Physio had a good look at the knee and was concerned about the swollen cartilage under the kneecap - some fluid there probably. I could tell from the discussion that I might hear the dreaded "you need to rest for a bit" but I was (just) given permission to continue training. I also got some new exercises to address some inherent weakness and instability down my left glute / hip. No coincidence that my injuries and niggles have all been on the left side: glute, hip, tight hamstring, and now the bloody knee.
About half a mile into the run home, I turned down the back of Endcliffe Park onto a gentle descent. Ouch. Ouch. The knee pain hit 7 out of 10 and I very nearly turned for home. But being a slave to the plan, I carried on. The pain subsided quickly but when I got home, I knew that the injury was on a downwards slide and that I needed to heed the advice I would give to someone else: active rest for a few days. I was also determined to run with Deb round Marrakech Half Marathon on her 40th birthday the following Sunday.
So, Tuesday to Saturday were rest days - meaning the plan lasted all of 2 weeks! Plenty of walking and diligent exercising meant I was feeling fresh and I could already feel the increased stability and strength in my legs. I was still aware that the knee wasn't quite 'right', but it felt a lot better.
On the Sunday, Deb and I jogged down to the start line in Marrakesh. I could feel the knee injury a bit but it felt a lot better so I was cautiously optimistic. There was no baggage drop so we had bought some very cheap sweatshirts (70p each!) to wear to the start line. We were staying in the Medina area of Marrakesh and naked limbs were seriously frowned upon. It was pretty cold first thing - about 8 degrees - but the forecast was a sunny 18 degrees by midday. We stuck the sweatshirts in a carrier bag with some water and tied the bag to some railings.
The start line was bonkers - loads of overweight Moroccan men who looked like they had never run in their life pushing through to the front of the pack, and lots of very confused Europeans unsuccessfully trying to explain their view on race etiquette. At one point a police motorbike decided it was going to drive through thousands of people to the start line - with loads of grinning blokes using the opportunity to follow it to the front!
The race started and about a minute later we crossed the start line. Predictably, we spent the first mile or so getting past people who were barely running, but the roads were wide and we were able to pick up the pace fairly easily. Although we were running down a slight hill, I couldn't feel any knee pain, and I was really enjoying the atmosphere. I had to remind myself that I was supposed to pacing Deb round at 6:40 / mile pace for a birthday PB - so I checked my pace a bit and we hit 3 miles slightly ahead of target but about right given the net decline.
It was at about 3 miles that loads of people started to drop out - ten or so from just around us. Lots of people who I guess don't really train beyond the odd kick off a football had run hard for the first 3 miles and were now basically knackered. The other stand out difference with UK races was the unbelievable cutting of corners - and I mean massive short cuts across patches of scrubland ignoring the marshals frantically blowing their whistles.
About 6 miles into the race we hit a slight descent and my knee sent a sharp pain to remind me that all was not well. The pain passed very quickly though and my knee was fine for the rest of the race. In fact, it felt ridiculously easy throughout and my heart rate rarely climbed above 130bpm. A welcome reminder of the benefits of tapering.
As we circled round the 'less touristy' side of Marrakesh we witnessed a few attempted 'Garmin-grabs' - where locals hold their hand out for a high 5 and then use the distraction to give your watch a hopeful tug. I'd heard this was a feature of this race, but seeing was believing! Deb even saw one of the marshals giving out oranges (yes, oranges in their peel) having a sly tug at someone's watch.
In the last few miles, we started passing loads of people who were starting to slow in the heat. Deb was tired but still maintaining target pace with a bit of encouragement (she gets lazy on the downhills!) and I was starting to think that sub 1:27 would be achievable if she could push hard through the last 2 miles. Unfortunately, the last 2 miles were slightly uphill and Deb did well to hold 6:44 pace with tired legs.
We crossed the line together in 1:27:31 - with Deb taking just under two and a half minutes off her PB. During the walk home, my knee started to ache again, and the injury cloud settled back over my head. Our mood was not helped by the numerous dirty looks we received walking back to our hotel in our shorts and running vests - our sweatshirts had disappeared!
Back at the hotel, our wonderful host, Khalid, made us a slap-up breakfast and we settled into relaxed post-race mode in the sunshine on the roof terrace. Deb was well pleased with her time - although her efforts meant that she fell asleep for quite a bit of her birthday celebrations!
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