C2GNR Part 4 – The Farm Park.

I didn’t realise it at the time but I had also just made another big mistake – I had ran Morpeth in brand new shoes. After a day of rest I went out for a run with my niece and two things happened to me. First I had discomfort in the sole of my right foot, and second I had discomfort on the outside of my left knee. I tried not to think too much of it as I had a holiday coming up and would be getting some rest.

Well rest probably wasn’t a great description as we got up to a lot of activities while away, one of which was a farm park. My daughter insisted I come down a multi-lane slide with her so I said yes …who wouldn’t?  Anyway, it was one of those metal slides and you all race down on a mat. Off I went getting faster and faster then I hit a bump, went up into the air and landed on my backside. IT HURT and I had sciatic pains (not what I needed with less than a month to go till the GNR). I took pain killers (drank alcohol) to ease the pain for the duration of the break, resuming the running when I got home. The trouble with my foot had subsided along with the knee while away.

I soon found that the knee problem was back so I spoke to my running coach at the running group. He seemed to think that the new Brooks shoes I had might be too supportive for me and that my body was fighting it (possibly, given how worn my old ones were).  He said that I should come into the shop where he works at some time for a second opinion. With time running out before the GNR I decided to go back to my worn out shoes and it was a relief to run without the pain. So I side-lined the new shoes and concentrated on the last few training runs in my old shoes.

Oh, I almost forgot to come back to the charity stuff.  Well, given my relentless social media hounding, pestering colleagues/being a general nuisance, and a generous donation from my employer, I had managed to raise £1,235 to split between my chosen charities. I was on a high going into the Great North Run.

http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/KevKairton

The Couch to The Great North Run – Part 1

The Couch to The Great North Run – Part 2

The Couch to The Great North Run – Part 3

The Couch to The Great North Run – Part 5