Two completely unrelated issues have put my participation in the marathon in doubt, the first couldn't have come from an unlikelier source. The appearance of a Icelandic volcano ash cloud and the ensuing flight chaos has left me panicking that I won't be able to get my flight on Friday, touchwood I'll get on, things seem to be getting sorted now, Easyjet started flying from Alicante to London again this morning.
The second problem is the ongoing knee situation. I went to the physio first thing Monday morning, and was told the problem was that my tibia (upper leg) was slightly out of alignment, after waving my leg around in the air for 20 minutes she told me it was all sorted, and to go for a gentle run the next day, but make sure I stretch well before hand. So yesterday I was up early to head to the track, the idea was to do a gentle 5km. In the end I only did 3, I could have run more but it was clear that the knee still wasn't right, it was progressively getting worse, though it didn't reach the same extent as last time I had run, when I tried to run home and found I couldn't turn corners while running. Cue another phone call to the physio to see if she could fit me in for another session today. Now we think the problem is tendonitis in the tensor fascia lata, from what i've read on the internet its the strip of tendon that connects the hip to the outside of the knee, the friction on the bone as you are running causes the tendonitis.
After missing last years marathon for tendonitis, it has become a scary word for me, but I think the experience of last years injury may help me now. Firstly I know this is nowhere near as bad, last year I was suffering with sharp pain when I tried to run, currently I have mild discomfort that increases as I run, but so far even at its worst it hasn't even got close to last years torture. Secondly, I'm familiar with what happens, you end up with swelling on the related joint so movement is restricted for a while after, but while its progressive, the joint won't lock up because of it until I stop moving, i.e. on Sunday I can't stop running until I cross the line!
More info from the web, the cause is often tightness in the calf and hamstring, this mornings physio session largely dealt with that, massaging it, well she drove her knuckles as deep as possible into the muscle and moved them about causing excruciating pain, I'm not sure if it counts as massage but I'm just hoping it works. I'll do WiiFit exercises to keep me limber and do some swimming over the next couple of days, letting the inflamation caused by the running settle down before another session with the physio Friday morning.
Fingers crossed everything falls into place for Sunday!
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