Too much too soon

With two months to go until I pound my way around 26.2 miles of Berlin, you'd expect me to be deep in training. Sadly I'm not.

Determination and stamina often comes with baggage, which haunts those of us who are keen - maybe too keen to succeed. Yes, over-training can be worse than not training at all.

Last year I under went keyhole surgery to extract damage cartilage inside my left knee. The doctor told me that a piece of cartilage is precariously still attached and at some point will fall off. Since then, I've ran two half marathons - the first being only three months after my operation.

What this ordeal has caused is a knee that may give up at anytime.

In recent weeks I've over used my frail knee and it's time to give it a rest. If I want it to perform two marathon - only three weeks apart - I need to respect the injury and admit that continuous strain will exhaust the joint, resulting in two failed marathons.

I'm now offering my left leg the kind of attention that a nurse would give to an injured soldier that she had a crush on.

I can't foretell when training will commence, potentially this week, so I hope you will all join me in wishing my battle scared joint a swift recovery.