Comeback trail (post London Marathon)

[John_W]

Hello everyone - well, it's been a while.

My last post was probably back in April - my traumatic London Marathon race report. I went in under-cooked having picked up a small tear in my Achilles which resulted in a 5 week taper instead of a 3 or 2 week one. And I ran with the injury of course. With the heat, it was a brutal experience for most of us. And I lost 2 toe-nails which subsequently got infected and required antibiotics. Yum.

I did a bit of cardio stuff in the gym for a few weeks afterwards, but life stuff and holidays eventually got in the way and it seemed sensible to take a complete break from running ... and I didn't run again until 6 weeks ago (5 month break!) when I re-started C25K (helping to lead our 7th lunchtime C25K group at work) as a way of getting back into a routine. The Achilles was feeling a lot better but has improved even more with me restarting, all-be-it at a very gentle pace (for me) to protect the tendon and ensure I don't want to throw away the time I've invested in allowing it to recover.

I'm up to about 15 miles/week now (extra kms post-C25K runs) and this morning did my 1st proper parkrun since December last year. Took it very easy and finished in 27:31 - my slowest ever, but that last km was hard with me pushing a bit. As a test of the Achilles, having run for 55 mins yesterday, it went fine with no adverse effects so far.

The cardio is nowhere near what it was, but I know I have to be patient. I haven't done any proper intervals yet but I'm hoping to start them this week on the treadmill and see some cardio gains.

Maybe daft, but I've booked a place at the Manchester Marathon on April 7th. A 16 week plan would begin early December. Good job I've taken out the £5 insurance so I can pull out in case of injury!

strava.com/activities/19297...

[Decker Ultramarathon]

Wow John. That is a helluva journey. Welcome back! With the miles you are putting on and the careful pacing, it sounds like you will be fully ready for the Manchester Marathon in April.

[John_W Marathon in reply to Decker]

thanks Decker! I just have to make sure I reign it in. Too much too son and I'll be in trouble. At least I know what the signs are this time... Hope your running is going well.

[Decker Ultramarathon in reply to John_W]

Makes sense and you’ve got the experience to see the problems early now. My running is going well. Just finished my first sub 2hr HM thanks to Wednesday intervals and hills. Going for a 30k in March.

[John_W Marathon in reply to Decker]

sub 2 hours is a great time for HM. 30k a nice distance too - good luck!

[Decker Ultramarathon in reply to John_W]

Thank John, your earlier advice around intervals helped convince me to include them and I think it paid off

[Bluebirdrunner]

Hi John, I saw you were back running again...Good luck with your upcoming plans! xx

[John_W Marathon in reply to Bluebirdrunner]

thanks Jan!

[AnnieW55]

Welcome back. You’ve certainly lost no speed! Plenty of time for Manchester - even taking it steadily.

[John_W Marathon in reply to AnnieW55]

thanks Annie - just have to be sensible now.

[AnnieW55 in reply to John_W]

That’s the hard part 😀.

[aliboo70 Half Marathon]

Great to see you back John and with a great plan of action,well done!😊my brother did Manchester last year and is hoping to be there again this year x

[John_W Marathon in reply to aliboo70]

thanks Ali! Really hope I can get to Manchester injury-free.