My number's up.

The final payment instalment has gone through and the UK names submitted to the MDS organisers. This week I had notification that the race numbers had been released; here.

http://www.darbaroud.com/detail.php?pub=265&langue=en

I am number 857. You'll need that number when the race is on so you can send me messages of support every day throughout the event! The MDS website has a facility that allows you to 'write to a competitor'. That facility becomes live when the event itself is on. I'll post further details when I get them, but usually it is just a direct link from the http://www.marathondessables.com/index_uk.php homepage.

There look to be more entrants than usual. It used to be limited to around 750 but the race numbers appear to go up to at least 890 this year.

I have been featured in two local newspapers this week. Here are the articles. There are few innacuracies in the first one. Firstly, I don't actually work for BT, but I do contract work for them. Second, water is not ration to 1.5L a day in the MDS!!! Next, it was four years ago when I had the poor health check and couldn't run a mile, not two years ago. Finally, my mum still works at the school and has done for over 20 years, not 46! Apart from that it's not bad, and was almost a whole page.

That's the good news out of the way. It's all downhill from here.

This week was my scheduled recovery week. In my last blog post I said how much I thought I needed it. Turns out I would have had little choice in the matter anyway.

I went to visit my uncle, the chiropractor, on Tuesday. He looked me over briefly and said I was in such a state I would need to see his clinical sports massage therapist first. As it turned out, I was two of them before my uncle! My back was locked up as usual, but I didn't realise quite how bad my calf muscles were, until they set to work. They were hard as bullets and working them caused me quite a lot of discomfort. Even after 45 mins of work they were still tight, though better.

My uncle then did some chiropractic adjustments on my back, as well as ankles and feet. He then put me on his interferential machine for 15 minutes. My back felt better afterwards, and the strain on my right ITB had gone, but the calf’s were still sore.

I took off Monday and Tuesday as rest days, but also added Wednesday as a rest day because I thought I needed it.

On Thursday I planned a 10k route. Because I had not run all week, I decided that I would try and run it faster than normal. I probably set off too fast, and because the route starts on a 3/4 mile long hill I think this tightened up my calf muscles again. I stopped and carried out a full stretch routine after 1 mile (as I do in every run), then carried on at a fairly quick pace. I didn't feel right at all. I was getting pain behind the right knee and right calf, and it felt as though something was 'twanging' with every stride; like a tendon snapping over something during the stride cycle. Both calf muscles tightened up further and then both Soleus muscles. The Soleus muscles becoming tighter were really painful. I had to stop and tried to stretch them, but couldn't. They were locked up good and tight. I carried on and then I started to get pins and needles in both feet, to the point of losing feeling almost totally from the shin down. I stopped again, took off my shoes and rubbed some feeling back into them, and also attempted to stretch out. The feeling returned albeit temporarily as I ran on. I made it home, but was unable to stretch my calf and Soleus because of the pain. Something clearly wasn't right. I did some self massage. The right calf responded well, but the left calf was very tender to the touch on the inside of the leg near the top. I thought it was just knotted and got my fingers in and worked it. This was very uncomfortable, but I figured it was doing me good. I finished and then got up to find I just barely hobble! I iced it and then went to bed. I was worried, but the following day it was back to just being tight, no extra pain.

On Friday I saw a local sports massage therapist. I was determined to try and get the calf and Soleus sorted out. I had a 45 minute session, which was agony; virtually the whole session on my calf muscles again. The right calf was much improved afterwards, but the left still very sore.

I did my usual gym session with no problems that day, and decided to run to make up for the extra rest day I had on the Wednesday. I decided to run very slow and steady to see if the fast start the previous day had been to blame. It hadn't. It felt better than the previous day initially, but I still felt the twanging and pain behind the left knee and calf. I stopped a couple of times to stretch it out, but it wasn't really working. That night I worked the left calf and Soleus again, with identical results. The pain afterwards was worse and I was hobbling during the night I noted too, when I got up to use the loo. I did ice it before bed again. In the morning it had subsided back to just being tight. I made a decision that I should not run on the Saturday or today, Sunday. The calf muscle on the inside of the leg, just to the right of the Tibia (near the top), is tender even to the lightest touch.

I can only assume it is a calf strain, doubtless bought on by the amount of hill work I do in every training session. This isn't good news at all, but I can only hope that it is not to severe. An actual tear would take months to heal. I've worn a compression sock all day today to promote healing, and am just going to do some alternate heat/ice therapy when I finish this post, plus some gentle stretching. If possible, I will go and see my uncle again for some advice and probably get some ultrasound done on it too. I am hoping that a few days rest will sort this out, because I can't afford for it to be any worse. At the moment next Saturday's (16th February) event, the 54 mile Thames Meander, is looking in serious jeopardy. I will just have to play this week by ear. I am due to be running on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday; each day about 10 miles. Naturally I am not stupid enough to run these just for the sake of it, if my calf is still not right.

I have a decision to make: If it is just minor, then I could take the next week off with not too much impact to my fitness and pick up where I left off and still finish the last few weeks of full training hopefully in perfect condition. Alternatively I could see how I feel this week and risk the Thames Meander. I have paid for the event (£35), plus all travelling costs (about £60), so If I am fit I want to do it, not least because it is the last chance to run 50 odd miles before the MDS. Doing the event would be a big psychological boost, knowing you can cover 50 miles with a full pack. However, I could just aggravate the injury and put myself out for a lot longer, possibly putting the MDS in peril. Logic says don't to the TM, but at the same time I want to!

Whatever happens I will have to stay off hills for a few weeks, which is difficult as it's all hills near me. My only option would be to drive to a local canal for each run, which I think is the most sensible approach to take. Injury worries this close to the MDS are my worst nightmare. Fingers crossed this goes away in a couple of days. I know at the moment it doesn't feel too serious, but I have read that with calf strains that they can get progressively worse if you try and run through the injury. Most runners will run with a calf strain assuming it is not too bad, which is what I have been doing, but then it becomes serious and can cost 1-4 months in recovery. I will just have to wait and see what each day brings, and take on some professional advice this week.