got injured during training - feeling better now - should i still run marathon

'i ran 5 miles today'

As your knee pain was only coming on on longer runs you don't know if its better. The missed training of a couple of wks is not the issue, the injury could put oyu out for a lot longer than that

I would pick another marathon a bit later

If you going to run anyway try this:

Sit on chair, back supported

Hold one leg out straight for 30 secs, then the other leg. Do a few on each a couple of times every day. It might help build a bit of strength there without putting pressure on the joint

After the race a pint of Guinness will aid recovery!

If you skip the marathon and do a winter/spring marathon, the four months of training won't go to waste. If you try to schlog through a marathon with a serious loss of fitness and a potential injury, you will be in such bad shape after that it will take you even more time off to recover and heal up any injuries you get during the race. Be smart. There are plenty of marathons out there. Just because you sign up for a marathon doesn't mean you have to run it. Everyone gets injured. Everyone has to miss a marathon now and then. It happens.

dublinrich wrote:

could any of you experienced runners give me advice? am i mental..

rich

Hi, rich, I'm an experienced runner, and yes, you are mental, welcome to the club.

Run it for the craic and don't worry about your time. You will need a few more years of running to get a lot quicker.

Where exactly is the pain? If it is on the lower and lateral side (not near the kneecap) you may have itb syndrome. Just taking a guess - it's fairly common.

thanks so much for your replies guys..

i'm in two minds at the moment..

it's my sister and two of my friends first marathon also and i feel like it would be seriously depressing to not take part..

last week i had resigned myself to not running but now my leg feels so much better i feel like i want to give it a shot, but i don't want to end up with a screwed up leg that stops me from running..

the pain was moreso on the front of the knee cap.. a little bit of online research seems to suggest that it's typical 'runners knee'

maybe i should start and pay close attention to the knee and see if it holds out, not being afraid to pull into the hard shoulder if it starts acting up..

i REALLY don't care about the time... i only run for the feeling it gives me and the stress it relieves..

again thank you for taking the time to answer..

happy running all!

ps i now appreciate running so much more than before the injury :)

rich

pps.. guinness will definitely be had, whatever the outcome!!

Yes, you're being mental. Shift down to the companion 5 miler and take part in the Guiness festivities.

I'd throttle the training way back to mend and to avoid creating an injury that is going to bother you for years to come.

Your knee is telling you that you're not ready for the higher mileage yet. Set your sites on a half marathon in the spring and if all goes well, start training next summer for a second attempt at Dublin.