Twenty six days to twenty six miles

Twenty six days to go and it hasn't escaped my attention that there is one day left for every mile I will have to run. I feel that this is somehow apt - the marathon is not only run over the 26 miles on the day, but over the many more miles run over the days and months leading up to it. This miniature mountain of time and distance (and hills) already covered is what makes my sensations heighten as the event draws nearer - I have put in so much effort to get this far that I don't want to miss out due to injury or illness at this late point.

The exercises John has recommended have adjusted my posture to the point that the right calf is not as problematic as it was, although this adjustment does seem to have ignited soreness in the left achilles. I am working on my gait to increase speed and reduce effort in the legs. This weekend will be my last truly long run before the marathon. As long as that goes well it will be all about keeping the legs ticking over for a few weeks and giving absolutely everything on the big day.

Fantastic running week

It's been a fantastic running week and an eventful and unusual weekend! The running form has continued with no calf issues - two 8-mile runs mid-week at okay pace, and then a 20 mile run on Saturday at 8-minute miling. The last 3-4 miles hurt but overall the legs recovered well and there was no flaring of the calf problems. I can only assume that the exercises that physio John has given me (described earlier in this blog) are doing the trick.

Unfortunately, I managed to get a blister on my right foot where I'd had some pompholyx eczema (a recent running issue), with a bit of swelling around the toes. Waking up Sunday morning it was clear that my foot was more swollen and fighting something off, and later that day it was getting worse. I was somewhat surprised to also find that my entire torso was covered in a rash, and on phoning NHS 111 was told to get to the ambulatory care department of the BRI that evening. Luckily, it seems it's just an infection that got in through the blister, accompanied by some strange bodily reaction, so I was given antibiotics and told to rest for a few days which I have itched my way through.

This same weekend, we thought we had lost the cat (missing for over 24 hours but turned up nonchalantly as if nothing had happened); we viewed a flat (weren't really intending to but saw an amazing and unique one!); and Lucy was offered two more clients on her counselling placement. I just need to get well enough to get running again and hope the legs still work the same - less than six weeks to the marathon!

Ups and downs with a personal record

It's been another very strange running week. On New Year's Eve, I did a long run to the downs - all was going fine until somewhere between the 9 and 10 mile point where the calf really started to complain. There was a strange dissolving feeling that spread around the muscle, almost to the point the whole thing felt a bit numb and foreign. It felt like I was in control of the left leg, but the right leg was a slightly numb block that I was dragging around. This was pretty concerning as I was on the downs and still around 4 miles from home. I slowed the pace a bit, stopped regularly to stretch out the leg, and got myself home after 14 miles. A lot of after care, stretching, etc., and I woke up the next day feeling okay but a little spooked.

Strangely, the following two runs were some of the best I have had in terms of the calf. On the first run, I got the odd shooting twinges up the leg, a bit like when you hit your funny bone, and particularly on the uphills. This seems to add evidence to Physio John's suggestion that it is a nerve issue not the muscle. Other than that, I didn't get the usual tightness in the calf and was allowed a fairly free run of 9.5 miles at around 7:45 miling.

This afternoon I had another run largely free of calf problems, which was incredibly liberating! It meant that after a few miles without trouble I could relax into the running more, and without pushing things too hard managed 10.5 miles at 7:30-minute miling, probably my best tempo mid-distance run since the injury. This put me at 34 miles for the week, which is the most I've ever run in one week.

There is still obviously an element of unpredictability about when the leg will cause me a problem, but there is an indication of improvement and long may it continue...the running is so much more joyous without the constant monitoring.