I failed a marathon at 40km recently due to pain in the left knee and pain in the muscle of the right leg, what I believe could be the Vastus Medialis Obliquus according to the picture.
Here you can see the process of the marathon. You can see that it was a rather slow and steady decline after the first 21km or so.
I did a 12 weeks training plan successfully and without any health issues; see the training plan; it is from Runner's World and I used it successfully before (though it was for a marathon under 4h). The max. heart frequency I used for the training plas was 190 beats per minute.
You can also see the statistics and from there the workouts.
I could have walked slowly till the end, but the gates closed after 4h. So it did not make any sense for me to continue with the pain.
My question is what could be the reason?
- The course had some (slow but rather longer) slopes, whilst I trained on a rather flat course. Does this make a difference? Does this make sense?
- I have issues with my left knee. Though I trained well and had no issues whatsoever during the training.
- During the run I only had water every 5km and a fruit bar. No special food or energy gels were taken or provided. The days before the food was mostly rice, noodles and meat. Porridge for breakfast on the day of the run.
- I used the running shoes that I trained with during the whole time.
- I had no respiratory problems nor did I feel exhausted. I was feeling very fit. That is the part that wonders me most. I felt fit, but my legs refused service?
- I trained in Málaga, Spain. The marathon was in Pyongyang, North Korea.
I try to understand my situation, but my thoughts so far are not really satisfying. I hope to find hints or answers here. Please share this question with anyone you may think could help.