Saturday 1st July 2023
On Saturday, 1st July, I took part in the Oak Hill Park Run event. It was an exhilarating moment for me as it marked my return to the running scene after a prolonged break due to a knee injury. Although my time was slower than my previous performances, clocking in at 33 minutes and 13 seconds, I intentionally took it easy, positioning myself at the back of the pack behind nearly 300 participants.
The last time I participated in the Park Run was at the beginning of December last year. Unfortunately, on the 12th of December, while walking downhill in the snow, I twisted my left knee badly. This incident incurred a significant recovery period. However, recognising the importance of volunteers for the organisation of the Park Run event, I decided to contribute my time as a volunteer every Saturday morning for a duration of three months, until the end of March.
By the beginning of April, I began to feel some improvement but I still didn’t have confidence in resumming running. At the beginning of April, John and I embarked on a remarkable hiking journey. We traveled to France to start our Camino Santiago de Compostela pilgrimage from Saint Jean Pied de Port in France to Santiago in Spain. Over the course of 36 consecutive days, we traversed over 800 kilometers. We got up at 5:30am every morning and started walking before 7 and finished about 1:30pm on most days. Interestingly, this hiking expedition provided my injured knee with an opportunity to rest, as hiking engages different leg muscles compared to running.
Upon our return in mid-May, I resumed my fitness routine by returning to the gym and gradually resumming jogging on the treadmill. I started with a slow jog at a pace of 6 kilometers per hour, gradually increasing the speed to 8 kilometers per hour. After two weeks of consistent training, I travelled again on a road trip to York, Edinburgh, Glenrothes, Glasgow, Liverpool, and Manchester. During this trip, I walked a lot but didn’t run, allowing my knee yet another chance to rest from running.
After my two-week journey, I returned to London and was back at the gym, I was able to complete a 10-kilometer jog on the treadmill at a pace of 8.5 kilometers per hour. My knee felt OK and I sensed that I was ready to participate in the Park Run event once again.
The journey from my knee injury to my return to the Park Run event has been a testament to resilience, gradual progression, and prolonged rehabilitation. I am just so grateful to have reached this point, and I look forward to continuing my participation in more Park Run events and the Lee Valley Run the River 10K in October.
