I was going to run yesterday but the lurgy got me. My wheezing was so bad in the night on Friday/Saturday, I was convinced I had Covid. I’m glad to say my lateral flow test was negative. I felt awful yesterday so the fact I even managed to go out running today was a minor miracle.
I ran the first 8K then a combination of fatigue and muscle pain in my back forced me to Jeff it. At 13K the cramp kicked in and I hobbled the rest of the way. With exactly six weeks to go until the HM I have no idea what kind of physical condition I’m in as a combination of illness, injury and muscle spasms are hampering my progress. Worse case I’ll walk some of it but I’ll finish the course.
Written by
Dodgylungs
Half Marathon
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I did Ok but I would have done much better if I hadn’t disappeared offroad 😁. I got proper bogged down on untended footpaths and my legs stung by nettles and scratched by brambles. I had to climb stiles and gates etc More of a hike at times Time flew by though as I had to concentrate on finding my way and then watching where I was putting my feet. I went down a dead narrow overgrown farm footpath that was just as wide as the chicken flapping in front of me. I had to go with my arms up 😁. All good fun though. 🏃♀️
I had a rest early on as I bumped into someone I knew and we had a chat.
I didn’t feel as though I ran properly til about 12k mark
I took a drink and a homemade energy bar and felt ok by the finish apart from stinging legs 🙄. My aching ribs from the day before were fine.
Bath and some grub and I felt fine. On to next week 🙂
Well done on completing it! That sounds like a really tough run. Sometimes runs are just like that, but it would be really good to try to get on top of these cramps before the big day so you can enjoy it! On the day itself there should be more to distract you from how you feel physically - that might just help you relax into the run a bit more too.
The cramp is becoming a serious problem and so is this recurring back pain. I’ve ordered an acupressure mat in the hopes that it will help that area. It’s always the muscles on the lower left side of my back. It started up at 5K and by 8K it was so bad I had to walk. I Jeffed it for about 5K but then a combination of cramp and the back pain being so bad I could barely run. I completely walked the last 2.5K. I was enjoying the first 5K and set off very slowly which meant I wasn’t struggling with the pace at all. I guess these are the teething problems for me if I want to run distances. I see evidence that my fitness is good enough to run distances but all these niggles are keeping me at bay.
A visit to a physio may be worth while. If the back pain is one sided, there may be an imbalance somewhere - that may be caused by a weakness or a misalignment of some sort - and a physio should be able to advise a way forward. if you take a look in the Strength & Flex forum, you may find some targeted strengthening exercises for your back there.For cramp I would only reiterate ensuring you are well hydrated both in the days before your run and during the run itself. Might it be worth pausing to stretch the affected muscles every 5k or so? see if that would hold it at bay?
Yes a physio is a good shout. I always drink lots of water. I always take a full bottle with me and pop a hydration tablet in there. I ate well in the week and did some stretches around 8K. I think I will have to target the area with some yoga moves or something. I’ll see what the physio says. Will have a look in the forum.
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