A schoolboy error and another injury – Weekly Results 1st October

I usually enjoy getting new running shoes. The staff at Marathon Sport were their usual friendly selves, and I walked out with a new pair of Asics Nimbus – the same as my old pair but the 2007 model – which I think looks pretty cool:

The old and the new!

Anyway having spent the week in Equatorial Guinea, (is this the first time a picture of Luba has appeared on a running blog?):

resting to get rid of the pain in the right hip, I set off on a tour of the lakes in my new shoes…and made the classic schoolboy error of wearing new socks with them.

All started well – I was moving pretty quickly. By the road crossing at the end of the third lake however, my feet were warming up, especially under the ball of the foot, where smooth new shoes and socks were rubbing together particularly well to create quite some friction.

I carried on after waiting for the lights, but after making the turn at the top of the lakes and beginning the long run home, my feet felt as though they were burning up. Halfway along the 4^th lake, I suffered the indignity of stopping, and yanked my shoes and socks off. No blisters, they were just incredibly hot!

I put my shoes back on and finished the remaining 2km quickly – though with the feet rapidly warming up. I resolved to use my old shoes and socks for the half marathon on Sunday, and break the new shoes in afterwards. No pain from the leg, but the troublesome right hip was slightly painful. It had not stopped me setting a personal best of 33 minutes 44 seconds for the lake circuit though, and seemed to be something I could live with.

Sunday dawned – I had left a friend’s party by midnight to avoid having a hangover half marathon – and cycled to Islands Brygge for the start of the Powerade half marathon. The course is basically 2 laps of a figure-of-eight course, sop after the start, you pass through the start / finish area 3 times before finishing on the 4^th one. We watched the 5 & 10k runners set off, and were off 5 minutes later.

I settled down into a nice rhythm, with an aim of finishing in 1.22 – 1.23, about 3.55 per km, to beat my record of 1.24.24 set in April. I took it reasonably easy off the start, but soon overtook some fast starters to find myself alone, behind a group of 4 some 50 – 100m ahead. Soon we were overtaking the tail-enders of the 5 & 10 k race; the 10k group doing a complete lap of the figure-of-eight and providing some good motivation to pick people off. My run progressed smoothly, with even splits of 3.50 – 3.55.

It was a foggy morning out on Amager, with visibility in places no more than around 100m. The group of 4 in front of me disappeared and re-appeared through the fog as I overtook a stream of 10k runners. Getting to the start / finish area at 11km, I was in good form – a niggle from the hip but having done the first 10k in reasonable comfort in 38.40, I was feeling confident that I would take a full 2 minutes off my record. The crowd at the 11k mark boosted me a little, and I recorded a split of 3.49 before disappearing into the fog in the streets of Christianshavn.

It was just after the 13k mark that the hip started to hurt a bit more. My splits slowed to 4.02, but it seemed OK. Then just after the 14k mark, and approaching the start / finish for the 3^rd time, it really kicked in. I had to stop. I stretched a bit and took a few more steps along the course, but it was not happening. Only 6.5k to go! Surely it was possible? I tried again, and stopped. I took my number off and blended into the crowd. I had done the first 14k in 54 minutes, 27 seconds. I wasn’t tired at all – not out of breath, though I had been breathing heavily, and the legs and arms felt fine.

The runners behind me came past at least a minute after I stopped, and long after the group of 4 in front had been swallowed up by the mist.

I handed in my chip and explained I hadn’t finished, so they shouldn’t record my number. Walking was difficult – I got on my bike and cycled home. Cycling seemed to pose no problems at all.

So what on earth next? I am running faster than ever – with a record time around the lakes yesterday and what probably would have been a record half marathon today, but cannot run anymore! Another week off and see what happens? At home I walked down to the lakes to sit in the afternoon sun – autumn may have come to Copenhagen but, on an afternoon like this, it is still over 20 degrees and beautifully sunny.

It was hard enough to walk to the lakes so it looks as though I will be off games for a while. Cycling may be OK, I will check that tomorrow evening. 4 weeks to go until Dublin…I won’t run the final Christianshavnermilen of the year tomorrow though, and it looks as though my plan for 2 hard weeks at the start of October is also up for revision.

Distance run this week: 22.5km

Distance run to date: 438.1km

Distance cycled this week: 0km

Distance cycled to date: 139km

Distance rowed this week: 0km

Distance rowed to date: 77.3km