Ok so ... HM training

Knee stiff today so I’m resting instead of running. Tomorrow too if it’s still like it. I’m wearing compression socks in the hopes they will help. I might wear them for my runs too and see if they stop the achey legs. Anyone know if they help knee swelling? If it’s still bad I will rest all week: I don’t want to as I’m missing the last bit of training before tapering, but I’ve invested all this training, over £50 entry fee, not to mention the money people have donated, so I will be gutted if I can’t do the race.

But I’m horrified at how fast sloth creeps back in. Me: I wonder if I COULD run today if I take it easy? Inner sloth: nah, dossing around and eating is a far better idea. Sloth is soon joined by his partner lethargy. It seems I need the discipline of a plan to keep me motivated. Me, the rebel who got expelled from school during A-levels for skiving off and lurking in the study room when I should have been in lessons (and giving the head a piece of my mind, but that’s another story!) ... who knew?!

So, watch this space. I really really REALLY want to do this half marathon!

Edit: my race number and drop off bag have arrived. Eek!

[cheekychipmunks Half Marathon]

Oh Flick you have invested SO much time and effort into your training. Your grit and determination is second to none, and most mortals couldn’t/wouldn’t have stuck to your grueling plan. I’d certainly have strayed! 🙄

So take care of that knee. You have far too much invested in your running to jeopardise your HM now, and it sounds like you seriously want to do it. 🏃‍♀️

Rest up for a few days, then start your taper. You’re so close now! 👍🎉🏃‍♀️👊👏

[Hidden in reply to cheekychipmunks]

Thank you, you’re right. If the swelling has gone I will do the end of the week, but otherwise not. It’s so annoying as it wasnt caused by running. If I knock the knee, it swells, and I’m forever knocking it. Normally I wouldn’t take too much notice, but these long slow runs really aggravate it. I might do the remaining runs at normal pace x

[cheekychipmunks Half Marathon in reply to Hidden]

Perfect plan. Good luck - we’re all rooting for you! ❤️

[Hidden in reply to cheekychipmunks]

Thank you ❤️

[limberlou Half Marathon]

Just rest it and don’t aggravate it. It takes at least 2 weeks to lose fitness apparently.

But I know what you mean about sloths and lethargy etc..... they are my best friends at the mo. 🙄

[Hidden in reply to limberlou]

I will see how it goes. If at all possible, I don’t want to miss too much training. This is t ordinary fitness and I don’t want to go into a long race after a two week break. I shall see. The knee does this all the time and has done since I was 19. Total pain!

[limberlou Half Marathon in reply to Hidden]

🤞

[Irishprincess Administrator Half Marathon]

You're doing the right thing resting. Don't think of it as slothing but your body is repairing and getting stronger. You don't see it but all that work is going on underneath! Think of it as invisible training 🙂

At this stage, you'll have to trust your body and the running gods. You're ready to run the race and want to. That's most of the battle. The rest is out of your control so don't let it mess with your head at this stage xxx

[Hidden in reply to Irishprincess]

Thank you, yes that all makes sense. Supplication to the running gods me thinks. That will be Atalanta and Hermes among others.

“The Atalanta story may reflect an older tradition of athletic, empowered free women on Crete choosing their own husbands and lovers. The earliest version of the Olympic Games was believed to come from Crete and may have been made up of all women athletes competing in honor of the ancient Minoan mother goddess.” Xxx

[Irishprincess Administrator Half Marathon in reply to Hidden]

Atalanta was my second choice forum name before I joined here! Yes she was a bit of a badass 💪💪 xxx

[Hidden in reply to Irishprincess]

She’s my girl!

[GoGo_JoJo Ultramarathon]

I think the socks are unlikely to help the knee but there are compression knee sleeves...? Have a couple of days, you're made of sterner stuff than you think 👍🏻😉

[Hidden in reply to GoGo_JoJo]

Thank you lovely. I often wonder what my life would have been like if I hadn’t fractured my femur and split my knee open as a young adult. But it is what it is - and tbh I’ve had fewer injuries than a lot of runners with two sound legs x

[GoGo_JoJo Ultramarathon in reply to Hidden]

What ifs are futile, you may have ended up far worse off. You've done great, look at Fiona Oakes, she's acheived incredible feats with only one kneecap!!

You're a tough lady, you'll be better than OK 👍🏻😁

[Hidden in reply to GoGo_JoJo]

No they aren’t. I’m a writer so every thought is an unfolding of something. I have no regrets

[Hidden in reply to GoGo_JoJo]

Ps: I wear a compression bandage on my knee for every run. If I don’t it swells

[Agelesslass Metric Marathon]

Rooting for you Flick, rest that knee 😀😀

[Hidden in reply to Agelesslass]

Thank you lovely x

[roseabi Ultramarathon]

Rest xxx

[Hidden in reply to roseabi]

👍🏼❤️

[SlowLoris]

Makes perfect sense to adapt the plan to suit the circumstances. Silly not to really.

[Hidden in reply to SlowLoris]

Yep 😊

[Sadie-runs Half Marathon]

Well, I think resting is a great idea - I would be very wary of running with any swelling dearest Flick. I totally understand your concerns of course (having been there done that very recently myself 😐), but think of it this way - you have done the bulk of the hard training now, and you are fit. A week off won’t change that, honest. I didn’t do any of my last week’s training runs as I was resting my ITB, but, I managed two of the short taper runs the week before. Of course I was anxious, missing my last long run, but as you know I made it around the HM course! With energy to spare!

I am thinking of you and rooting for you my lovely; hope that pesky knee swelling goes down soon. Keep up the yoga if you can to keep yourself nice and limber...

Sadie xxx

[Hidden in reply to Sadie-runs]

Thank you dearest Sadie ❤️❤️❤️

I’m being very good. Didn’t run today. I’m intrigued to see what happens to the runs if I miss one, whether my watch/app moves on to the next run or just pushes them all forward xxx

[AlMorr Half Marathon]

I think you will run and feel more comfortable running in compression socks tomorrow will help you with your running Flick, £50 entry fee is quite expensive, so I know that you will run it, you are a fighter, not a person who gives up easily.

That's news that you got expelled from school during A Levels😂o well, happy memories of school🏫days. 😊

[Clairecandothis Marathon Half Marathon]

Lovely Flick you do need to rest. And this morning's rain storm would not have been fun to run in. I like the rain but this was torrential! Although I would have preferred to run it than do the school walk in it lols!

I know what you mean about not wanting to miss training this close to the end but you want to run your race so rest now. I had to miss my longest long run and rest for a week to avoid really damaging my heel, and it doesn't seem to have lost me my fitness. I can't stay in zone 2... but I rarely could anyway lol. I got sloth like very quickly too however! And after a weeks rest I was way too eager to speed rather than go slow again! But at least I can run. Rest now so you can too.

I'm very jealous your race number has arrived! I've not had mine yet and it is getting close!! Xx

[Hidden in reply to Clairecandothis]

Thank you lovely.

Ooh, I like running in torrential rain. I caught the end of more than one storm last year in Chippy. I remember, in my 30s, getting caught in torrential rain walking to a party (single parent at the time so didn’t get out much). I was wearing a strappy black cotton dress and sandals. I thought I looked a real babe, a total wild child with my long brown limbs and long wet hair, but when I got to the party everyone was rushing round offering me towels and dry clothes - lol, so much for vanity!

Tbh I think it is zone 2 that’s added insult to injury with the knee. It was pretty much recovered before my 1hr 50min zone two run on Sunday. I’m going to go at a faster pace for the rest of my runs (whenever they are).

Yes the number is here. There is still another race pack to come, with guides etc. Getting real 😯😳 xx

[Clairecandothis Marathon Half Marathon in reply to Hidden]

Lols. I love the rain for my curly hair! I like this wild side Flick, getting expelled from Alevels.... being a free spirit on a night out! 🥰

I don't blame you running faster on your next set of runs. I'm kinda done with zone 2 too now. My last long run is sposed to be 1hour in zone 2.... 😳😔 But it will save the legs I guess if I don't get too peeved with it first!

I read within our heartrate training that we are sposed to run runs at race pace closer to the run anyway. I definitely think you should try for zone 3 on your run. But yeah for now just rest as you need to and run as you want to. Xx

[Hidden in reply to Clairecandothis]

I won’t miss zone 2 🤣🤣🤣 though I intend to stick to it to begin with on race day xxx

[Clairecandothis Marathon Half Marathon in reply to Hidden]

I know I'm beginning to hate zone 2! But if it is what has given me the stamina to get me round 42k I'll love it lol. Xx

[Hidden in reply to Clairecandothis]

I’m ditching it till the day though, it’s murdering my knee! Xx

[Sandraj39 Half Marathon]

Flick - you are resting in order to be able to move on with your training, not turning in a sloth!🙂 You have put in the hours and worked so hard - a few days off will not make much difference. Please be kind to yourself lovely lady!🙂x

[Hidden in reply to Sandraj39]

Thank you 😊❤️ I know myself, it’s too easy for me to slip back as I’m fundamentally lazy. I love running, I feel so much better when I’m active, but the little voice in my head whispers constantly, every day, about putting my feet up, raiding the fridge, vegging out. I adored my December streak, but the moment it was over I started giving myself excuses not to run. So much of running is frame of mind!

But rest I am. I hope I will be back out there soon. I’m fed up that I missed running in the rain today x

[Katnap Marathon]

Mrs Katnap struggles with knee pain during and after slow paced runs. She has upped her speed and the niggles are a lot less..

Maybe race pace runs will help your knee?

[Hidden in reply to Katnap]

I think so. Bashing it then running very slowly has made it swell.

[backintime 10 Miles]

Fingers crossed for you.

A while ago I posted some podcasts about how concentrating on your muscles even when you aren't physically using them, can make them stronger...it can't hurt right ?

[Hidden in reply to backintime]

i walk the dogs and I do yoga every day. Because of the nature of my injuries, unfortunately i have to be very careful which exercises I do. Absolute rest is what this knee needs right now. bum!

[backintime 10 Miles in reply to Hidden]

bbc.co.uk/programmes/articl...

apparently you can just think about your muscles and get them stronger while you are on the IC - so rest your knee and think about the other muscles to keep them strong

[Hidden in reply to backintime]

Ok youve convinced me! That’s insane!!! 😂

[backintime 10 Miles in reply to Hidden]

I remember reading about it years ago when I did martial arts

Our instructor used to say that if we didn't have time to train, practice in our heads while commmuting or in the bath or something

It's amazing how mentally it helps to envisage it

Then I read the article and started wondering if he wasn't just brain washing us, maybe he was right

[Hidden in reply to backintime]

I firmly believe that state of mind produces results. It’s the basis of both magic and positive thinking as used by businesses on staff training days.

[backintime 10 Miles in reply to Hidden]

I hate staff training days

but this isn't, it seems, just state of mind, it's mind changing body that is amazing, they have measured physical changes in the body after just mind exercises...I am by nature a bit skeptical but I will look more into it

[Hidden in reply to backintime]

No point doing it if it doesn’t get results. State of mind leads to changes on the physical plane

[Hidden]

Good luck flick for yourHM!🏃‍♀️🤗

[Hidden in reply to Hidden]

Thank you x

[Deals1 Metric Marathon]

Flick, you've done so much hard work, training and planning to get to this point

Hope its feeling a bit better today

[Hidden in reply to Deals1]

I know 🤨 it’s better but I’m not changing it yet as still niggling ☹️

[Hidden in reply to Deals1]

That was chancing not changing - thank you over enthusiastic correction demon in my phone!

[Deals1 Metric Marathon in reply to Hidden]

I guessed! 😉