Injured with 2 weks to Marathon day!

Last week with 3 weeks to go to Marathon day and after months of injury free training I failed to do my final long run of 20 miles with an injury at mile 12, this is how it happened:

In the afternoon as I was getting ready at home sitting on my bed putting my shoes (fastened) I twisted my knee the wrong way and heard a pop, at the time it didnt hurt but I have heard this pop before (never gone running afterwards) and thought 'oh oh I hope thats not going to a problem.

so off I went and after 5 milles my leg started to ache all the way from my knee to my hip and at mile 10 I was down to 10 min miles and the pain was increasing, I had told my freind who I was running with I knew I wouldnt make it another 10 miles and after walking and jogging at mile 12 my knee went and I literally couldnt stand on it for at least 5 mins.  with 2 miles to get back to our gym where we set off from we set off walking and gradually it started to ease and by the time I got back to the gym it was fine and I got on the bike and did another 6 miles.

On Monday morning I was limping about with both my hip and knee feeling the pain but by lunchtime again it had eased, so I decided to miss our tuesday session and get on the cross trainer instead.  Thursday I was back out on the road and only managed 2.5 miles as I knew my leg just didnt feel right and didnt trust it not to go again, so I went back to the gym knowing the sports therapist was working and asked hr what to do, stretch, stretch and more stretching and low impact work to keep up the fitness levels and for 3 days ache, ache, ache!

last night I met up with my friends who are all running the marathon with me and it pained me to see them go and leave me behind on the boring cross trainer and go for there run! it was hard not to get o the tresdmill just to see how my leg would be but I have made the decision not to run again until next sunday and have another week of low impact k=just to be on the safe side and even next Sunday wil be treadmill work as I dare not run on the road for fear of something going wrong!

today I can still feel a little sensation in my leg but nothing compared to last week! Does anyone have any additional tips to help me get right for my marathon in two weeks?

Understandably after I have eaten, slept and dreamt running for the last 6 months, not doing it is simply a no go!!!!

Comments

  • RedjeepRedjeep ✭✭✭

    Clare, this happened to me last year before my first marathon. I was less than 2 weeks to go and I twisted my ankle. Badly.

    It's also just happened to me again (but not an injury as such) almost a year to the day just before the same marathon. I'm almost resigned to never getting to run it. 

    See a physio.

    My advice would be to rest it for now. You've done all the training and aren't helping it by trying to run on it. If you must do something then low impact and take it very very easy. The usual RICE (Rest, Ice, Compression and Elevation) probably would have helped at the time, but I'd say it's too late now for the ice. My physio is a big fan of 'contrast bathing' which is basically alternating 2 minutes of an ice pack and a warm compress which helps to stimulate the blood flow. You could try this.

    See a physio.

    Ibuprophen may help reduce any internal swelling, but I'd suggest that you stop taking it before marathon day (there's some circumstancial, and completely unproven, evidence emerging that it may not be a good idea to take it when you're actually running).

    See a physio.

    Taping or compression bandaging may help, but I've not got much experience of these.

    BTW - it didn't work for me, but I couldn't walk on my ankle without pain for about 3 months afterwards, so reckon it was well beyond what you've done to yourself. I probably should have got it X-Rayed to check if it was broken.

    Oh, in case I forgot to mention. See a physio. (I know that you said you spoke to the sports therapist, but I'm not sure what the difference is between a therapist and a physio or if she actually spent 30 minutes 'hands-on' with you).

     

    Good luck, I hope it clears up in time.

     

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