Felicity, one of our podiatrists has committed to competing in the Active Northumberland, Kielder Marathon on Sunday 8th October, Felicity has kindly offered to share her training diary so we can follow her marathon journey. Each week for the next 6 weeks she will be sharing a warts and all run down of her training, emotions and progress. Good Luck Felicity!
Kielder Marathon Training – Week 1
“I’ve heard people say that it’s the first six weeks of training that are the worst; I’ve heard people say that it’s the last six weeks of training that really get the pain juices flowing and I have also heard that the middle six weeks…well you get the gist. I have exactly six weeks to train. I expect the combination of all three parts of the training plan, at once, will make it triply enjoyable (/terrible). This is my first marathon and I did plan on beginning my training much earlier, however beset by injury at just a couple of weeks in with an ill-advised 14-miler at week 3, I had to put the real training back somewhat.
Now, this training isn’t as ridiculous as it first sounds: I am a regular runner anyway, having completed several half marathons, 10kms, 5kms and cross-country events, however I wouldn’t recommend this sort of training to anyone who has just started out. A marathon is a huge commitment, which is why with the big 3-0 looming later this year, I have decided to challenge myself.
Unfortunately, having a rush of blood to the head about mid-March, I decided to go for one of England’s toughest Marathons, in Kielder. The organisers don’t describe it as such, they describe it as “Britain’s Most Beautiful Marathon”; yet the elevation graph, which resembles a particularly spiky ECG report, begs to differ.
However, as it’s my first, I have put no time limit in which to complete the marathon and it really is just a case of getting around in one piece.
Along with completing a marathon, other goals have included graduating from University and securing my first job as a Podiatrist. Which ties me seamlessly onto my next point, as thankfully, post-graduation, I was offered a job at Newcastle Sport Injury Clinic: the best place to be for someone prone to constant time off with injury. It should be said also, that I don’t only suffer with injury but also with laziness, therefore this blog is a chronicle of a person in a bid to overcome inherent motivation struggles.
First, the back. As a 6-foot-tall woman, I often find myself hunching down to look smaller. This has had an impact on the thoracic region of my back with my shoulders rolling anteriorly away from my spine, which over time has become very stiff and painful. Following my first 2.5 hour run last Sunday, I was particularly feeling pain in the upper spine and sought treatment from the resident Osteopath, Will.
This was a half hour treatment focusing on releasing some of the tightness built up over the years. I left the treatment feeling clicked back into place and with a new-found respect for breathing. The run following this was a set of 10 x 800m of a track at 5km pace and, whilst my upper body still needs work due to limited thoracic rotation, I certainly felt the benefits of this treatment.
Next week I will report on the outcome of my first 3 hour run, and if all goes to plan this won’t be the last.”
Felicity – Podiatrist at Newcastle Sports Injury Clinic