Eight weeks to go. The training is progressing though sometimes it feels like really hard work. I've been going through these gates a lot recently. But are they the gates of heaven or hell? Going one way leads through into the deer park. Past the church and the obelisk. It can lead to a wonderful world of antlered deer stags, ice houses, world heritage, buzzards, the foothills of the dales, and a cafe with scones with clotted cream and strawberry jam. Heaven on earth. But it also leads to a very long mile uphill - the 'Studley Mile', up to it's very own Barkley gate at the top which I have to touch to complete a strength sapping speed interval. Eight minutes of hell doing each hill effort. Only to have to turn around and repeat, again and again. Or onwards through those gates at the top to do another 23 miles to complete a back-to-back-marathon-long-slow-trails-weekend. The thought of doing it is daunting. Going the other way through the gate is usually good. It'...
Trying to be patient is hard. I'm awaiting the MRI result on my knee which is improving, albeit slowly. I couldn't fully straighten it, so something is physically stopping it. When I was originally at the knee clinic it was 50/50 whether I'll need some keyhole surgery to tidy up the meniscus which is likely to have torn. The outcomes from physiotherapy alone are the same as arthroscopy if I can get my leg straight - which seems to be happening. Avoiding surgery and getting back to running will be like winning the national lottery.
Can I run soon? - who knows?
If I do need surgery, does it put my Petit Jog under threat? - who knows?
If I don't need surgery now, might I still need it later if it happens again? - who knows?
Uncertainty in my mind prevails - but there are things I am learning:
- If you do too much too soon it sets you back. It's a fine balance putting the right amount of stress on my knee without inflaming the meniscus more. I need to keep reminding myself that patience is key.
- Get to know good pain from bad pain. One thing my physio has reminded me of is how, as runners, we seek pain to improve. It's not that I like pain, just that I've come to accept pain as part of a training regime. However, not all pain is the same and when pain is from this inflammation, and not the lactic acid or muscle fatigue, listen to it: reduce the reps before starting to build up again, slowly
- Don't cross your legs when you have a knee injury. The mechanical forces are surprisingly strong, as is the urge
- Take a pen and paper to the physio. As GPs we are taught that only 40-80% of information given is retained by the patient from a consultation with a healthcare professional. When I'm the patient it's more like 20%.
- Keep talking to people who've trained for a big event. Everyone has setbacks and coming through them is the key. They always have top tips, keep me focused on the bigger picture and help me keep up some consistency with my training, which for now is my core, knee strength and aerobic fitness through static cycling.
I can't tell you how depressing it's been being couped up liked a caged cougar. I went for my first proper cycle ride in 5 weeks the other day around Fountains Abbey. Low resistance stuff, but brilliant to be out in the sunshine.
Fingers (but not legs) crossed that my national lottery win is just over the horizon.
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