A decision

My original plan had been to complete 4 weeks of training and make my final final decision (there had been previous final decisions but this was definitely the final final one) but I've made the decision a week early and I won't be taking part in this years LL50.

I hadn't mentioned it but since early last week I have had a niggle in my right knee. I wasn't too concerned about it and knew it was just due to a rapid increase in miles. This week the problems increased a bit, my knee issue remained pretty consistent but I noticed my foot was rotated quite a bit more than usual, landing on the outside and rolling quite a bit through my stride. This was causing issues throughout my leg and even in to my back. I've had feet issues (the NHS expert told me I should quit running about 10 years ago due to flat feet and over-pronation), ankle issues (a severe sprain from football that was brusied from toe to knee and kept me out for 9 months) and knee issues (ruptured and torn ligaments on two occasions as a teenager) on my right leg (though feet are obviously on both!) for years and I'm quite in tune with how serious the pain is but can also be a little over cautious due to fear of causing more serious damage.

My first reaction was that with my time away from running my feet and ankles had just become far too weak and that had probably also caused extra stress in my knee. This is probably true to an extent but I'm now sure it's not the only cause. I also have some other weaknesses in my thigh and glute coupled with some quite bad tightness that is rotating my leg quite a bit. Definitely good news, nothing too serious and something I can improve myself. The down side is it just takes more time and more energy. I will still be able to run while I work on these weaknesses but will be careful with speedwork and do a little less of that over the short term as I want to have better stability through my joints before working them too fast or hard.

My LL50 training was already pretty tight on time so taking away some fairly important speed sessions (I was never planning on running the race quickly but speedwork means greater running efficiency at all speeds which means less energy expended which is definitely helpful when running 50 miles) and adding in some extra and specific strengthening and flexibility work makes the whole prospect even harder. It's still possible to do but I felt the only way I could do it properly was to make running my number one priority for the next 3 months and that's just not something I'm able to do at the moment.

The other option was to ease off on training a little and keep up with my other commitments. The problem I have with this is I just wouldn't have the full strength or fitness I would want for the LL50. I'm sure I could be fit enough to get around but I'm also sure there would be a hell of a lot of suffering involved and the need for a mindset to get around at any costs. Where I'm at with my mental health and running I have zero desire to complete the race like this (I'm sure plenty of people will and I'm not knocking them for it at all, it's just a personal thing that doesn't fit me right now).

So that left the third option - I don't run the LL50 in 2021. Yes it's a shame but it's far from the end of the world. The race will be there in future years and I'll still be getting to the Lake District on holiday and can enjoy some shorter, chilled out exploration runs while I'm there.

New plan

My short term plan is to keep running but without much increase in mileage/time for a little while and less intense sessions while I'm working on improving my strength and flexibility (technically I'm more interested on loosening tight muscles but just calling it flexibility is easier).

My medium term plan is taking part in Mike's Mad Marathon at my running club. It's running 4.5 mile loops every hour until you quit up to 24 hours. I won't be aiming for 24 complete laps but should be fun and will be interesting to see how I get on. Will give me plenty of practice for a lot of different skills that will come in handy for future ultras and general recovery.

My long term plan I haven't quite decided yet but have narrowed it down to 2 possibilities. The first is a repeat of my attempted coastal run last year from Berwick to Newbiggin totalling around 69 miles (I'll need to run it all to get an accurate distance), that would likely be in around October. The second, and my preferred option, is the 100km (62ish miles) Pilgrims Ultra from Holy Island to Rothbury. As long as my next month of training goes to plan I'll be entering that but if I have any set backs I'll do my coastal run and give myself a little more training time.

Both of those are longer than the LL50 but give me a little extra training time (6-10+ weeks) to get some of my problems sorted and it also has a lot less big hills so will be a bit easier on my body despite the extra miles and a lot closer to running that I'm used to. I still want to run the LL50 one day but just feel this isn't the right year for me.

Next week

I'm going to keep posting about my running and training, it's a good way to keep myself accountable and is also a good way to clarify my thoughts. So with that being said here is my plan for next week, a fairly easy week followed by a long social run I planned with a friend a few months ago and something I'm really looking forward to.

Day	Session
Monday	Rest
Tuesday	4 miles - easy
Wednesday	6 miles - including tempo if feeling good
Thursday	Rest
Friday	S&C
Saturday	Rest
Sunday	20ish miles - social run