Advice please

Nigel G

Good afternoon,

I'm in need of some advice, so here it goes.
I'm meant to be running in the Norwich half marathon next Sunday, I have a few issues and wanted some experienced runners opinons before I make the choice to take part or not.

This shall be my first half marathon so I've been training since last November.

During my training I went from 5k to 10k to 10.5 miles runs. The 10.5mile was my long run which I attempted most Sundays, during the week I would do small 3 to 6 mile runs at various paces.

I'm not a fast runner, my 5k PB is around 23 minutes, and on a long run my average pace was 9.07 / mile.

my actual last long run was on the 19th February, then shortly after that I ran a hand full of 5k / 10ks then got injured!

On the 5th of march I ran 4 miles and that's when I suffered a groin/knee injury! 

Since then I've had physio sessions which have really helped, especially with strength exercises for my knee. Also I've been testing walk/runs (30 seconds walking/1min running over a 10-15 minute session)

today I went for a test run, only 5k but managed it at a slow pace of 9.00 mile average. Knee feels stable, so I'm going to attempt 6 miles on Monday. 

The question is, considering I've never ran the distance of a half marathon and hit a major speed bump when it comes to training, should I still take part in the run next Sunday?? 
In all honesty I'd love to take part, and planned on just taking it nice and easy. 

Maybe run 6 miles on Monday and Thursday, and short runs in between and of course keep doing the exercises the physio recommended!

so any advice would be greatly appreciated. 

Kind Regards, 
Nige

Little M.iss Happy

It depends what you want from the race Nige, if it's just to take part and complete then as long as your physio doesn't tell you that you absolutely shouldn't then there's no reason not to - as long as you take it really easy and just aim to enjoy the experience.

Nigel G

I think you've hit the nail on the head Little M.iss Happy.
I just want to run easy and enjoy the experience. 
Afterwards I can always start my training again and aim to improve the time, tbh I don't think doing the run in under 2hours like I planned is going to happen, but as long as I enjoy it I'll be happy. 

Little M.iss Happy

In that case Nige check with your physio and if they are happy that you won't do any long term damage adjust your expectations and enjoy the day.

Nigel G

Shall do, cheers 

BenjyBenjy

I would do it Nigel, unless of course there is a risk of injury, other than that if the factor of not having a good run time or feeling that you may not complete is the factor then ignore those and go for it. I imagine that 10.5 mile you did felt like a slog, it would do if it was the first time that far and if you were running on your own. When you run with somebody else the long distance runs don't seem as bad, when you run in a half or full marathon the atmosphere and the other runners make it a very different experience, you will find that you get to mile three and still feel you have just set off and before you know it you get to half way point.

Personally I would, certainly in this run, not run for time, run for the experience of being in a crowd, the experience of the route and the clappnd support of spectators. You will be chuffed when you have finished regardless of time. Afterwards you will better understand where you can improve, where you felt most tired etc for future pacing.

My first half was 2.20ish but then with better understanding i got it to 1.46 for half. I only ever run for time on an event, the rest of my time running is for enjoyment so sometimes im fast sometimes im slow i just like to cover long distances and enjoy it.

Personally my view on running is you have to enjoy it, otherwise it is a chore and a requirement/task. But we all do it for different reasons. Some it's social, some it's competitive, some it's getting outdoors exploring etc

9.07 on a long run isnt bad at all, if you are doing that over ten miles, drop it down thirty seconds or a minute a mile on average and you will manage the 13 miles fine.

Run it, forget time, aim to just complete, even if you have to walk stages. Fingers crossed you are back on here next week saying how chuffed you are at doing a half marathon.

Cheers

Ben

Nigel G

Hello Ben,

thank you for the advice and kind words, I'm feeling inspired to take part. I managed to run for six miles today, it was rather slow I must admit (6 miles took me just over an hour)

injury wise I don't feel that bad, even after the run. I really took my time with the run, using the advice my physio gave me and also listening to my body and slowing down anytime I felt a little niggle/ache.

My only thing is I hope I wake up tomorrow feeling just as good as I do now, and no major aches or pains.

I think I'll continue working on the strength exercises and possibly get another 3-4 mile run in on Thursday.

then roll on Sunday

kind Regards,
nige 

Nigel G

I managed to finish the marathon today, my time was 2hrs 20mins.
was a very hot day which caught me off gaurd! 
Overall it wasn't bad, my knee gave up around the 10 mile marker. So I limped along to the finish.

It was a great experience for my first half marathon, I guess it's time to rest for a week or so then start training for the next one. 
Again cheers for the advice and tips 

nige

BenjyBenjy

Nige, excellent! So good to hear that and that isn't a time to be shy about, finishing it was the big factor but 2.20 for first half, injury and probably to a certain degree some anxiety is a cracking time. Obviously physical ability plays a large part, personally i find the largest part is in the head, some may disagree and fair enough, but i do believe that if somebody thinks they cant do something then it can be very difficult and near impossible to achieve that something, not just with running. You've nailed it good on you, get signed up for another and encourage somebody else that is still to do their first half that they can do it.

Cheers

Ben

Nigel G

Hi Ben, 

thanks for the reply, the more I've thought about the I'm happy with the time, and one thing is it shall give me a target to beat now. 
As for encouraging someone else to take part in a half marathon, that's a cracking idea. 

Im going to sign up for the Bedford half marathon I think! 

Now all is left to do is to work out when to run again, I think I'll start off slow and run small distances (3miles)
But more importantly listen to my body, I'm not back to work until this time next week so there's plenty of time to rest.

kind regards,
Nige 

CoachPhysio

Hi Nigel,

firstly congratulations on completing your first half marathon! The first one is always a bumpy ride. I would start back training when your body tells you it's right, and see how you feel. Make sure if you are still getting niggles, to get them sorted before you get into any serious training.

Nigel G

Hello Coach,

fiest off thank you for the reply and advice.
my body is feeling a lot better today, so I plan on doing a Parkrun tomorrow!

I'm going to take it nice and slow so I can get a gauge of where I am at, hopefully I'll get through it without any issues and then I'll start planning my training schedule. 

Cheers,
Nige 

CoachPhysio

Good to hear! If anything comes up just post back here.

Nigel G

I decided against the Parkrun this morning as I woke up this morning and felt a slight pain on my knee still!
I'm going to see how it goes tomorrow, or maybe on Monday.

and if all is well I'll attempt a small run!

I can't wait to get out there and run, never thought I'd miss it as much as this..