I just don't want to make it worse before the race.

Thanks!

[tribogota]

I would definitly NOT do the triathlon if you are feeling pain. NO reason to feel pain, many other triathlons will come along in life.

If you aren't feeling pain, as my coach says always "what's done is done"
as in the last couple of weeks, well they don't really make or break a race!

[txred9876]

Our swim couch always says "the hays already in the barn" no more training can be crammed in between now and the race.

I sure hope your foot feels better but there are some that walk the run part for whatever reason.

Tina

[OakLeaf]

Undertreatment means that “30 to 40 percent of people with simple ankle sprains develop chronic long-term joint pathology,” said one presenter, Tricia Hubbard, the undergraduate athletic training director at the University of North Carolina in Charlotte.

“Most research is showing that with any ankle sprain, the ankle should be immediately immobilized to protect the joint and allow the injured ligaments to heal,” Dr. Hubbard said in an interview. “At least a week for the simplest sprain, 10 to 14 days for a moderate sprain and four to six weeks for more severe sprains.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/28/he...20ankle&st=cse

I can imagine how badly you want to do this race and - if you're anything like me - how hard it is to rest an injury. But as the article states, it's just not worth the risk of long-term damage. Rest, heal, get good PT, there will be other races.

[newbieinPA]

Thanks guys! FWIW, I'm not actually in much pain (my ankle is a just a little tender) - I just don't want to train hard until I'm sure it's better and more stable. It's probably the mildest sprain you can get (no bruising and minimal swelling) but of course, I made the mistake of walking/running/etc on a fractured foot for over a year - so I'm trying to be careful!

I suppose I'll be fine to do it and maybe I will walk the run part. I still haven't run and I'm trying to limit how much I'm on it.

But it's good to know that I might be in good enough shape to finish it.

[deeaimond]

I sprained my ankle so many times when i was younger (in my early and late teens) I never thought too much about and it and would be back on my feet in a day or 2. now i'm only 24 and I have ankle problems. chronic pain and strain. it can also affect other joints in your legs because of the way the ligaments healed. not worth it. if it still feels tender let it rest completely. there is always some other tri ard the corner.