It's hard for me to talk about running these days. I feel like I end up jinxing myself, as paranoid as it sounds. And the panic of running my first ever official half marathon on Sunday is finally setting in. I ran 11kms on Saturday. The time I took to do it was one hour and 10 minutes. Not bad I thought. But then my trusty (rusty) old left knee kicked into complain mode. I cannot even explain it. The moment the outside of my knee started to feel uncomfortable, I nearly burst out crying.
First, the silver lining - a month ago I couldn't do 4kms without my knee exploding in pain. This is most definitely an improvement and I am very grateful. I also recovered incredibly fast. By the time I had finished stretching after the run, the knee felt comfortable again. There was some pain climbing down the stairs the next day morning but an hour stretching at the physio helped me loads. The pain was all gone. Now am planning on doing a final 15k run on Wednesday. Honestly I am feeling both hopeful and scared. Am scared because I really hate that my knee is not letting me be. But am hopeful that I will recover from the next in time for Sunday half marathon.
Of course the half marathon is whole different ball game. I am terrified! I have been waiting for this moment for so long that now that it's here, all I want to do is hide under a rock and simply not run at all. Sure, I am excited but I will not be lying when I say that I am really scared of embarrassing myself. What if I blow my knees again? What if I make a fool of myself and run at a pathetic time? What if I lose my way through the marathon because I am the last person in the race and have no one to tell me where to turn? Ugh. I am allowing myself just today to walk around in my insecurities. When I wake up tomorrow, I will be ready. I shall force myself to believe in me and hopefully I can delude myself into thinking that I can do this.
Oh and I signed up for a running workshop! It's a bit expensive but it is run (pun intended) by one of the most veterans marathoners in India - Ash Nath. I am very excited because of that. He is all about technique for injury free runs and I am hoping if there is someone on this planet who can help me right now, it's going to be him (no pressure right? LOL).
And finally I am seriously LOVING Nike Free Version 4. It's like it was meant for me. I still use it only for treadmill runs but honest to god, it feels like a light sock that hugs your feet and makes you feel good. If I could afford it, I would dearly want Nike Free Flyknit but I think it's for runners who actually make it to the podium or close....not beginners like myself. But man I can only imagine how amazing it will be to run in those. Anyway, catch you guys later. If you are injured right now and reading this please know this - you are not alone. It's hard but the injury did not happen overnight, so we can't expect results overnight either. That's the amazing thing about becoming a runner - you really have to put in the time to see results. There is no such thing as a shortcut.
Happy running!
P.S If there is anyone interested about the running workshop I had mentioned earlier, you can find more information here - http://catalystsports.in/. The one I am attending is on October 19th-20th weekend. I know for a fact my running is going to change after this because I am determined to implement what I learn. But am hoping I change as a runner too.
First, the silver lining - a month ago I couldn't do 4kms without my knee exploding in pain. This is most definitely an improvement and I am very grateful. I also recovered incredibly fast. By the time I had finished stretching after the run, the knee felt comfortable again. There was some pain climbing down the stairs the next day morning but an hour stretching at the physio helped me loads. The pain was all gone. Now am planning on doing a final 15k run on Wednesday. Honestly I am feeling both hopeful and scared. Am scared because I really hate that my knee is not letting me be. But am hopeful that I will recover from the next in time for Sunday half marathon.
Of course the half marathon is whole different ball game. I am terrified! I have been waiting for this moment for so long that now that it's here, all I want to do is hide under a rock and simply not run at all. Sure, I am excited but I will not be lying when I say that I am really scared of embarrassing myself. What if I blow my knees again? What if I make a fool of myself and run at a pathetic time? What if I lose my way through the marathon because I am the last person in the race and have no one to tell me where to turn? Ugh. I am allowing myself just today to walk around in my insecurities. When I wake up tomorrow, I will be ready. I shall force myself to believe in me and hopefully I can delude myself into thinking that I can do this.
Oh and I signed up for a running workshop! It's a bit expensive but it is run (pun intended) by one of the most veterans marathoners in India - Ash Nath. I am very excited because of that. He is all about technique for injury free runs and I am hoping if there is someone on this planet who can help me right now, it's going to be him (no pressure right? LOL).
And finally I am seriously LOVING Nike Free Version 4. It's like it was meant for me. I still use it only for treadmill runs but honest to god, it feels like a light sock that hugs your feet and makes you feel good. If I could afford it, I would dearly want Nike Free Flyknit but I think it's for runners who actually make it to the podium or close....not beginners like myself. But man I can only imagine how amazing it will be to run in those. Anyway, catch you guys later. If you are injured right now and reading this please know this - you are not alone. It's hard but the injury did not happen overnight, so we can't expect results overnight either. That's the amazing thing about becoming a runner - you really have to put in the time to see results. There is no such thing as a shortcut.
Happy running!
P.S If there is anyone interested about the running workshop I had mentioned earlier, you can find more information here - http://catalystsports.in/. The one I am attending is on October 19th-20th weekend. I know for a fact my running is going to change after this because I am determined to implement what I learn. But am hoping I change as a runner too.
I don't know if this helps, and as a natural worrier, I'd probably be as tense as you are if I were in your shoes, but I would like to say that I even as a non-runner, I believe you can do it, and even beyond that, I think that this being your first half-marathon, it's going to be special to you no matter what happens and also, it's probably going to be the first of many.
ReplyDeleteSo even as you put in your best to do well at this half-marathon, try to also let go a little, rely on your training so far and just enjoy the running and the experience no matter what.
Happy running Aishu!
:)
Thank you so much. You have no idea how much I need to see these words. I actually dreamt about a knee injury yesterday and woke up this morning panicked. Need to let go. What happens happens. Just have to enjoy it. Thanks :)
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