Mark, it takes guts to race through injury, and your journey shows just how much heart you have for the sport. Trusting your instincts and keeping that ambitious spirit alive is what makes you an inspiration. Hope your recovery goes smoothly so you can chase those PBs! Best wishes, dear friend!
Hello mate. Thanks so much for the kind words. I'm glad I managed to battle through the race, and I'm now taking the time to recover fully before I get back into training for the next one :)
I'm 72 and started up my running "career" again at the age of 70. Ran a local parkrun and managed 23:31. Picked up a knee niggle and went to see the physio. Laid off for 3 weeks with just the odd plod at 9 min miling plus. Physio strapped me up and gave the parkrun another go. Finished up only 3 secs off my course PB. Sometimes a rest isn't a bad idea.
Hi Steve. Similar to you I started running again after a long'ish break (20 years in my case). I'm 65 and ran a sub 21 parkrun earlier this year. I've found that a (mostly) daily strength & conditioning session helps in reducing niggles. Presently injured with a calf strain but although not running am training with the S&C sessions and static bike workouts, as well as the specific calf exercises. Interesting that you refer 9 minute miling as a 'plod'. Most of my runs are between 10 - 12 minute miling. I do threshold effort sessions of course. These are around the 7 minute mile pace. Best of luck and keep working at your parkrun times. Cheers.
@@callmeal4183 Tan is a rescue and is dead against running on the lead. He'll walk on the lead but not run. I've resigned myself that 99% of races are just not "available" for me to enter.
Running at 72, that's excellent, Steve. I hope to be doing the same when I get there. Your parkrun time isn't far off mine, and I'm (just) still in my 40s. I'll be running my next ultra the day before my 50th birthday next year. What you say about resting is spot on. I'm having a good break now, making sure I'm properly ready before getting back into training. Hope you're doing well.
This came at a good time as I missed my first ever race due to illness a month ago. I could have run, but couldn't have raced. Injury and illness wise though; I tend to push through and adapt if I can. A good trick I've learnt is to say, I'll try and go today and if I feel much worse, I won't go tomorrow. I've never missed the run the next day! Not saying it's the best option at all, but it's worked for me thus far.
There's clearly not much that will stop you mate, what with your amazing run streak and everything. I'm glad I did the half, and I think the recovery is going well, as I look forward to the next couple of races that I'm actually excited about :)
Ugh, dealing with niggles and injuries is the worst. 😢 Thankfully, you’ve got plenty of time to recover and get things figured out! Wishing you a speedy recovery! 🤓
Thanks, Heather :) You're right, I've got loads of time before the next race now, so I'm being extra cautious with the recover and taking a good amount of rest.
FWIW I think you did the right thing running the HM. It clearly meant more than the potential marathon. You'll learn a lot during the rehab process and come back a stronger and wiser runner.
I appreciate that mate, thanks. I'm feeling good about my decision. The rehab for any injury does teach you a lot, and hopefully helps you to build in things to prevent similar injuries in future. One day I'll be really wise, at this rate :)
Mark, thanks for the honesty and transparency. The Feb half gives you time to heal and prepare, and that will be a good test and hopefully readiness confirmation for the Spire ultra in May.
Thanks mate. I've got two races I'm really looking forward to now, in the calendar. That's giving me strong motivation to get fixed and back on the trails.
Heal well Mark , great to have an honest appraisal and we’ve all been there many times ! 😂 I had a lot of achilles issues but I changed my running style about 10 years ago and not had re occurrence since. I used to run and push off too much with forefoot and toes. I run more mid foot now
Thanks, Michael :) Yes, we've all had to make these tricky decisions about running with injury doubts. I dare say I'd only get out once a year if I waited for everything to be 100% lol. That rings true about the forefoot running and achilles trouble. I tend to land further forward on the foot, the faster I go, and I was on one of my (too) many speed sessions when the ankle finally told me to stop. Glad to hear you sorted your issues out mate.
Ah gutted for you mate. Hopefully you'll have a speedy recovery. Amending goals and not giving up is the best thing to do so you're half way there. I'm sure 2025 will still be a big one for you regardless of the setback 😊
Thanks mate. I'm getting there, and looking forward to those races for next year. This running break is giving me chance to get a bit less clueless with Zwift riding :)
Thank a lot, Rachel :) I'm feeling much better now, but taking it extra easy. Plenty of time to train for the next race, which I'm actually looking forward to a lot more than the marathon.
Thanks, Andy :) I don't feel like I'm too far away from being able to ease back into running, but I'm being extra cautious, knowing that my next race is a few months away, as things stand. I'm hoping the rest will give my whole body chance to recover well from a good year of running.
Hopefully you heal up quickly Mark. These things happen to all runners at points, on a plus side, you now have a half marathon to aim for and it’s a few months away, so giving you time to heal without rushing anything. Just don’t go mad with the Mince Pies in the meantime 😉
I can't remember the last time I ran without a small niggle 🤣 hopefully you're not too broken Mark and I hope you can make a speedy recovery mate. Thanks for sharing your thought process with us it makes sense to me mate. All the best bud! 😎🤘
😂🤣 I don't leave the house without my little niggle! Think I'm on the mend now mate, almost feeling like I could go for a run, but I'm being extra cautious. Cheers mate :)
OH gosh yes we've all been there, I had an entire run of niggles and injuries a couple of years back, AND did exactly what you did ... ran a marathon despite a pain in my foot that often made even walking painful!! 🤷♀🤷♀ I got a huge PB though!!😁😁 Now I'm about to complete my second year in a row of 6000km totally injury free!!!! I feel that keeping a high cadence (175 for recovery runs and 180-185 when strong) with regular yoga in addition to strength training has been key to staying injury free!! AND Brodie Sharpe's Run Smarter podcast, book and youtube channel!!
Injured PBs are a big bonus! Not sure I should be glamourising them too much on here though lol. Good point about the high cadence. I certainly feel the impact much less with a higher turnover. Brodie's latest video was another good one. He just keeps churning out the bangers! :) Hope you're doing well, Bev.
@@markg99 Thanks Mark... I just had my 62nd birthday Monday (a public holiday here in France) so I went out and ran 62kms to celebrate, a new record for me ... a tough but awesome day out!!!🥳😄😁🥰🥳
It's a difficult balance to strike. Some things can be run through without reaching consequences, but not a lot of things! Takes a lot of practice to learn exactly how your body reacts under certain stress loads but hopefully a nice gradual build back will be the answer. For tight acchillies, I tend to find keeping it warm at night helps a lot. This does mean sleeping with a sock on usually and it does mean the foot can get a bit sweaty, but it reduces the 'warm up' time in the morning.
Thanks, Jess. I'm definitely doing the gradual build up at the moment. I've given myself plenty of time before the next race now, with it being the Carsington Water HM in Feb. Thanks for the recovery tips :)
Sorry to hear the marathon is out. I did a half marathon there early this year and it was pretty tedious (I DNF’d due to my hamstring tightening up). Hopefully your heel issue isn’t contagious, as mine is now a tad uncomfortable. I’m monitoring it and seeing how it progresses. Sadly injuries are an occupational hazard
Cheer, Billy. It sounds like your hamstring got bored and decided to act up like a stroppy kid in the back seat on a long journey! How's that heel now mate? I think I'm getting close to being able to run, but I'm putting it off for a while and being extra cautious. The break is giving me extra time to read The Well of Ascension, though I'm struggling to get enthused about it for some reason.
OK Mark. We understand why you ran that half. Only time will tell if it was a really bad idea. We can all advise rest, but few of us will really take enough! Looking at the video, you do seem to be walking with that left foot out to the LHS. I don't remember noticing that before. Hope recovery all goes well for you.
Hi mate. I quite enjoyed chatting through my reasons for running that race. Got it off my chest :) I tend to walk with both feet slightly turned out and duck-footed. I've found that a really tight left glute contributes a lot. Massaging that out seems to straighten things up a bit, for a while. Thanks for the well wishes, Pete.
I don't blame you for not being overly excited about running a multi lap marathon course 🤣 If the half marathon was your priority then it's understandable that it's the one you decided to give a shot at. Now no more races until you're injury free hey!
Yes, the 10 lap marathon really wasn't getting me too excited! :) Looks like we're both waiting until 2025 for the next race now. I imagine you'll have squeezed in a few before my February half though lol.
I’m currently one of those silly people sailing on the big ship of regret 🤦🏻♂️ done 3 miles walk/run/walk on Saturday and now I’m hobbling around like Jake the Peg 😤🤬 entirely my own fault & should’ve known better, definitely zero running for 2024, and possibly beyond 😭
Zero running for the rest of the year sounds sensible, but a bit of a bummer. Good job you've got the Zwift set-up to keep you occupied. Any idea what type of knee injury it is you're dealing with now mate? I hear a lot about IT band issues causing knee pain, among other things.
@ had an appointment with the doctor on Friday, he’s referred me for an x-Ray and possibly an MRI, he’s thinks it’s ligament damage but he’s also concerned it could be something worse as my knee now crunches when I get up and start walking on it, was also at the physio 3 weeks ago, she thought it was weak glutes making my kneecap not track properly and then that causing osteoarthritis on the knee cap. All things considered I wish it was only a bit of ITB, had that before and was easily fixed, don’t think this is going to be as straightforward unfortunately.
Mark, it takes guts to race through injury, and your journey shows just how much heart you have for the sport. Trusting your instincts and keeping that ambitious spirit alive is what makes you an inspiration. Hope your recovery goes smoothly so you can chase those PBs! Best wishes, dear friend!
Hello mate. Thanks so much for the kind words. I'm glad I managed to battle through the race, and I'm now taking the time to recover fully before I get back into training for the next one :)
I'm 72 and started up my running "career" again at the age of 70. Ran a local parkrun and managed 23:31. Picked up a knee niggle and went to see the physio. Laid off for 3 weeks with just the odd plod at 9 min miling plus. Physio strapped me up and gave the parkrun another go. Finished up only 3 secs off my course PB. Sometimes a rest isn't a bad idea.
Hi Steve. Similar to you I started running again after a long'ish break (20 years in my case). I'm 65 and ran a sub 21 parkrun earlier this year. I've found that a (mostly) daily strength & conditioning session helps in reducing niggles. Presently injured with a calf strain but although not running am training with the S&C sessions and static bike workouts, as well as the specific calf exercises. Interesting that you refer 9 minute miling as a 'plod'. Most of my runs are between 10 - 12 minute miling. I do threshold effort sessions of course. These are around the 7 minute mile pace. Best of luck and keep working at your parkrun times. Cheers.
@@callmeal4183 Cheers. Managed ONE parkrun this year. Dog walk duty.
@@stevefrith7283 I hesitate to mention this, but have you thought about combining the two? Parkrun and dogwalk. On a short leash, of course!
@@callmeal4183 Tan is a rescue and is dead against running on the lead. He'll walk on the lead but not run. I've resigned myself that 99% of races are just not "available" for me to enter.
Running at 72, that's excellent, Steve. I hope to be doing the same when I get there. Your parkrun time isn't far off mine, and I'm (just) still in my 40s. I'll be running my next ultra the day before my 50th birthday next year. What you say about resting is spot on. I'm having a good break now, making sure I'm properly ready before getting back into training. Hope you're doing well.
This came at a good time as I missed my first ever race due to illness a month ago. I could have run, but couldn't have raced. Injury and illness wise though; I tend to push through and adapt if I can. A good trick I've learnt is to say, I'll try and go today and if I feel much worse, I won't go tomorrow. I've never missed the run the next day! Not saying it's the best option at all, but it's worked for me thus far.
There's clearly not much that will stop you mate, what with your amazing run streak and everything. I'm glad I did the half, and I think the recovery is going well, as I look forward to the next couple of races that I'm actually excited about :)
Ugh, dealing with niggles and injuries is the worst. 😢 Thankfully, you’ve got plenty of time to recover and get things figured out! Wishing you a speedy recovery! 🤓
Thanks, Heather :) You're right, I've got loads of time before the next race now, so I'm being extra cautious with the recover and taking a good amount of rest.
FWIW I think you did the right thing running the HM. It clearly meant more than the potential marathon.
You'll learn a lot during the rehab process and come back a stronger and wiser runner.
I appreciate that mate, thanks. I'm feeling good about my decision. The rehab for any injury does teach you a lot, and hopefully helps you to build in things to prevent similar injuries in future. One day I'll be really wise, at this rate :)
Mark, thanks for the honesty and transparency. The Feb half gives you time to heal and prepare, and that will be a good test and hopefully readiness confirmation for the Spire ultra in May.
Thanks mate. I've got two races I'm really looking forward to now, in the calendar. That's giving me strong motivation to get fixed and back on the trails.
Heal well Mark , great to have an honest appraisal and we’ve all been there many times ! 😂
I had a lot of achilles issues but I changed my running style about 10 years ago and not had re occurrence since. I used to run and push off too much with forefoot and toes. I run more mid foot now
Thanks, Michael :) Yes, we've all had to make these tricky decisions about running with injury doubts. I dare say I'd only get out once a year if I waited for everything to be 100% lol.
That rings true about the forefoot running and achilles trouble. I tend to land further forward on the foot, the faster I go, and I was on one of my (too) many speed sessions when the ankle finally told me to stop. Glad to hear you sorted your issues out mate.
Ah gutted for you mate. Hopefully you'll have a speedy recovery. Amending goals and not giving up is the best thing to do so you're half way there. I'm sure 2025 will still be a big one for you regardless of the setback 😊
Thanks mate. I'm getting there, and looking forward to those races for next year. This running break is giving me chance to get a bit less clueless with Zwift riding :)
Wishing you a swift recovery Mark. Never fun missing races and having to change plans. But you are doing all the right things. Keep us updated x
Thank a lot, Rachel :) I'm feeling much better now, but taking it extra easy. Plenty of time to train for the next race, which I'm actually looking forward to a lot more than the marathon.
Hope it resolves itself soon Mark, glad you managed to do the half (and PB), R&R might do the trick😊
Thanks, Andy :) I don't feel like I'm too far away from being able to ease back into running, but I'm being extra cautious, knowing that my next race is a few months away, as things stand. I'm hoping the rest will give my whole body chance to recover well from a good year of running.
Hopefully you heal up quickly Mark. These things happen to all runners at points, on a plus side, you now have a half marathon to aim for and it’s a few months away, so giving you time to heal without rushing anything. Just don’t go mad with the Mince Pies in the meantime 😉
Excellent advice about the pies mate! :) I've managed to be very good with my diet so far this week, which is novel...
I can't remember the last time I ran without a small niggle 🤣 hopefully you're not too broken Mark and I hope you can make a speedy recovery mate. Thanks for sharing your thought process with us it makes sense to me mate. All the best bud! 😎🤘
😂🤣 I don't leave the house without my little niggle! Think I'm on the mend now mate, almost feeling like I could go for a run, but I'm being extra cautious. Cheers mate :)
OH gosh yes we've all been there, I had an entire run of niggles and injuries a couple of years back, AND did exactly what you did ... ran a marathon despite a pain in my foot that often made even walking painful!! 🤷♀🤷♀ I got a huge PB though!!😁😁 Now I'm about to complete my second year in a row of 6000km totally injury free!!!! I feel that keeping a high cadence (175 for recovery runs and 180-185 when strong) with regular yoga in addition to strength training has been key to staying injury free!! AND Brodie Sharpe's Run Smarter podcast, book and youtube channel!!
Injured PBs are a big bonus! Not sure I should be glamourising them too much on here though lol. Good point about the high cadence. I certainly feel the impact much less with a higher turnover. Brodie's latest video was another good one. He just keeps churning out the bangers! :) Hope you're doing well, Bev.
@@markg99 Thanks Mark... I just had my 62nd birthday Monday (a public holiday here in France) so I went out and ran 62kms to celebrate, a new record for me ... a tough but awesome day out!!!🥳😄😁🥰🥳
@bev9708 you really know how to celebrate! Sounds like you had a great birthday 🎂 Glad to hear it, Bev.
I think it depends on the injury, but at my age, I lean towards more caution. 😂
Very wise! I'm hoping my ankle issue is relatively mild, though I'll be taking it easy for a good while, to make sure it's ready to go again.
It's a difficult balance to strike. Some things can be run through without reaching consequences, but not a lot of things! Takes a lot of practice to learn exactly how your body reacts under certain stress loads but hopefully a nice gradual build back will be the answer.
For tight acchillies, I tend to find keeping it warm at night helps a lot. This does mean sleeping with a sock on usually and it does mean the foot can get a bit sweaty, but it reduces the 'warm up' time in the morning.
Thanks, Jess. I'm definitely doing the gradual build up at the moment. I've given myself plenty of time before the next race now, with it being the Carsington Water HM in Feb. Thanks for the recovery tips :)
I’m very relieved to hear you’ve canceled the marathon 👍
Yes, I'm sure you suggested having a good rest at one point, Angela, so I'm taking your advice :) The marathon might have finished me off!
Sorry to hear the marathon is out. I did a half marathon there early this year and it was pretty tedious (I DNF’d due to my hamstring tightening up).
Hopefully your heel issue isn’t contagious, as mine is now a tad uncomfortable. I’m monitoring it and seeing how it progresses. Sadly injuries are an occupational hazard
Cheer, Billy. It sounds like your hamstring got bored and decided to act up like a stroppy kid in the back seat on a long journey!
How's that heel now mate? I think I'm getting close to being able to run, but I'm putting it off for a while and being extra cautious. The break is giving me extra time to read The Well of Ascension, though I'm struggling to get enthused about it for some reason.
OK Mark. We understand why you ran that half. Only time will tell if it was a really bad idea. We can all advise rest, but few of us will really take enough! Looking at the video, you do seem to be walking with that left foot out to the LHS. I don't remember noticing that before. Hope recovery all goes well for you.
Hi mate. I quite enjoyed chatting through my reasons for running that race. Got it off my chest :) I tend to walk with both feet slightly turned out and duck-footed. I've found that a really tight left glute contributes a lot. Massaging that out seems to straighten things up a bit, for a while. Thanks for the well wishes, Pete.
I hope the left ankle and foot heal up soon. I think it's best to do a bit of cross training. Find an activity that doesn't aggregate the ankle.
Cheer, Neil. I'm enjoying the Zwift cycling, along with my rehab work at the moment. The ankle seems happy with it so far, which is a good sign.
I don't blame you for not being overly excited about running a multi lap marathon course 🤣 If the half marathon was your priority then it's understandable that it's the one you decided to give a shot at. Now no more races until you're injury free hey!
Yes, the 10 lap marathon really wasn't getting me too excited! :) Looks like we're both waiting until 2025 for the next race now. I imagine you'll have squeezed in a few before my February half though lol.
I’m currently one of those silly people sailing on the big ship of regret 🤦🏻♂️ done 3 miles walk/run/walk on Saturday and now I’m hobbling around like Jake the Peg 😤🤬 entirely my own fault & should’ve known better, definitely zero running for 2024, and possibly beyond 😭
Zero running for the rest of the year sounds sensible, but a bit of a bummer. Good job you've got the Zwift set-up to keep you occupied. Any idea what type of knee injury it is you're dealing with now mate? I hear a lot about IT band issues causing knee pain, among other things.
@ had an appointment with the doctor on Friday, he’s referred me for an x-Ray and possibly an MRI, he’s thinks it’s ligament damage but he’s also concerned it could be something worse as my knee now crunches when I get up and start walking on it, was also at the physio 3 weeks ago, she thought it was weak glutes making my kneecap not track properly and then that causing osteoarthritis on the knee cap. All things considered I wish it was only a bit of ITB, had that before and was easily fixed, don’t think this is going to be as straightforward unfortunately.
@@soupyruns9709 good grief. Sounds like it's a tricky one to diagnose then. Fingers crossed the scans don't reveal anything nasty. Best of luck mate 🤞
@@markg99 thanks mate 👍🏻
REally wishing the injury fixes itself, sounds like you are doing the right thing ❤🩹❤🩹
Cheers mate. I'm getting there 😊👍