The Long Distance Runner

This time last month, Catherina McKiernan was watching the London marathon on television

This time last month, Catherina McKiernan was watching the London marathon on television. An Achilles tendon injury in the final weeks of her preparation meant she was unable to defend the title she won so easily last year.

"If you could pick a worst possible time, that was it," she says. "I only missed a couple of weeks, but they were crucial. A couple of days before the race it was fine again, but the time had been lost and that was it."

Marathon training puts huge demands on the body at the best of times, and the race itself can rarely be attempted more than twice a year. Having lost out on London (and the chance of more than £200,000 prizemoney), McKiernan won't attempt the distance again until October.

"It was a very hard decision to withdraw and I kept holding out, hoping that it would get better, but it would have taken a bit of a miracle really. Achilles tendon injuries can be a lot worse but for me it was all about the timing. It happened during a long run, starting as a little twinge, but I didn't pass much remark. These things say hello all the time and say goodbye twice as fast. The next day it was very sore and after that I realised this wasn't any good and had to stop.

READ MORE

"If a player gets injured, at least the team get to go ahead but when an athlete pulls out, that's it. I had lots of people planning to come to London for support, but once I was out there was no reason to be there."

McKiernan also believes that treatment is only part of the equation. "You have to cope mentally as well, just pick up the pieces and take it as part of the game. At the end of the day, nature takes its own course, and while you can do all in your power to get it right as quickly as possible, I think the body has its own way of saying I'll be pushed when I want to.

"It's always a terrible disappointment, and there's more pain mentally than with the injury itself, but you just have to forget about it. You try to get over them and just hope the next one is a long way around the corner."