So not the Blog Post I thought I’d be writing a couple of days before Belfast Marathon! So unfortunately, due to my body breaking down yet again and some injuries finally getting the better of me I won’t be able to run Belfast this weekend. So this might sound very dramatic and was joking with my girlfriend that this Blog is going to read like a Pro athlete releasing a press release about withdrawing from a competition and Jesus I hope it doesn’t come across like that 😉For some people reading this it might sound like a very sudden decision but to be honest this has probably been coming for the last few weeks which I’ll go into below!
So ultimately the issue that has led to me dropping out of Belfast is a flare up my of right tib post tendon. I’ve been managing this for the past 2 months and I’ve never really addressed it properly and given it the rest it deserved. So throughout the last 12 weeks I’ve essentially been dealing with 3 issues:
· Knee Tendonitis
· Tibialis Posterior Tendonitis
· Glute Medius Tightness and Weakness (Due to overload)
So I started this marathon build up off a low mileage base and probably at a low end fitness wise and also trying to manage tendonitis in my right knee. However for whatever reason in my own head I was desperate to get to the start line of Belfast Marathon, probably due to not running a marathon in just under 2 years and also to have a goal to work towards. Due to the low base I was coming from I needed to ramp things up quickly which I thought I was doing in a way that was doable but that was right on the edge and to be honest that was working but about 3 – 4 weeks in due to overload in training my Tib Post got very inflamed which resulted in about 3 weeks of very little running and just cross training to keep my fitness up. That left me with about 6 weeks to go to Belfast and I obviously needed to either make other plans or throw everything into Belfast and deal with the consequences.
The Tib post issue never really fully settled but was manageable just about. However due to the sudden increase after 3 weeks of low mileage my right glute Medius became very tight and restrictive on not just fast and long runs but even on easy runs. Dara my physio has been brilliant and its like each week he’s been trying to put out a different fire. The Glute issue eased slightly without ever going away but on the 18 mile run 2 weeks out from Belfast my tib post was screaming the whole way and in truth I should of stopped after a couple of miles but persisted through with it! Took a few days off running as I was moving into the taper period anyway and there wouldn’t be much to gain fitness wise in the last 2 weeks but tried a 4 mile jog last Thursday at a very easy pace and from a mile in the tib post was screaming and had to stop the run early as was close to limping towards the end. Dara to his credit fitted me in last Friday and we both basically came to the conclusion that I’m putting my body through too much and needed to make a call on it and to be honest after the attempted run Thursday I knew my heart wasn’t in it any more.
Again I know this all sounds very dramatic and honestly its not really that important as its only a race at the end of the day. Also a few people have said to me you might be able to get through it and maybe see how you are come Sunday but realistically I’ve been running in pain for the last couple of weeks on every single run and I need a total break, not just physically but also mentally as I’ve found the whole thing incredibly draining whilst trying to show a positive external outlook to everyone. In a Marathon you need to fight when it gets tough and if I’m being honest I probably don’t have that fight in me for 26.2 miles this Sunday as I feel like I’ve been constantly fighting this whole build up.
So no point in me wallowing in self pity and giving up. What am I going to do to fix this? As Dara stated to me Monday I have the fitness but my body simply can’t handle the speed and paces I am trying to run at and until I address this its always going to place limits on me. So myself and Dara are putting together a conditioning plan to address all the functional issues I seem to have, we’re going to strip everything back and strengthen everything that needs to be strengthened and essentially make my body as close to bulletproof as possible which will take time but honestly its something I personally should of addressed and fixed a long time ago but hey no point in regretting not doing it earlier, need to get it done now!
Will still be up in Belfast this weekend acting as a cheerleader for everyone running and if you are running this weekend in either Belfast, Galway or London the very best of luck, trust your training, your fitness and your determination to get the result you want but most importantly ENJOY IT 😊
Cheers for reading folks 😊
Noel
コメント