A wise woman has wagered a bet on me...she’s donated £26.20 (£1 per mile) to my just giving page, with a promise to double it if I achieve my sub-4:00 target. If you’ve been following the blog, you’ll realise that, to most, this seems like a pretty sure thing for me... however, she asked some wise questions...
What’s my best ever marathon time? 05:05. Not even sub-5:00!
When did I achieve this? 2005...when I was merrily the other side of 30 and full of youthful exuberance.
What times have I done since? Somewhere in the region of 05:30 & 05:45 I think, but I barely trained – honestly! So I am sure they can be discounted in this general discussion.
So what happened the year that I did train hard (2005)? I’d done a 01:47 half-marathon (my PB, still yet to be beaten), everything was going great, and I looked in fine form to do a sub-04:00 marathon. In a nutshell, what happened was runner’s knee. Essentially it’s just a really sore knee. But knees are important when you run. Crucially so. They take that impact every single time your foot hits the road...that’s 21,000 times or more for each knee in the course of a marathon.
My runner’s knee was possibly caused by my dodgy running style (I overpronate) or by a muscle imbalance. I have ITB problems on my left leg...that’s Illiotobal band problems for those not up with all this running speak. It’s a band that runs up the outer side of your thigh from the knee to the hip somewhere... and it gets tight, and it’s hard to stretch out, and when that happens, it pulls your kneecap out of alignment and can cause runner’s knee. Needless to say, my knee caused excruciating pain for me when running, and in doing that 05:05 marathon, I had walked/limped for over 10kms/6M of it...incredibly disappointing, considering the effort I’d put in.
I was heartbroken. Absolutely completely and utterly gutted. And I will be again if it reoccurs. Which is why, this time, I’ve taken a number of preventative measures. I now have a lovely pair of sub-4 orthotics in my bright white Asics 1140s that I am slowly but surely running in. It is just coincidence that the brand is the same as my marathon goal. I’ve also done almost all my long runs on more forgiving surfaces. Pounding the road or pavement doesn’t do your joints any favours at all, which is why I’ve stuck to the trails of Richmond Park for the long Sunday runs, and I chose a half marathon that was a trail run too.
I’ve bought myself a foam roller to roll out the tight ITB – for anyone that’s done this before, it’s definitely best done in private as rolling along this thing is one of the most painful self-inflicted experiences ever and causes me to swear like a trooper!
Another more pleasant way to ease the pain is to ensure I regularly massage my legs. I’ve become a real fan of the Neal’s Yard Arnica Salve (http://shop.nealsyardremedies.com/product/979/Arnica_Salve_Plant_Therapy), which seems to work a treat on my tired muscles, and I am sure the massage helps to deal with some of the tightness too.
So far, I’ve managed to avoid any serious issues. I got a bit worried a few weeks back when the knees started to hurt a bit after I did a 17 mile training run on the road – I was away at my Nan’s for the weekend, so didn’t have my usual trails available. I took it easy for a few days, and things seem OK, but those knees are definitely at the forefront of my mind every time I run. One month more...that’s all they’ve got to last!
Kate:
Everybody keeps asking me if all this training is making me feel super healthy and energised, the answer is: No, I just feel bloomin’ exhausted! The last couple of weeks of relentless training have left me crawling into bed super early and passing out. My body has gone from doing no exercise to about 5hrs+ a week of training so it’s been quite an adjustment.....and every muscle has felt it! The knees have felt a bit worn at times but touch wood no real injuries yet.
I have found a great and cheap place for Thai massages (don’t get the wrong idea, its completely above board!) and so am treating myself to one every Monday after the long run on a Sunday. I wish I could afford to go every day, it’s sooo good. I swear I can almost hear my legs sigh with relief afterwards.
Dan:
After every long run my legs are shattered. The next day they feel like lead and it takes at least 24 to 48 hours for them to recover. But then I get back out on the road to give them an easy break in and I seem to be fine again.
I have had a slightly dodgy right knee since day one but luckily it doesn’t give me any pain whilst running, that just comes down to the endless blisters on both my feet. They haven’t started to hurt too much whilst running yet but hopefully if they do give me problems on the big day then I will just run through the pain.
Pain is temporary, failure is for life!
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