Week 41: Zen and stretching

Well my training plan has gone out the window, as has any monitoring of my performance.  My attitude has become much more relaxed and so far the runs I do, although short, are much more pleasurable and feel easier.  Perhaps this is the approach that suits my charcacter, I just hope that it pays off and I am able to finish the race in August.  There is so much advice out there it is difficult to find one's own path.
One thing I am taking seriously however is my twice daily exercises and stretches.  I start with a series of exercises to work on upper body, core and leg strengths.  Then I finish with a series of stretches to try and keep my muscles flexible.  I tend to ache every morning but I assume this is a result of a lifetime of muscle building without any stretching.  I am by nature, slim and muscular.  I tend to do a lot of physical activity but I have never worried about stretching.  Unfortunately this combined with my tense nature means I am very inflexible and running has really drawn this out.  Hopefully by becoming more flexible I will suffer less.

Week 40: Gradual restart

My knees finally felt better at the beginning of the week, so I decided to go swimming to train without causing any trauma.  A visit to the Osteopath was reassuring as he agreed with my diagnosis of overtraining.  He explained that my leg muscles may have developed too quickly and that I had not stretched enough.  He explained that this meant that at night my muscles remained tight and this put strain on my joints.  This seemed logical to me as I have had trouble sleeping recently due to pain in my knees.  I have also found that stretching relieved the pain.  The Osteopath recommended that I stuck to runs of not more than an hour and a half to avoid additional trauma.  In the meantime he recommended long cycling sessions to build endurance.  I am happy to do this now that the weather is better.

I was also reassured this week after a launch event for the Echappe Belle (my race objective).  One of the organisers explained to me that the 47km race, that I have chosen, is well within the capacities of someone who does a lot of hiking.  There is no cut off time on this section, racers have 27 hours in which to finish.  This means it could be done as a fast hike.  I, of course, will try and run as much as possible.  The race starts at 10am and the first runners arrive around 4pm.  My objective is to arrive in the evening, before 10pm, which gives a pace of 4km an hour.  This is my fast walking pace so I hope to do better.

I managed to get out for a short 30 minute run midweek, despite feeling tired and unmotivated.  I felt much better after the run even if my knees gave me one or two twinges.  I also decided to buy a knee brace and I am going to trail some walking poles the next time I run in the mountains.
At the end of the week I managed six kilometres round the local resevoir, feeling comfortable and recording a very good time.  It seems that the three weeks of rest was just what my body needed.  My muslces were even feeling twitchy needing to exercise.

Week 39: A ten day break

As I was away; helping out on my local schools field trip for ten days, my training program took a hit. However this may not have been a bad thing as my knees were still painful.  I managed to get out for one short, six kilometre run, but suffered for it.  This was partly because I had to run some of the distance on tarmac, and a section on sand.  Running on sand is hard work for the hamstrings.   I made sure that I stretched every morning and evening which seems to help, and a friend lent me an essential oil rub.  My left knee is painful at the back which someone suggested could be tendinitis, while my left knee has a point of pain on the inner side, I hope it is not my meniscus.  There seems to be varying prognosis.  Some doomsayers are predicting that I will be unable to run my race in August, while others say that a recovery break may not be a bad thing.
I will see the osteopath again next week and my GP to try and get a medical professionals opinion. Information I have read about runner's knee on the internet suggest RICE (rest, ice, compression and elevation) are the best treatment.  What worries me is the length of time it could last, some suggest days, weeks or even months.  The big race is only 3 months away and I am worried I am losing time.  Even walking a short distance brings on pain and hobbling, so I am not feeling very confident as things stand at the moment.