An odd injury

I'm injured again and I don't know why.

The MK half marathon went OK.  I went for a jog the following day, and my right knee started to ache.  But after a few minutes the ache went away again.  I was so busy enjoying my run (because, due to a combination of too little daylight and too much work, this was the first time I'd been able to run after work and not need to stay under street lights) that I didn't think about it again.

The next day I ran at the club, and completed the speedwork session without any trouble.  But it was jogging back to the club that my knee started to hurt again.  And a few days later, on doing some circuits at the gym, it seemed that my knee hurt more when I was going slowly on it than when I was going fast.

So I don't know what's going on.  But I've been trying the approach that's worked best for me in the past: leave it alone and it'll sort itself out.  So I've done nothing for the last week... and hopefully I'll be able to get round Sandy on Sunday.

Milton Keynes Half - 8 March

Milton Keynes Half - 8 March

Another fairly local race that I've never done before.  It seemed an odd mix of seeming to be a big and small race, possibly because it wasn't organised by a running club.

The first thing we noticed - beyond the long queue of cars to reach the venue - was that there were no yellow signs guiding us there.  But that didn't matter because we'd received detailed step-by-step instructions in the post.

The HQ was at the Open University campus, although everyone was crammed into a small reception area, so it was a good job the weather was good.  There was a baggage area - but it was just the upstairs area of the HQ, and nothing was labelled, or attended.  I heard afterwards that some people claimed their bags were stolen, which I suppose wouldn't have been difficult.

There were lots of arrows painted on the floor pointing the right direction - but there was a significant absence of marshalls at some vital points, which could have led to trouble (in fact, judging by some of the comments on the Runners World forum, some people did go wrong).  Someone not far in front of me nearly missed a turn in the last mile until I shouted at him (not very competitive, I know, but my conscience wouldn't let me get away with anything else).

It was a good course for spectating, too, since we kept running near the HQ.  There were even spectator maps designed for the supporters.

Overall, I enjoyed the race.  It probably deserves its reputation of being a fast course, but the strong winds made that difficult this time.  In particular, I remember seeing the 10 mile mark and preparing to look at my watch for a split time, and then not seeming to get any closer to it.  The moment I got to the lamp post with the 10 mile sign on it, a huge gust of wind came along and I felt like I was going backwards!  Statto reckons that the wind would have made about a minute's worth of difference, and who am I to argue with him?

Speaking of which...  In the last mile I could see that I wasn't going to reach my 1:20 target and so gave up a bit.  I crossed the finish line, not unhappy with 1:21.  I only had enough time to stop and catch my breath when a cheery voice behind me said 'Hello, Gary!'  I'd forgotten all about Statto.  He hadn't eased off at all in the last mile - far from it - and finished only half a minute behind me.  That could have been nasty.  Forgetting he was there showed a shameful lack of respect, which I suppose I'm making amends for by mentioning it now, and I really will try not to let him finish anywhere near me in future!

And strangely, before the race (and this was all Martyn's fault) I got interviewed by someone from Three Counties Radio, who was running his first half marathon.  Thankfully it wasn't live, and it probably won't be broadcast because I didn't make much sense.  But I did give him the simplest, but best, piece of advice I know: don't set off too fast.  Of course, you only ever realise that's good advice after you don't take it.

Team East Haddon XC - 1 March

The final cross country proved a day of contrasts.  The furthest distance to travel, for the shortest distance to run.  As we drove up the M1 it got darker and damper - but the moment the race started the sun came out and it felt quite warm.  The mood was gloomy too, before the race, but by the end of the day things had brightened considerably.  I'd better explain.

 

Actually, it doesn't take much explaining.  As we gathered in the sports hall before the race it was clear that we were going to struggle to field a complete men's team.  Which set us grumbling about how useless all the absent squirrels were, of course.  But we got ourselves to the start as normal.

 

I had a strange start to the race.  The start line was at an angle to the course, so that the first corner was far closer to the right hand side of the start line than anywhere else.  Naturally, I stood there.  But nobody else did.  So when the race started and I darted for the corner, I found I was almost alone.  It took about a quarter of a mile before the fast boys overtook me, which was a very odd experience!  But even then it was clear that other clubs were a bit light on runners too.  Probably the best way to illustrate that is the fact that I came 7th.  Yes, I felt like I'd had a good run, but normally I'd be about 20th.

 

The sandwiches and cakes afterwards were very good - in fact, they rivalled our own efforts, which is saying something.  And it was just as well that it was sunny and warm outside, because we had a long time to wait before the results were ready (something about the software not being able to cope with the fact that we had a cancelled race).  And this is where the mood changed.  On the day it turned out that the men came 2nd (quality over quantity) and the ladies 3rd.  And that was enough to confirm NHRR as 3rd overall, and the men as 3rd too, which was better than expected.

 

So there.  A happy ending.