Sports Dr Recommendation

TheTalkingTurboTrainer

During a ride this morning my mate spent the whole time trying to convince me to sign up for Iron Man France as he already had :shock:

Much to my fiance's disgust I'm considering it (she didn't enjoy me training all the time for this years etape and knows an Iron Man will be worse).

That being said, I have a very dodgey ankle courtesy of a few rugby injuries from years gone by. Can anybody recommend a good sports Dr in London for me to go and get it analysed, have a gait analysis done, maybe some orthotics made for me and some shoes recommended etc?

Many thanks in advance.

cougie

Sorry don't know any docs in London, but good luck in France - I'm doing it too.

TCR ISP

TheTalkingTurboTrainer wrote:

During a ride this morning my mate spent the whole time trying to convince me to sign up for Iron Man France as he already had :shock:

Much to my fiance's disgust I'm considering it (she didn't enjoy me training all the time for this years etape and knows an Iron Man will be worse).

That being said, I have a very dodgey ankle courtesy of a few rugby injuries from years gone by. Can anybody recommend a good sports Dr in London for me to go and get it analysed, have a gait analysis done, maybe some orthotics made for me and some shoes recommended etc?

Many thanks in advance.

Try BUPA but be warned it won't be cheap:

http://www.bupa.co.uk/wellness/asp/pers ... herapy.asp

sward29

There is a guy who has featured several times in Cycling Weekly as something of a miracle worker when it comes to injuries. I think his name is Michael Lanning and he works at the Gonstead Chiropractic Clinic on Harley Street. Try contacting CW as I'm sure that they'd be happy to pass on his details.

Another option would be to contact Cyclefit in Covent Garden. As bike fit specialists they must know of people able to deal with sports injuries.

Good luck.

TheTalkingTurboTrainer

Thanks guys, got a referral from the company Dr so that it's covered by my medical insurance (no worries re the cost TCR ISP - someone else can foot the bill )

I'm going to go to Health and Fitness Solutions. Went to a guy there before the Etape for a minor groin strain. I've now done a bit more research into them and they look really good. They'll do the whole Bic-Mec Analysis, Gait Analysis etc to if required and will recommend the right shoes etc.

First visit tomorrow arvo - looking forward to it! Here's their website for anyone else interested:

http://www.hfs.uk.net/

flattythehurdler

Just don't go to the all blacks sports psychologist

TheTalkingTurboTrainer

I think you'll find they don't have one. As far as I am aware only the 2005 British Lions had one of those.

What was their win record in Internationals?

PS Yes I am sick of the ABs jokes :x

flattythehurdler

Seriously, I do an ironman most years, and they are easy enough to finish, but not to race. IMO the bike is the key to the whole thing, and you will fly around it having finished this years' etape. The swim is pretty easy with a bit of training. The wetsuit makes it much easier than in a pool and it is little more than a warm up (provided you can avoid the bunfight). The big problem you will have, given your ankle, is not the ironman itself, but the amount of run training you need to do. I have a torn knee lemniscus, and have been told not to run at all. I hence do 4 training runs before an ironman, starting about 5 weeks before, i do a 1 miler, a 4 miler and two 12 milers. I aim to run the first half of the marathon and walk or walk/run the rest. You can get around in under 5 hours doing this which ain't gonna rip up any trees, but you get the medal and the kudos, and I reckon you either win or finish, and not much else matters in between. I wouldn't want you to knacker your ankle for the sake of shaving half an hour off the day. I would do most of the work on the bike and in the pool. Surgery on any joint is a precarious business, and unfortunately, a lot of joint specialists/surgeons are orthopaedic boys who aren't reknowned for their reticence with a slash hook. If your ankle is up to an etape, it must be in reasonable nick, and you must ask yourself whether any surgical intervention is worth the risk. Good luck in any case. You'll easily finish, and it gives a good sense of achievement.
The IM is a lot easier imo than that etape last year,(which says more about the etape and the people who finished it than about the ironman).

TheTalkingTurboTrainer

Thanks Flatty, that's useful.

The ankle doesn't effect me at all on a bike - it's the lateral movement and the pounding that effects it. According to the Dr both ankles (I've done them both during different rugby games - the right twice, the left once) are pronated which basically means they have collapsed in on themselves so the inner part of both feet sit lower than they should - kinda like a flat foot yet I don't have flat feet .... if that makes sense?!?

Anyway, I'm seeing the physio in two hours so hopefully I'll get more of an understanding and know how likely it is that I could do something like an Iron Man. TBH though, the fiance is kicking up a serious amount of grief over it - she didn't like me training and not drinking, not socialising as much and refuses to let me do it to her again.

sigh women huh? ... damn them and their warm soft parts to hell!

flattythehurdler

I know, and she'll be the first to complain if you get a beer gut. It needn't actually be that time consuming if you can fit it in. I would reckon on swimming twice a week if possible (which got me in around the hour mark, and I'm no great swimmer), and there is no way you need to train as hard on the bike as you must have for the etape. You can train very hard to try to go an hour faster (or not if you have a bad day), or go fairly steady with the training and get around. running a lot on those ankles doesn't seem a great plan even with orthotics etc, but it shouldn't stop you.
As you know, nutrition is important on the day. it is a long day out, and usually hot. Other tips are to make sure you have sunblock in swim and run bags, to bring a sandwich, and don't push too hard on the bike (don't reaqlly push at all if you can help it) and try to get off feeling fairly fresh. It is odd, but I have always found the IM marathons easier than a straight one, perhaps as you feel like you are nearly there, but also because you don't kill yourself not to walk. The tips for therun are just to go from aid station to aid station, and if /when you do walk, walk fast. I would recommend it once definitely, and now might be a good time before any babies appear. Lanzarote is a good one too which would suit your strong cycling. The advantages are that it is fairly quiet and never fills up so you can enter late, and also that it is early in the year , leaving the summer for beer.
PS Don't tell anyone I said this but I still think that the current all black team are the best rugby team the world has ever seen.
PPS Any coach who brings an utter utter w@nker like alistair campbell on a lions tour deserves to fail. The miserable litle barsteward is still whining like an adolescent about it now. Why they give him any space in the ST is beyond me, he sounds like a petulant schoolchild. I would expect better from my 2 year old. Pr1ck.

Blonde

Cant advise a medical Dr or owt to do with the running or swimming but I can recommend Cycle Fit (London) for any bike comfort issues, muscle imbalances or pain when cycling. The 'cycle fit' is more about the cyclist than the bike. You fill in a questionnaire about the issues you want sorting before you go then they do a video analysis of you on the bike, measure you power output etc with each leg, assess your flexibility and measure you (including a very in depth measuring of the length of your feet, the width, the length of your instep, the angles of each instep etc.) You can have custom food beds which will support your individual arch shape - and are recommended for pronators, to help you get the best pedalling efficiency. They will also provide you with wedges for under your cleat/s if needed. http://www.cyclefit.co.uk/ I really cant recommend them highly enough!

TheTalkingTurboTrainer

Hi Blonde,

I agree, Cyclefit are phenominal. I saw them last year as I was having neck probs on long rides. They adjusted a lot on my bike, gave me wedges and moduled inner soles

No problems since then! Perfect!!!

Flatty, just got back from the physio. My right leg is a mess by the sound of things!! I've got some intensive physio coming up and I'm seeing the Podiatrist on Monday as well for carbon fibre orthotics. He's told me not to run for a while as it will only load up my calf and worsen the existing issues.

Back on the bike some more pour moi!!

flattythehurdler

I suppose what i am trying to say is that you can finish an ironman without pounding your legs to hell training for the marathon, so don't be too dismayed, and good luck either way. Anyone who finished last years' eatpe is a hard f'cker in my book.

Monty Dog

As a former Ironman, a triathlete since 1987 and someone who regularly trains with two 'ironmen' I agree about the fact that training for the run presents a far greater challenge than the bike. It really depends on whether you're looking to complete or compete - to be a competivie age-grouper you need to be looking at sub-10hrs on a regular course, therefore running a sub 3:30 marathon. However, unless you have a history of knee or biomechanical problems with cycling, I wouldn't think you need specialist orthotics - and a run orthotic is very different from a bike orthotic. The fact that you've completed L'etape suggests that you're a competent rider and you don't mention any bike-specific issues. Whilst some people rave about Cyclefit - and others I know have found their advise to be less than helpful - so unless you have a known problem save yourself the money and invest in some coaching or good winter training kit which will pay more dividends. The key to a good Ironman is a sound endurance base which can be developed on the bike - plenty of steady 5-6 hours rides will see you off the bike and ready to 'shuffle'