The main problem is still my knee and it will remain the main problem for a while, no doubt about that. I have started wearing the knee support for 24 hours a day rather than just when I'm running. This seems to make a real difference. The problem with this, and also the reason why I haven't done it all along, is that the strap keeps rubbing against the inside of my knee. Last week I basically ended up with an open sore after the top layer of my skin had been rubbed off bit by bit, and that was as uncomfortable as it sounds. I have started putting moleskin on the sore spot which seems to help but needs to be replaced every day and I'm still on the lookout for a better solution.
I have tried two different knee straps, one is slightly more comfortable but the other one provides more compression and that's what I'm after.
Yesterday was the first day in ages when I felt the knee hardly at all. I was really happy about this and thought there was real progress, but today was one of the bad days again and I'm back to square one. As uncomfortable as the knee is at times, it's just not painful enough to convince me to stop running and it does not seem to be getting any worse.
The other thing driving me nuts is the weather. We've had gale force winds every day bar one over the last 5 weeks and it is really starting to get to me (I'm not the only one complaining, believe me). The one exception to this was yesterday, and that provided its own piece of fun. On the cycle home it was sunny, then raining, followed by hailstones, rain, sun and rain again, all within 15 minutes!
And I've just gotten my credit card bill, which includes a lot of the expenses from Vienna. 3000 Euro. Whoops! There goes the plan for ... anything, really. Anyone keen to sponsor a desperate marathon runner?
- 23 May
- 6 miles, 45:43, 7:37 pace, HR 151
- 24 May
- 10 miles, 1:15:29, 7:33 pace, HR 155
- 25 May
- 8 miles, 1:01:16, 7:39 pace, HR 152
I'll put the Coopers down straight away! I actually read that post 3 times so I would feel at home.
ReplyDeleteHope the knee comes good soon. I can't remember if it was a tendon thing? If it's a cartilage thing then start scoffing down the glucosomine.
Hi Thomas, good to hear the knee doesn't seem to be getting any worse. Would a trip to a decent physio help. Because by wearing the knee strap you are probably not allowing the knee to strenghthen up again as the support is doing the work. some exercises to rehab the injury might speed the process along and a good physio should be able to prescribe these. Im sure you have probably thought of this, so disregard if you have.
ReplyDeletePS Report from Wicklow is done like you requested :)
Hang in there Thomas. Both money and health will return in time. In the interim if you want advice on how to get by without putting your hand in your pocket ask Ewen!
ReplyDelete1) being a sub-3 man deserves some sacrifice...(also $)
ReplyDelete2) on a more general consideration, it is quite amazing how running can be either a very "cheap" leisure activity or a quite expensive sport..
- run 30'x 4 times a week around the block.. it is the cheapest way to keep fit
- run a marathon and train 100-150k/wk...: the cost really baloons.
Shoes every few weeks/months, always some physiotherapy repair, Garmin and other gimmicks, travel to races, etc, etc...