I "ran" my first half marathon in September, and it really didn't go particularly well. My training started in April and went really well for about 8 weeks, and then I couldn't seem to catch more than a couple of days in a row without having a cold or an upset stomach. By the time it got to the few weeks preceding the race I was so worried about injuring myself that I barely made it out the door at all. At the time of the half, I hadn't run 5 miles in a single session since May!
Surprisingly, the first 5 miles of the half went really pretty well. The weather was fantastic, with just a hint of an autumn chill, and I managed to maintain a sensible pace (unlike previous events - but that's a story for another day).
And then, my left knee decided it had had enough. This is an old injury caused by running down the 500ft hill that separates me from the rest of the country. Long before I started running, I couldn't resist running down hills. How times have changed.
While I generally give painkillers a wide berth, I know that ibuprofen works well enough to get me through a run when my knee's acting up, so under normal circumstances I would have taken some with me, just in case. Unfortunately I'd set a lot of store by the wisdom of the Race Pack and an item in a long list of tips that advised against taking anti-inflammatories on race day.
So basically the race ended for me when the knee pain started. I jogged past lots of people on the uphills (it's impossible not to get used to hills where I live), and was promptly overtaken by 2x that number as soon as we started heading down again. Needless to say, I did not meet the goal I'd set for myself.
Back to the present day, and there's about 5 weeks left until this 10 mile run. I struggle with consistency so I decided my best bet was to attend all my club training sessions as well as the more informal casual run they also do every week. So I dived right in, and OF COURSE I've ended up with shin splints that haven't bothered me for about 18 months.
My running life is always either too intense or too lazy, and this oscillation between over- and under-training drives me up the wall. At the moment I'm feeling like a 10 mile run, while it's certainly working as motivation to get out the door and go for a run, is probably going to do me more harm than good because I just haven't given myself enough time to prepare.
So, what the hell do I do? Do I just get on with it and run the risk of hurting myself on the day, or do I pass on my race number?
