I completed my second half-marathon yesterday (the first one was the Seattle half-marathon last year). The race in case was the Mercer Island Half Marathon, set right between the Seattle and the suburban civilization. The weather was fine this time, it rained only for the first half hour of the race. The temperatures were bearable and the terrain seemed much easier than the Seattle half-marathon course.
I started off fast, maybe too fast and had trouble settling into a rhythm for the first three miles. Just when I got everything under control, my knee popped around mile 4. There was a searing pain through the left knee and I knew something had gone wrong. That effectively ended my run. The remainder of the nine miles were part running, part walking and part limping. Up until mile 10, I had still managed to keep a reasonable time, but at that stage the knee gave away completely. The remaining three miles were a fast stroll to the finish line.
On hindsight, not the best of experiences, because I went into the race with a slight niggle and insufficient practise. Maybe that caused the injury, maybe it didn't, but I surely will need better preparation next time round. On the positive side, I was desperate and determined to finish the race and finish I did. The timing was actually a bonus, it could have been much worse. Some friends managed to best their personal times, and that's a cool feat. If not for the injury, I might have had a shot too. Maybe next year. C'est la vie.
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14 comments:
congratulations!! no matter what. Your timing still seems good..
Thats good timing, And I am going to restart my marathon effort this year, lets see if I keep focus and finish it, usually thats not my strong point.
that is some commitment!!!
Good going man!!!
@Pallavi, Stone: Thanks
@Shreemoyee: What event are you targeting and how far out are you in your training? I have respect for those who can do twice the distance that I already think is quite tiring :-) I can guarantee you that the experience and the satisfaction will make your months of effort worth it.
"knee popped"?. I hope that's only an euphemism. Congrats on completing the run! Even sans such woe, it's a beast.
On a related note, I will be running the La Jolla half marathon in april. In fact, I remembered your past post on the marathon, and was looking it up for pointers a few days back. Fine coincidence, this. Advice welcome :-)
@Niranjan: Thank God it is a euphemism, but no eupehmisms work on pain, do they? Could be a sprain, a tear: my physiotherapist will let me know soon.
La Jolla is such a wondrous place to have a half marathon (been there three times in the past).
Suggestions:
1. Train hard. No shortcuts here.
2. Set your goals. Are you trying to finish the race or finish the race in a given time?
3. Stay hyrdated.
4. Dress lightly. Look for good shoes, and runing socks. They help
5. Enjoy yourself. The fun lies in the run as much as it does at the end of it.
Thanks Parth! That's helpful. Completing the race, really, is my primary goal. I'd hoped earlier, to do it within 2 hours. Based on the practice runs, that's a stretch even in terms of wishful thinking ;-)
It is phenomenal really, that you managed those 9 miles despite the pain. The exertion of the run itself takes a toll - and that univited pain in the knee is a mean double whammy on the self and spirit. Bravo!
@Niranjan: Thanks for the kind words. Truly speaking, two hours definitely a goal. But shaving off a minute per mile from my previous time was always going to be difficult. Now that I know I can complete the distance, speed is the only aspect to strive for. Hopefully, someday, I'll break the two hour barrier :-)
Dude, what abt ur knee? Whats the doc say?
@Avi: Will know next week. After a couple of days of limping, I can walk normally now with a constant niggle.
hey, totally off topic, more about the movies discussion on my post, I wrote a 2nd reply to your comment in my comments space just for that, because I happened to be browsing songs of aashiqui on youtube and it made me quite nostalgic. Actually movies of late 80s and early nineties started getting better, aamir khan happened and SRK too, love most of the Aamir khan early movies, andaaz apna apna, all songs of aashiqui, hum hain rahi pyaar ke, QSQT, dil hai ki manta nahin, jo jeeta wohi, kabhi haan kabhi na, lamhe, I might be missing out some. The in 80s there was angoor, silsila, masoom, shaan, sparsh, saheb, and some really sweet quirky ones like chameli ki shaadi, woh saat din and so on. Actually if one looks the list it would be one or 2 standout movies per year, which is not saying much, but still the 80s and 90s were not completely barren of movies, what do you think? Can you remember any others.
About marathon, let me start practicing, then I'll tell you my target.
way to go!
@Abhishek: Thanks man. The knee situation is a pain though, taking physiotherapy now.
Congratulations! This is the second time I am hearing about an injury related to running the (half) marathon, my friend needed to take expensive massages by a chiropractor before she was declared fit enough to run!
Best of luck for your next run.
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