Week 3 - Ow Ow Ow

Week 3 was not quite as much fun as I had hoped it was going to be. After bragging about my easy six miles and generally mouthing off about my progress I woke up the following morning barely able to move! Obviously this running marlarky is a bit more stress on the body than I'd appreciated. Despite my attempts to ward off aches and pains with a bit of ice, the back of my left knee was letting me know it wasn't happy and kept clicking every time I extended my leg. After Googling the most common running injuries I settled on Iliotibial Band Syndrome or ITBC which sounded serious but also curable. After a few discussions with my various mentors and a lot of hobbling I changed my mind and decided it was runner's knee - only to later discover they are one in the same. Whatever it was I needed a break and so RICEd for an evening with a bag of frozen peas wedged in the offending area. The following day felt much better but I was still a bit unsure about running so took off an extra day for precaution.

Work got in the way of the planned shorter run which meant by Thursday I still hadn't managed to get any miles on the scoreboard. Beginning to panic and falling short on hours I made the decision to operate more efficiently and run home from work. After remembering to pack a small rucksack with my gear and setting the Garmin (which took a bit longer than usual to get going) I began my journey home. I headed off down Chancery Lane and through the Middle Temple before hitting the Embankment and jogging along to the Houses of Parliament and Big Ben. The rucksack felt awkard and heavy and, combined with all the people stopping to take photos of the various tourist attractions, I slowed down to a walk whilst navigating the concentration of traffic lights. On emerging the other end I started running again but didn't get very far before slowing back down to a walk. Some runs seem almost effortless and the distance just slips away as my mind wanders. Others, like this one, are a real struggle and each step feels heavy and slow. Once i'd stopped for the second time my rhythm was shot and I spent the rest of the distance walking and running (with more emphasis on the former).


My copy of the Non-runner's marathon trainer has been my absolute Bible since the decision to embark on training for New York. In addition to providing a suggested running schedule it is also packed with helpful tips and hints on mental exercises, nutrition, stretching and injuries... plus lots more besides. The chapter corresponding to this week talked about performance and arousal. The book suggests that remaining calm (low level arousal) produces the best results over medium and long runs. When we are highly aroused our nervous system becomes activated and results in increases in heart rate, blood pressure, oxygen consumption and excessive sweating. I don't know if I would describe myself as 'aroused' on my Thursday evening run but I was definitely stressed, both as a result of work and through lack of running, and I'm fairly sure this sets off a similar set of symptoms. From there Week Three descended into total chaos after I overslept on Saturday morning and very nearly missed the Eurostar to Brussels. Having packed my trainers, i was planning on a 7 mile run through one of the city's parks with my NY Marathon buddy. However, after a heavy night on the belgian beers I slept through most of Sunday morning and and when I did wake up it was pouring with rain. No excuse I know but rain + hangover = no chance of running. Disaster.

By the time I got back to London I felt so guilty that I forced on the trainers and set off from the house to try and regain some of my lost ground over the week. Still slightly blurred around the edges this, as you can probably anticipate, did not go well. I very nearly gave up after only a mile but refused to let myself give in. Fighting every step you take is not condusive to good running. My right shin was giving me some serious pain and despite gritting my teeth and forging on, before I'd reached the second mile I was in enough agony that I had to stop. The rest of the 'run' (three more miles) was spent mostly walking. A did a few short sprints and did manage the final mile at a jog, but again it just wasn't flowing like I had managed during the second week.

So I enter Week Four with a massive crisis of confidence. Part of my underperformance was definitely down to not putting the running first. I need to change my lifestyle habits if I'm going to have any chance of finishing this marathon in November but more worrying has been the loss of rhythm and the introduction of some pretty bad pain. I'm wiping the slate clean and beginning the fourth week with a clear head. I need to try and forget these past seven days as I am conscious that if I force the issue too hard and worry about falling behind I'm only going to stress myself out and make things even harder.

Week Three Stats
Miles Run 4
Miles Walked 5
Runs Missed 2
New Experiences - Running home from work
- Pain
- Guilt through lack of running