It’s been more than 30 years since I had to give up serious running due to a persistent knee injury. It’s taken me until now to fully understand the problem and to find a way to conquer it. Convinced that the problem was with my knee, I was never going to find a solution. It has now become apparent that the problem is simply due to poor muscle flexibility – the tightness on the muscles in my legs causing parts of my knee to rub, the friction creating a build up of pain, forcing me to stop after a short distance. 2 km was about as far as I could usually run before the pain became prohibitive.
My commitment to completing the London Marathon in 2019, to mark the 10th anniversary of my brain haemorrhage in April 2009, resulted in an agonising 7 hours and 32 minute walk. I got the medal and raised £2,800 for The Brain and Spine Foundation. But it was not enough. I still wanted to be able to fully run a marathon. I’m not usually one for quitting. If ever I look like I’m retreating, I’m normally just beginning to advance from a different direction.
The importance of stretching before and after running is a well-known, but often ignored, piece of advice. I guess that it is probably more important for some than others, depending on your own level of muscular flexibility. Even doing this was never enough for me. During a recent light-bulb moment, I wondered if stopping and stretching at regular intervals during a run would help to alleviate the problem. With some trial and error, I have discovered that this is the solution.
During my most recent 18 km run, I stopped every 2.5 km to stretch my leg muscles, for the first 10 km. I tried the last 8 km without stretching, but the familiar pain kicked in at 16.5 km. At this point, one final stretching stop saw me through to the end. The more I train, the further I can run between stretches. When I first began this method of training, I was stopping every kilometre. Now I can easily run 5 km without stretching, but not yet 10 km. But with time, I am hoping to reach 10 km without stopping to stretch. As my muscles are becoming more and more flexible, rather like a normal person’s, I’m hoping to run much longer distances without having to stop.
For now though, I shall stick with stopping to stretch maybe every 3 km for the Cardiff Half Marathon on the 1st October. I’m expecting a time of just over 2 hours and 30 minutes. As I write this, I have managed to raise 88% of my target of £500 for the homeless charity, Shelter. I’d be most grateful for any donations to help me reach that figure. Or just sharing this blog may help.
To donate, please click on the link below:
https://www.justgiving.com/page/mark-pritchard-1693914638713
MARK D PRITCHARD writes... 