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Speed Sessions & Injuries
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Comments
ShSh,
you never really outlined exactly what you were trying to do on your "speed sessions". The term is one used loosely by most people; in practice it actually encompasses sessions designed to enhance, at one extreme, pure speed (which is basically getting the central nervous system used to the co-ordination required to move the muscles faster), and at the other, speed endurance, which is more about acquiring the strength required to maintain speed over a longer time/distance.
Most sessions include an element of both; as an example, most of mine (with the exception of this evening) tend to be biased more towards speed endurance, in that I'm looking to run repeats of longer distances at a not-quite-so-high speed, and going back into them after an incomplete recovery - so I get increasingly fatigued as time passes. This does also increase the risk of injury, and I wonder if this is the source of your problem.
You give the impression that at this stage, all you're seeking is the ability to run faster. In which case, if you aren't doing so already, try to cut out the "speed endurance" elements of your sessions - make your recovery periods longer, and, if necessary, your efforts a bit shorter in terms of time/distance.
If you find as a result you can get through a couple (or more) sessions without any ill-effects, try, very gradually, to reintroduce the "speed endurance" elements - lengthen your efforts, and then shorten the recovery times.
Good luck
Mike S