Damn knees!!

[Sigered]

One week on from running my first half marathon and I am on self imposed exile on the IC!

In the weeks leading up to Southend I had a slight niggle with both knees, no pain, just a dull ache below and behind the kneecap. I completed the half marathon and had a great day but in the few days after the race it became clear that i needed to stop running for a while to give my knees a chance to recover.

I saw a physio during the week who has recommended some exercises to improve core strength, as this is something I have never really thought about, and also advised a few days of ibuprofin to counter any inflammation.

This set me thinking, why this had happened now? I had been running 3 times a week since last summer, slowly building up the distance in the three months leading up to Southend. I stuck rigidly to the 10% rule and everything was going to plan.

Aside from a lack of core strength, the most likely explanation I can come up with is my shoes. I had been running in my current pair of Brooks for about 7 months and they had clocked up over 700km, all of them on the road. I had bought a new pair of shoes to replace them but had only started breaking them in on a few short runs, preferring to stick with the pair i knew for longer runs and the half marathon itself.

It's so easy to not notice shoes wearing out, especially that go to pair that you have got so comfortable with.

So now it will be a few weeks of rest, no running, sticking to the core exercises from the physio, and trying not to go up the wall reading about everyone else's running exploits.

I have an entry for the Adidas City Run in July but I am now thinking of sitting it out and concentrating on the Royal Parks half in October.

[Bluebirdrunner]

Sorry to hear about your knee problem Sigered. I hope they recover soon.

The memory of your HM must still be fresh in your mind...enjoy reliving that😊xxx

[linda9389 Administrator Marathon]

Sympathies from me too. About to start my 5th week on the IC. I too feel I've played by the rules but something went wrong all the same. Patience, patience. Not my strength! Good luck and here's to being back out there sooner rather than later 🤞

[Biddy62 Half Marathon]

Sorry to hear that. Hope it resolves soon and you can get back to running and ready for the Royal Parks 👍🏻

[David_G Metric Marathon]

Sorry to hear that, sadly we all get set backs from time to time😞 I think you’re doing the right thing by stopping running for a little while and concentrating on your core💪It must be frustrating after the euphoria of your HM.

It’s for the best though, so hopefully you’ll be back for the Royal Parks HM🤞

Good luck with your recovery 🙂

[Oldfloss Administrator]

Oh gosh... I totally empathise... on the IC with memories of the HM running through your head... I am on the IC too ( another week before an assessment next Saturday) and it is hard.

Heal well and move on...the runs are always there...waiting

[linda9389 Administrator Marathon in reply to Oldfloss]

The whole process moves soooo slowly doesn't it! It's four whole weeks now since I stopped running. I have an assessment at our NHS musculoskeletal clinic tomorrow morning. Have fingers crossed or someone who is interested and keen to find out exactly what has gone wrong, all the while trying to keep my expectations low I'm hoping to make it clear just how much running affects my mental well-being and see if that catches his attention.

[Oldfloss Administrator in reply to linda9389]

Try sobbing gently...its what I may do at next week's physio appointment if he says I still cannot run..after yesterday's appointment..that was bad enough and now...this week..getting used to my orthotics after he diagnosed a tendon tear..!

It does as you say..go on! Xxxx

What are we like!

[linda9389 Administrator Marathon in reply to Oldfloss]

Ouch! Poor you. At my last GP appt I came very close to tears. By tomorrow (full of cold too) it won't take much to have me reaching for the tissues

[Oldfloss Administrator in reply to linda9389]

Good luck today!

[Whatsapp Half Marathon]

You can set up Strava to notify you when your shoes reach a certain mileage.

[Sigered Half Marathon in reply to Whatsapp]

I have this set up on Garmin Connect but failed to notice quite how many miles they had done.