Should I do the marathon?

Hi, to cut a very long story short I have the Lanzarote marathon in 17 days (going for weeks hol), this will be my 1st after doing 9 half marathons. 3 weeks ago I did my 15 mile run (furthest I'd run), the next week I ran a 9.5 off road very slippy and boggy race, during the following week I had a niggle in my left glute, went to run my 18 mile run on the Sun and after 4 miles glute felt very sore, after 6 I completely pulled up, tried to stretch, went to carry on, couldnt walk. Saw physio who reckoned trocanteric bursitis, gave me stretches etc and told me to ice and take ibruprofen which I did. Went to see her yesterday with much more movement , less pain etc, gave me accupuncture and booked me in for a cortisone today but said I would be very silly to run marathon. Went today and decided not to have jab as heeling on it;s own but will have more accupuncture nxt wk. Question in should I run the marathon if the furthest I have run is 15 miles 3 weeks ago?? I am in the London in April so want to be fit for that.

Comments

  • RicFRicF ✭✭✭

    Considering that your longest run was 'only' 15 miles when not carrying an injury, and now you are carrying an injury. I'd say not.

    You wern't fit for the distance to start with and the injury just confirmed it.

    🙂

  • stutyrstutyr ✭✭✭

    I think you may be putting your London participation in jeopardy if you do run Lanzarote based on your current condition.  The Lanzarote run will be demoralising as you haven't got the miles in, and you are likely to exacerbate your current injury or cause a new one.

  • I know you're right, just disappointed with myself. They also run a 10k and a half on the day so I have emailed to see if I can downgrade so at least I can still take part . Thank you. I have also joined the gym and am concentrating on strength training, core work and also stretching stretching stretching.

  • Don't pull out, I would do it, but treat it as your long slow run, don't press yourself and just get through it. Marathon running is 75% in the head with legs the last bit, most people do Marathons with some or other niggle, I know I have only run one when I believe I was fully fit, the rest I know I've had concerns about something, if you wait for perfect condition you'll wait forever. Do it, don't worry, you'll not get a fantastic time but it will set you up for your next one and you'll be there in your head. London is so far away it really doesn't matter much

  • That is what the 2nd physio said who was gonna give me the cortisone.

     

  • I would resist the urge to go for Cortisone, trusty Ibuprofen will always do for me, but certainly taken as a long training run, you will still enjoy the experience and maybe for your next one you'll not only be fitter but you will have the experience under your belt, good luck with it.

  • RicFRicF ✭✭✭
    EKGO wrote (see)

    I would resist the urge to go for Cortisone, trusty Ibuprofen will always do for me, but certainly taken as a long training run, you will still enjoy the experience and maybe for your next one you'll not only be fitter but you will have the experience under your belt, good luck with it.

    Ignore this hero for the sake of your health.

    In fact EKGO, what motivates you to encourage someone to risk a real injury by kidding them they'll have a wonderful time?

    🙂

  • RicF wrote (see)

    Considering that your longest run was 'only' 15 miles when not carrying an injury, and now you are carrying an injury. I'd say not.

    You wern't fit for the distance to start with and the injury just confirmed it.

    stutyr wrote (see)

    I think you may be putting your London participation in jeopardy if you do run Lanzarote based on your current condition.  The Lanzarote run will be demoralising as you haven't got the miles in, and you are likely to exacerbate your current injury or cause a new one.

    Good advice.

  • I'm not kidding anyone, I have run a few and if I'd waited for full fitness I'd maybe still be waiting, marathons are fun, and they should be enjoyed

  • RicFRicF ✭✭✭
    EKGO wrote (see)

    I'm not kidding anyone, I have run a few and if I'd waited for full fitness I'd maybe still be waiting, marathons are fun, and they should be enjoyed

    You shouldn't assume that normal people are masochists. 

    As for fun! I've done loads of marathons and my slowest ever at 3:03 was as far from fun as I would ever want to get. Even in the mid 2's I wasn't laughing much.

    To suggest that someone struggling around with a chronic (it will be) injury, for 4 or 5 hours, would find it fun, is ludicrous. 

     

    🙂

  • You shouldn't assume that any opinion contrary to your own is incorrect
  • RicFRicF ✭✭✭

    My opinion is based on maintanence of health and general common sense. What's yours based on?

    🙂

  • Personal experience over many years
  • Hi Lauraine I m normally a lurker  but I just wanted to tell you of my first marathon experience from August this year. I m a beginner and old. I don't know what pace you run at but I m very slow.  I to had an injury knee/foot 2 weeks before my marathon. but I d trained really hard and against advice I did it,  I wasn't even doing it for charity so no pressure.  It was not pleasent and the last nine miles were hell, my longest run had also been 15 miles. I wanted to finish and just kept going finishing in six hours walk/jog. However, it made my injury worse and I ve only been able to get back into jogging for the last month 4 times a week slowly and no more than 6 miles at a time. please please please listen to RicF and others on the forum who are advising against it and from someone who went against advice and completed the marathon but DID NT COMPLETE IT TO THEIR BEST ABILITY AND WAS REALLY DISAPPOINTED WITH THE RESULT.  Downgrade to another distance and train for London instead the experience will be so much better without injury.  Good luck with whatever you decide

    Twinkle

  • Each to his/ her own my preference is to push it
  • RicF wrote (see)
    As for fun! I've done loads of marathons and my slowest ever at 3:03 was as far from fun as I would ever want to get. Even in the mid 2's I wasn't laughing much.

    To suggest that someone struggling around with a chronic (it will be) injury, for 4 or 5 hours, would find it fun, is ludicrous. 

    Ludicrous? Not at all. Just outwith your comprehension. I'm a 4:15 marathoner when fit, slower when not so fit. I've shuffled round a road marathon in 4:30 with an ongoing hip/knee issue and practically hopped round a hilly trail marathon in 5:30 with a badly sprained and strapped up ankle. That last one was the most fun I've ever had in a marathon as the weather was just vile and I was up to my shins in mud from the first mile. My first ultra was done on a whim (I entered less than a week before the event) and done off the back of a 15 mile long run. I got round that okay too and again loved every minute of it.

    So anyway... If you're not having fun, why do you do it? image

    I'm broadly with EKGO on this. I wouldn't specifically encourage other people to run with injuries, cause that's their decision to make not mine, but like him I've run a few marathons/ultras carrying long term niggles and while it probably didn't do me any favours, it also hasn't crippled me for life.

    As a 2:30 - 3:03 marathoner, I'd suggest your outlook on races will be very different from the slow completers. I know a few very fast runners and their overall tactic seems to be to stop running at the first minor twinge, even if they're 80% round a race and leading it at the time. They want a fast time and they'd rather DNF than finish slowly or be beaten. I also know a couple of fast runners who often pull out of races simply if they're falling behind on their target time. I'm NOT knocking their attitude btw, just pointing out that it's almost the complete opposite of my own.

    Lauraine: I'd say bin the acupuncture in favour of a good firm sports massage as soon as you can book in for one. If you're lucky, that might well clear up your problem in one session. And if it doesn't, well, take it as a clear sign that you're not fit to run.

  • Good points maybe we see it from different angles, I run over 4 hours but I run to enjoy, and the odd niggle doesn't bother me too much, I would not bother if I didn't enjoy it.
  • RicFRicF ✭✭✭

    RWD, The type of fun you're talking about is clown stuff. My fun is running 10 miles before breakfast in my fifties and making nothing of it. 

    Whereas you clearly enjoy hurting yourself, I don't. 

    As with any activity that is leaning towards the extreme or unusual, the participants have; at times, to deal with normal members of public. 

    Personally I prefer to have a level of respect from non runners. 

    Runners understand running and running issues, but most people don't. They cannot fathom out why we do it, especially if not 'in the frame'.

    We run the gauntlet of scarcely concealed contempt at the best of times. Boasting of running marathons when in pieces merely confirms what they want to believe. That we're idiots.

     

    🙂

  • I think if the furthest you have EVER run is 15miles you're nowhere near ready and will be in quite a lot of pain.

    However, if you find pain fun like EKGO there's nothing stopping you.

    You don't have to fininsh a marathon, there's no law to say you can't pull out halfway.

  • RicF, I have little concern for whether people I don't even know - runners or not - 'respect' me or have contempt for me. And if I ever had, I'd probably never have started running in the first place. All I think about is whether what I'm doing makes me happy, and it does. Each to their own and all that. I could call your type of fun clown stuff, but I won't, cause that would be rude.
  • Decision made. Thank you for all your advice, sorry I've caused such a debate. Im going to respect the distance and not run the marathon, if I can downgrade I will do. I do not want to risk any further injury and I'm so not fit enough now. I'm concentrating on London and hopefully I can do a respectable time rather than desperately trying to just finish it. Im completely going to change my training as I have been picking up injuries continually, achilles, torn calf etc. Thanks again.

  • Stevie  GStevie G ✭✭✭✭

    Wise decision Lauraine. Doing the marathon in your state would have been stupidity.

    At best you'd have probably crawled to a death march near the end, making it a miserable experience and at worst you'd have put yourself out for any length of time, dependent on how stupid/stubborn you decided to be on the day.

    There's always another race. Any serious runner who cares about their future running health knows that.

  • i'd gently prepare for VLM if i were u

    best wishes always

    Mick  

  • Gosh, you don't come on here for a few weeks only to find when you do return the friendly banter still goes on!



    Lauraine - very wise decision. A sensible one. Perfect that you're also going to look at your training and figure out why you got the injuries.hopefully that will prevent you from getting further ones. All the best for VLM.



    I did my marathon woefully undertrained and loved the first 8 miles, but hated myself for putting me through the rest of the very very long race. And I now just HAVE to do another marathon as it feels so unsatisfactory doing so badly at the first attempt. Never will I do a marathon undertrained again. And I have a high pain threshold. But each to their own, if other people call that a fun day out, then who am I to say they are crazy!
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