Four Weeks To Go - Riddled With Injury

29th September, 2009

This week has been fairly depressing.

After the joy of the new trainers passed I somehow managed to injure my knee. Last week's short runs were all cut short by a nagging pain around the bottom and outside of my left knee cap.











I had to give up after 3 miles on Wednesday and then - perhaps stupidly - opted to go out again on Thursday and couldn't make it any further than about a mile and a half. Turning home I felt really, really dejected. I wondered if I hadn't stretched enough after my 10 mile run last Tuesday.

After resting for a few days (Friday and Saturday) I tried to go out for a long run on Sunday afternoon with my friend and running buddy, Natalia. Setting off in the Bois de la Cambre, we tracked down in to the woods - all was going well, but after about seven miles, we ran down a sharp slope and the knee pain came back. I tried to push on through the pain and keep going but eventually had to stop and we walked for a mile before trying to start running again. It was no use as the pain continued to get worse and after another mile or so we had to stop and walk the rest of the way home.

I felt very dejected as I've never experienced anything like this before.

Getting in to a negative mindset is awful. I began to worry that I won't be fit enough for New York. I really started to beat myself up about not stretching enough, not putting in enough miles or getting enough sleep and finally I started to think I haven't been taking the training seriously enough, perhaps the knowledge that I've already run a marathon has made me a bit complacent about training for the next one.












Work took me and my foul mood to the Swedish city, Goteborg, where I had a lot of time to think on my strategy going forward. The most important thing for me at this point is to be able to get around the marathon course in New York, preferably running the whole way. Using my best Swedish, I bought some ibuprofen and some ibuprofen gel for the knee and did a few stretches.














Through a friend, I managed to find a drop in physioclinic in Gotenburg. http://www.sportrehab.se/

After a good deal of prodding around and "provoking" me, the physio, diagnosed an "overuse" injury inside the joint.

If you over-exercise your knee you can aggravate the cartilage and another layer called the meniscus, which cushion the impact when you run.

At best, the area becomes inflamed and at worst it can begin to tear away from the joint. He didn't seem to think that mine wasn't torn (I would be in a lot more pain if it were) just inflamed.

The good news is that it isn't a problem with the knee cap or the muscles surrounding the knee or the tendons, as these kind of problems are more serious. He seemed confident it would heal, but said the meniscus area has bad blood supply and therefore takes - on average - longer to heal.

The anti-inflammatory gel wouldn't work, he said, because the aggravation is inside the joint, too deep to be reached with gel. So the bad news is he was VERY evasive about how long it would take and said I should "reassess" my plans to run the marathon and "throw my training schedule out of the window."

Me: "Yes but I am running a marathon in 4.5 weeks, I need to train."

Physio: "Well, you rest now, you may be ok for the marathon, you train hard now, maybe your knee problem comes back and you have to run the last 10k of the marathon in pain, you do yourself a great deal of damage, you get in to a vicious cycle."

And so I left with a downbeat feeling, some anti inflamatory drugs and a recommendation to rest before starting low level exercise like biking or walk-run-walk.

I am to take Voltaren for 10 days - which contains 25mg of diclofenac (picture below). It is a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory which could cause "severe stomach pain" according to the physio - YUM!

Five Weeks To Go - Back On Schedule

Wednesday 23rd September, 2009

Another week, another pair of new trainers.

This time the Asics GEL-KINSEI 2 - bought as a gift from America: -














According to the Asics website, "the GEL-KINSEI 2 incorporate state of the art footwear technology to work in harmony with the specific needs of the runner. Ultimate cushioning and comfort in a stylish colourway."















They are gorgeous and - immediately after putting them on - I could feel the difference in stability they give compared to the Mizuno's. Itching to try them out I sped off for ten miles in the Brussels sun.

Reaching ten miles I asked myself if I would be able to carry on for another 16 miles... to be honest I wasn't sure. I don't think my fitness levels are quite yet "there" but there is still a fair amount of training to go and I think keeping focus until the taper will be key.

Also went to see "The September Issue" a documentary film about Anna Wintour and the September issue of Vogue:

Six Weeks To Go - New Trrrrainers, New Socks And A Downbeat Week

Tuesday 15th September, 2009

A few set backs this week: the old trainers have really passed it and started to cause me a lot of pain. This, combined with a lot of tiring travel for work and the fact that I picked up a cold during my visit to London, meant training took a back seat and the few runs I managed were on the light side.

Saturday came around and I resolved to take my trainer problem in hand by visiting Brussels' only running shop, Jogging Plus.











Evidently they take their running, and their shoe selling pretty seriously in Brussels and the conversation went something like this.

Me: "Hello, I'm running a marathon and I need new trainers, please can you help me."

Pony-tailed Sales Assistant: "You have run a marathon before?"

M: "Yes"

PTSA: "And you have your old trainers here?"

M: "No, but I can show you which ones they are on your stand and I was pretty happy with them."

PTSA: "I need to see the trainers you have been wearing. You are running a marathon, you need good shoes, this is not a joke, you need to have the right trainers."

M: "But I don't have them with me and I would really like to buy some trainers today."

PTSA: "When you run in the old trainers, they wear away. Looking at them will help us to choose the new ones. Until I see them, I cannot help you. You will come back with your trainers next week, goodbye."

He turned and walked away and I went home, tail between my legs. I was fairly shocked to be ejected from the shop so resolutely - didn't he want my custom!?

Nothing opens in Brussels on a Sunday, so Monday came around and I went back to the shop with my old trainers - Asics Gel Stratus - and prepared to face the Snooty Pony Tailed Sales Assistant for a second time.

Sadly, he wasn't working and I showed my shoes to an older, much more helpful man who informed me that my old trainers were worn evenly, which means I have a normal stride and don't need corrective trainers. He also - very kindly - highlighted the wideness of my foot and recommended the Mizuno range, which apparently have "more room in the front" for fat-footers.

And so, having had my feet inspected closely, run up and down the shop several times and tried on three different pairs of shoes, I left with the Mizuno Wave Ultima trainers and a pair of Falke running socks.













The second shop assistant was much nicer than the first but did launch in to a long spiel about how the New York Marathon was one of the world's most difficult, "much harder than other marathons" because of the bridges and the end in Central Park. "It will be harder than the ones you have run before," he said.

Great! So not that positive a week on the training but a few amusing escapades and hilariously, the Falke socks are labelled left and right, in case you forget which foot is which...

Seven Weeks To Go: 14 Miles, REALLY Need New Trainers

Sunday 6th September, 2009














Back in the UK: 14 miles in the lovely Richmond Park with my super fit friend, who barely drew breath, indicates to me that I need to train more.

I managed to keep up but I felt horrible at the start of the run and sick for most of the day afterwards. Hip still hurting, badly need to get the new trainers. Plan to address this weekend...!

We ran 14 miles in about 2 hours 17 mins, which we were both quite pleased with. You can connect to her blog here.