The Ups and Downs of London Marathon Training by soph_morg

• The end of the road

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  Feb2520134:35 p.m.

  I can’t believe I’m typing these words but it’s officially the end of my 2013 marathon journey. I’ve had a sports injury specialist and a musculoskeletal person look at my knees and joints in general and the prognosis isn’t good. What started off as a knee problem seems to have transcended to a prone-to-sprain ankle, a cracking hip and a bad knee in the last few weeks. From what I’ve been told, my kneecap is completely in the wrong place, which is caused by the wrong alignment of my hips. This is causing unnecessary strain on the lower part of my knee and I’ve been told if I carry on running without at least two months of physio under my belt then my knee is likely to dislocate or – even worse – cause so much pain that I’ll cause permanent damage to BOTH knees and won’t even be able to run 2 miles again, never mind 26. After the sports injury specialist told me I was mad to try and run a marathon when my joints are so bad because of my Dystonia disability and the musculoskeletal woman told me today that if I started trying to train again for it I could cause my knee serious damage and make the other one go the same way I’ve officially thrown the towel in for this year. I’ve already had to give up one hobby from the problems Dystonia has caused me and the idea of me running this marathon but then beggaring up any further running for the rest of my life absolutely mortified me.

   

  It’s been such a hard decision but I’ve been told it’s the sensible one. It’s been suggested by some people that I should just “do the marathon and be in loads of pain but at least I’ll have done it” but the clincher for me is that I want to be able to run for the rest of my life – whether it’s 2 miles or 10 miles. So hopefully I will get started on my physio within the next five weeks and they’ve said that they could hopefully train the muscles around my knee to try and sort out the problems it has. I find it funny that I have to go BACK to my GP to get another musculoskeletal person to try and sort out my hips and my sprained ankle but at least I’m giving myself a year to hopefully sort it out and then I can take up my deferred place next year. I would have left it to the brink if I could but there’s also a time limit with deferring and I would have hated to just have come two days before the marathon and realize I can’t do it to then lose my place. And if the physio can’t help to the point where I can’t physically run that distance in my life, then either my Mum or my Dad will take the 2014 place. But that’s worst case scenario.

   

  After four long months of intense training and me being so determined to do this, I still can’t believe I’m writing this right now (and crying, yet again). I am so impossibly sad to be deferring my place but I have to think about what my body’s saying to me…apparently…and not listen to my heart.  I have to think about the practicalities and remember that the situation I’m in isn’t the end of the world – it’s just bad timing.

   

  I wish you all the best and I’ll keep reading all your blogs. It’s been an emotional and amazing journey and one that I sincerely hope isn’t the end yet.

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  Comments (9)

  • Johnf 'Sophie so sad for you but your own good health for many years is more important than this one challenge. Hope they can treat you positively with regard to running but if not then it's not for want of trying on your part. There will be other challenges just as momentous that you will manage in the future. All the very best and keep us all updated.' added 25th Feb 2013

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  • Amethyst 'Hi Sophie just wanted to say what courage you have for training so hard for so long and for now playing the long game and taking the decision to defer. Well done. I too am running for SIA and I also had to pull out last year and remember well the floods of tears and watching all the other runners enviously as I walked around. But the day of the 2012 marathon came quickly and then I was in the next one and now it is almost here. I don't know too much about dystonia but I really really hope that you get a good physio on your side over the next few months and that you come back stronger for next year. Good luck. ' added 25th Feb 2013

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  • Vin 'I am really sadden to hear your news. It sounds heart breaking and I honestly feel for you. Having train hard like you I can only imagine. But sometimes in life things happen for good reasons. Stay positive, rest, recover. I believe that you will run a marathon because you have a positive attitude despite it. All the best.' added 25th Feb 2013

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  • Rob_Barber 'Sounds like the right decision Sophie. Get yourself right and when you do come back for that "well at least I did it" moment, you have a far better chance of enjoying it and enjoying the memories. These "no pain no gain" kind of people are a bunch of idiots if you ask me. You Sophie, are clearly not. Good luck with everything, and when you do return, remember there is always the run / walk option. You don't need to hammer your body.' added 25th Feb 2013

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  • marcphillips 'I had a long time out last year with injury Sophie but I had a good physio and have stuck to a lot of what I was told to do and so far I'm back running again without any problems. Be patient and you'll be back enjoying running again!' added 25th Feb 2013

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  • fudge29 'Sorry to hear the news . Get that leg sorted and next year you'll be ready to take it all on. x' added 26th Feb 2013

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  • LornaRussell 'Sophie-sorry to hear your news about pulling out. last year I trained all the way to March 23 then had to make the agonising decision to pull out after having a horrible injury (non running related) but was told if I ran I would risk permanent damage. As hard as it is you are making the decision for your body to heal so you can run again. Good luck with the physio and come back next year stronger! I'll run a mile for you this year in the marathon! ' added 26th Feb 2013

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  • Ali_Dewy 'I am really sorry for you Sophie. I also had to defer last year after training until the middle of March. I had ITBS and ran/hobbled through the pain and ignoring the problem and therefore caused myself a lot more damage. I finally got seen by the right people and after lots of physio I have trained since October with very few problems. By keeping on top of physio when I needed it and doing everything right this time around I am enjoying my training and feel like my Marathon will be a lot better this year having come back from injury. In March last year I really couldn't see myself being able to run anymore so please stay positive and I wish youn lots of luck in getting fixed up and coming back even more determined next year. ' added 26th Feb 2013

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  • oboiko 'Very sorry to hear this Sophie. It seems that there are a few of us who had to defer last year but we all came back stronger, fitter and more prepared for the challenge than last year, so will you. It is heart breaking and very tough decision but long term and having strong healthy knees for life is much more important. I wish you well and I am confident you will be running marathon next year. Good luck!' added 27th Feb 2013

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