I mean, obviously this was going to happen. Going from 30-35 miles to a straight jump to 50 miles in a week is going to cause me, the delicate injury-prone runner, issues. That said, I regret NOTHING. Austria and all the running was amazing.
I have to say, I do somewhat regret last Sunday’s wholly unnecessary race which I’d forgotten I’d entered. I shouldn’t have run it but because I’d agreed to drive two friends down I felt compelled to still do it. My legs felt niggly and tired beforehand. I should have known better. My knee started niggling a little during that race and so I took the week off to let it settle…then decided to test it at parkrun.
I turned up early, as usual, to help set-up and in true English summertime style, it rained. I felt grumpy, tired and nervous about my knee.And, as expected, I began running and it didn’t feel right. It wasn’t painful per se, just stiff and uncomfortable. I was pretty sure I could carry on running but it would probably make it worse. So I stopped 0.5 of a mile in and called defeat.
Lots of lovely people asked if I was OK and I assured them, grumpily, I was OK and just playing it safe. Then I went and sat under a tree to shelter from the rain. I should have stood and cheered but I was, well, grumpy and it was raining. I know, pathetic.But I went to the cafe after helping pack away, again in the rain, and got back into a happier mood with my running friends. Can always count on running buddies to get you out of a funk! Especially ones who bring you cake that you miss at the local league races on a Wednesday night. True friends indeed!
After breakfast (yes I had both cake and breakfast) I headed to the gym as I still wanted to get a workout in for the day after the failed run. I managed 30 minutes of boredom on the elliptical machine and some strength training so not a complete wash-out. Though obviously I’d preferred to have run!Then I headed to my parents to go for some food and a cinema trip. We went to Nando’s because we wanted a simple and fairly healthy meal (my parents are trying to be good). I went for my standard whole chicken, salad and corn. It was delicious. Probably not that healthy portion-size wise but ehhh.At the cinema we saw Dunkirk. I’ve been wanting to see this film since the first trailer and Christopher Nolan is just a genius. And with such good reviews since it’s release I was pretty confident we were in for a good watch. It was incredible. I was tense the entire time. A fantastic film. I’m usually not a war film fan but this was something else. An important watch as well. I liked that there was minimal backstory to the characters and it was purely about the events taking place. And Harry Styles wasn’t bad surprisingly!
Sunday again was no running. I wasn’t foolish enough to attempt going for a run and decided a walk down the beach with my dad and the dogs was a nice way to get the day started before heading to the gym for another dull dull cardio session. More for my sanity than trying to replicate any sort of marathon training. It’s always nice to get a good weekend sweat on.
And then I had a date on Sunday afternoon, of which I will leave you guessing on how it went 😉
But back to running… my knee thing isn’t that serious. Previously I might be freaking out, moaning and getting all sad about it. But I’m realistic in knowing a bit of much needed rest from running will be enough. It doesn’t hurt when I walk, it just feels a bit off when I run. I’m not going to Google like a maniac how I can make things better or any quick fixes. It’s just time.
I know exactly why it’s happened. I jumped my mileage up a fair chunk and ran six days in a row (which I never do – I barely run more than two days in a row). The running I did was intense with lots of gradient and terrain changes. It is what it is! Though I do do a lot of strength training to minimise injuries (my injuries are so much less than previously!), it can’t quite shield me from mountain running consecutive days. I don’t regret Austria – of course not. And I still have seven weeks before the marathon so all is good. Sensible may be boring, but it is best. Better a couple of weeks off than making things worse and getting to the marathon broken.
How was your weekend?
How do you cope with being injured?
What film did you see last in the cinema?
Hope your knee feels better soon. Still v impressed that you can eat a whole chicken at Nandos – I actually really miss Nandos despite being veggie, can’t beat the refillable Diet Cokes! Glad to hear that Dunkirk was good, I really want to see it – hopefully this weekend!
It’s actually become quite easy to do now. Worryingly so.
ALL THE DIET COKE. So good.
AnnaTheApple recently posted…Currently – July
Very sensible! I’m pretty injury-prone too but have learned to listen to my body more closely and take time off when needed (I still get grumpy about it though lol!)
Allison recently posted…A Parkrunner Abroad
I do listen to my body A LOT better than I used to and was fully aware towards the end that I probably needed to stop running so much, but it was too good not to 😉
AnnaTheApple recently posted…Currently – July
Running 6 days a week would put me on the injury bench too- I think 2 is fine, but even 3 is pushing it really. But sometimes you just want to enjoy these opportunities- running in Austria did look amazing. A rest over the weekend would do you the world of good, and like you say, you have lots of weeks left.
Glad you enjoyed the film- war things aren’t my thing, and I really don’t like films based on true events as I just get overwhelmed by the thought of all the real people it happened to. I think the last one I saw was The Red Turtle, which is hard to describe but really lovely.
Maria @ Maria runs recently posted…Panshanger Midweek 5 miles (including a mini frog) and the final week
Exactly. I knew what I was doing when I was running consecutively but hey ho!
AnnaTheApple recently posted…Currently – July
I went to see Dunkirk yesterday- really really good, it was so intense! Wishing you a speedy recovery.
Lauren (@poweredbypb) recently posted…Top 10 Mid-Run Snacks
Intense is the only way to describe that film!
AnnaTheApple recently posted…Currently – July