Sunday 31 October 2010

Training for Stockholm Marathon 2011

It does what it says on the box: a blog about training for Stockholm marathon in May 2011.

I love running. I've been running regularly for 6 months now, and before that on and off for several years. It would have been a year of regular running if not for last winter, which was a hard one. Lots of snow and ice. Long commute to work, which made it difficult to find time for training. But now I'm back, and after completing 2 half-marathons this year, I entered Stockholm Marathon, my first. My primary goal is just to complete it. My somewhat-crazy-though-maybe-not goal is to do it in around 4 hours. My latest half-marathon was completed in 1 hour 50 minutes, so it's not completely out of the question - though I fear a repetition of last year's winter.

Maybe it's strange to start a training blog about running on a rest day! Even stranger then to start it when several body parts ache, among others my left ankle and the bottom of my right foot.

My ankle has been bothering me for months. It started higher up on the calf, and after the calf got stronger it seemed to move south and settle there. It's not exactly an ache: it only hurts when I touch it, otherwise it just feels...stiff. Especially in the morning. I've been trying to do my eccentric foot exercises to prevent this. I think it has gotten a bit better.

My foot started complaining yesterday, when I went on a long run. It felt more like a cramp and less like pain, like my shoes were forcing my foot in an unnatural position. Today it still feels kind of like a cramp.

A couple of years ago I got the infamous runner's knee. That made me miss more than 6 months of training. Since then I've been worried that I'll get injured again. Running is such an important part of my everyday life that I can't seem to focus on the big picture (that is: if I get injured, I'll rest and it will get better and then I'll start running again). No, I only think about how much I'd be missing today. Hopefully these minor aches won't develop into something more serious, and that I can continue my training for my life's first marathon.