Week at the Knees

Seven marathons in seven days was never going to be without its challenges and I was realistic enough to know that completing the full event without significant injury was the only real objective I should have in mind.  The format was simple enough; a marathon at one of three lakeside venues in Milton Keynes each day for a week.  I felt it was slightly ominous that only one of the sixteen survivors of the inaugural event was returning for the second year but anything which served to increase my caution about the undertaking was welcome.

The venue for the first three days was Willen Lake, a course I hadn't run previously, the first morning dawned cool and misty without much breeze.  I set off cautiously, walking up all inclines, with the aim of completing the initial run feeling as fresh as possible.  Getting to know a new course meant that there was something to occupy my mind as there was quite a bit of variation.  I still felt reasonably good on the last of the seven laps and eased to the finish in just under five hours.  After the race I commenced what was to become my routine for the week.  Back to the hotel room for a bath, walk up to the local Pizza Express, enjoy the same meal in the same seat each day and then back to the hotel for rest and to take on more calories.

Day two felt a little easier and I was able to run with less caution but still took it steadily up the hillier sections to complete ten minutes quicker than the previous day.  Day three was again misty but warmed up significantly and I pushed my pace towards the end to complete in my quickest time for almost seven months.  By now I was thinking in terms of completing each day in under five hours and was fairly optimistic despite increasing niggles from knees, hip flexors and an ankle.  In retrospect my quick pace at the end of day three was an error and I should have been holding back at this stage.

Day four moved to Caldecotte Lake, a venue at which I never seem to run well, however a cautious approach paid off and I was able to finish in exactly 4:45:00.  There was a small hint of the distress the next few days held for me at mid-race.  Without warning I suddenly felt very alone and vulnerable, before I was able to do anything I sobbed with anguish and had a few seconds loss of emotional control before composing myself. It was something that took me by surprise but possibly points to how much it was all taking out of me.  That evening after my normal post-race routine I began to get concerned about the state of my legs.  Both knees were feeling weak and painful, particularly on any lateral movement, my right ankle was experiencing a sporadic stabbing pain with no particular trigger and my hip flexors were so tight that movement after any rest was barely more than a shuffle.

Day five was a lovely day, cool and bright apart from the brief eclipse very early in proceedings, and was at Furzton Lake, my favourite of the venues.  Despite all this I commenced this run virtually convinced that my knees would not be able to take the punishment today, let alone another two days.  The format here was seventeen laps and within three laps I had decided that enough was enough.  There was no point inflicting long-term damage on myself.  As I came to the start/finish aid station I was certain I was going to stop, have a day or two off and then see if I could get going again.  For some reason, though, I didn't stop and ploughed straight on without saying anything.  This pattern repeated itself for several laps, convincing myself to stop and then ignoring my decision.  Once I had completed ten laps I realised that it would be better to get the thing completed that day and then re-assess.  The realisation that I was going to have to keep going for another couple of hours was tough and made me feel quite miserable, but I managed to reach the finish line without any further issues.  

Rather than stay over on the Friday night I had decided to travel home and then come back with Mandy for the final two days.  That night I was quite deflated.  I really didn't think I had it within myself mentally or physically to complete the full event.  I went to bed more or less convinced that I would give day six a miss, particularly when I saw that the weather forecast for Caldecotte was cold and windy.  I just didn't have enough strength to contemplate a repeat of the Quadzilla discomfort of earlier this year.  On waking I decided that I should get kitted up, travel up and see how I felt.  

The answer was that I did not want to get out of the car into the horrible weather and run a marathon.  But as I saw my fellow seven in seven competitors making their way to the start I joined them.  The shared suffering somehow lifted me.  These were people that knew what I was going through.  You could see the understanding in their eyes.  There were people here suffering more than I was; Donna with her chest infection, Laurence almost crippled with shin splints, Ed, having completed a double the previous weekend, now on his eighth in eight days.  There were at least two runners older than myself who seemed to be coping.  I had no excuse not to start.

This was the toughest marathon I have ever endured.  Throughout I was certain I would have to stop.  Every joint below my waist seemed to be hurting to some degree.  I was constantly struggling emotionally, feeling almost on the edge of completely losing control.  A two mile stretch at some point around half way was particularly bleak; every major low point of my life seemed to be vying to dominate my thought processes.  I felt hopelessly alone in the world.  Coupled with the emotional and physical distress, the long, steady ascent in the last mile of each lap, up which I was having to walk, seemed almost insurmountable.  Directly into the cold, relentless wind it seemed designed to blast away any remaining resolve.  

I had always thought that keeping a positive mental attitude is what propels you through the tough times, consciously replacing negative thoughts with positive.  This was the day that I discovered a different facet beyond the positive which had more to do with continuing when I could find no positives whatsoever and all I wanted to do was give up.  Strangely it didn't feel particularly strong to realise this and continue, in fact it felt weak and egotistical not to stop.  All part of the mental process at the time I suppose. I did keep going to finish in well over five hours but it didn't feel like much of an achievement at the time, I was just relieved it was over.

That evening I knew that barring any major drama I would complete all seven days.  I arranged a leg massage with Vixx which helped a great deal; there were one or two areas which really benefited from the loosening up.  My statistician side kicked in and I worked out that although the previous two days finish times had both been well over five hours I still had a chance to average under five for all seven days as long as I had anything approaching a reasonable final run.  With my legs feeling so much more flexible the final day became a case of keeping things sensible and cruising to the finish.

Even writing this almost a week after the conclusion of events it feels difficult to throw any light upon lessons learned.  Continuing when body and mind felt on the edge of giving up doesn't feel like the success I would have expected.  More, as I mentioned, it feels a bit like having given in to ego, avoidance of shame, rather than any kind of heroic triumph.  Maybe that is a lesson; these things are everyday and prosaic, rather than the stuff of myth and legend, you just get it done or you don't and nothing much really changes either way.  I'm not a better person for having completed the challenge, nor would I have been a worse person for failing.

16th March 2015  Week at the Knees day 1  4:59:06  #64
17th March 2015  Week at the Knees day 2  4:49:44  #65
18th March 2015  Week at the Knees day 3  4:43:04  #66
19th March 2015  Week at the Knees day 4  4:45:00  #67
20th March 2015  Week at the Knees day 5  5:09:36  #68
21st March 2015  Week at the Knees day 6  5:27:31  #69
22nd March 2015 Week at the Knees day 7  4:51:26  #70

       Average for the seven days 4:57:55