Injuries and Bivvies
May 28th, 2010 by Andy NicollAs I write this there are just three weeks and 3 hours to go to the start of the 95 mile West Highland Way Race which I’ve been wanting to do for years and been entered for for the past 6 months.
Also as I write this I’m injured ;-( and this weekend will decide if I make the journey north on the 19th June or not.
2 weeks ago last Tuesday I did a steady run of around 8 miles and could hardly walk when I got home due to the pain in my foot / heel. I rested it and then ran again the following Saturday when it came back again. Since then I’ve had to take two weeks off running including cancelling my entry in the Old Counties Tops race which was last weekend and should have been my last long run out. I’ve been using my bike to keep up my CV but it’s not really a good substitute for long runs in the hills.
Although I’m no expert, having done a bit of google research and talked with a few folk I think I have a case of Plantar Faciitis which is damage to the big muscle that runs along the length of your foot.
As with all these injuries, the only remedy appears to be rest but with the big race looming, I just don’t have time for that.
This weekend I plan to run for an hour on Saturday and then 2-3 hours on Sunday to see what happens. If it’s just a case of a bit of discomfort then I’ll pack plenty of Ibuprofen and still give the race a go but if I find I can’t keep going then I’ll have no option but to throw in the towel.
This is really annoying as my training had been going really well all year and my mileage and mental focus has been building steadily. The 50 mile tour of Calderdale in March and the 72 miles round the peaks in April both went well and put me bang on track for a good run at the WHW but this has really set me back.
If I do get to Scotland on the 19th it’s going to be a real mental and physical battle to get from Glasgow to Fort William. Even writing this in a semi negative way goes against all I preach about ultra running - mental strength and confidence is everything. You simply can’t go into an event like this without being 100% confident of finishing.
I’ll see how I get on over the next 2 days and report back….
By the way, as part of my ‘rest’ two pals and myself climbed Helvelyn at midnight last Friday and bivvied on the summit. We went up via Swirral Edge then came down Striding Edge the following morning in the glorious sunshine - Fantastic. We did this partly for fun - you really ought to try sleeping on top of a mountain without a tent, it’s great - but also to offer support to a group of friends from Pudsey & Bramley running club who were doing the Bob Graham Round. They summitted Helvelyn around 1.20am and we were there waiting for them with cake, cheese and water. What a strange life this fell running lark is….
