First marathon in a month and TMS?

Hello all,

I've been running on and off for 15 years and started to take it seriously in January 2023. Since then, I have run three times a week consistently, done 4 Half marathons and a handful of 10ks and 5 ks. I decided to sign up for my first marathon which is taking place in a month!

My first running injury (ITB syndrome) happened in Fall 2023 when I decided to sign up for my first 1/2 marathon and rapidly increased my intensity and volume beyond my limits. I quickly started strength exercises, the knee pain went away but then I all of the sudden started getting back and glute pain that was diagnosed as gluteal tendinopathy. By December 2023 I was very fortunate to come across Sarno's work and through meditation and working through my subconscious, I was able to return to running pain free and completed my first half marathon in spring 2024, but did develop some proximal hamstring tendinopathy.

My hamstring issues didn't prevent me from running, and I did another half marathon August 2024. I thought my knee problems were past me, but shortly after the race my ITB felt very tender and tight for a week. This didn't preven me from doing another 1/2 marathon and a PB 6 weeks later. My knee issues seemed to clear up.

Going into marathon training in January 2025, I was most worried about my hamstring issues, but miraculously, absolutely zero problems, the issue seemed to just have cleared up overnight. My long runs have caused slight tightness during the run at my ITB, but nothing painful. Then last weekend during a half marathon at 17km, the ITB pain came back and stayed the rest of the day (the race was also on a very uneven surface through the woods and I had increased my load over the weekend by too much for my body to handle because I ran 29km within 15 hours). 3 days later no pain, but tenderness still. I also had a weird shooting pain in my other foot during the run that went directly away, but there is definitely a tender spot on the outside.

I can't help but think that all these painful spots popping up have a link with TMS. Maybe I do have weaknesses there and my brain is just exagerrating the pain. I have an uncle flying from overseas just to cheer me on for the marathon, my partner is convinced the marathon is a horrible idea for a 47 year old and if I get hurt leading up to it, he's going to tell me "I told you so, now you'll stop your craziness and not do a marathon again because I told you your body couldn't handle it" and somehow maybe I feel like I don't deserve to run this marathon? All this pressure and I can't help to think that maybe my body is creating pain so that I'll have an excuse to not run it?

Even my osteopathe said that obviously I probably have weaknesses, but that our bodies are meant to do big things and that there is a huge psychological aspect. Does anyone have any advice for what types of meditations, journaling I should be focussed on? Maybe even breathwork, or any good books? I've read all of Sarno's! Thank you!

 

Long time runner here and have done over 35 marathons and ultra marathons. Lots of experience with just about all the typical "runner's injuries" including those that you mentioned. Here are a few observations that you might find helpful:

- Running can definitely bring on injuries. Increase mileage too soon and you will almost certainly tweak a weak spot. At worst, you'll develop a stress fracture of a bone, usually the shin. In all cases though, these injuries HEAL in <=6 weeks. It's when they become chronic that TMS can come into play.

- As a runner (or any type of serious exerciser) you are becoming more in tune with your body - noticing sensations, feeling twinges, hurting in places you've never hurt before etc. This is prime hunting ground for the TMS mind. It WANTS you focused on your body and would love for a chronic obsession to develop to distract you. This is not to say that real injuries don't occur (see above bullet), but te aware of this paradigm.

- Runners tend to be obsessive. They're obsessive about their training (logging and tracking miles, doing XYZ speedwork, following this expert's plan/program or that one etc. Again, prime areas for TMS-mind to strike. It wants you worrying on these relatively trivial things, and not exploring the areas it's really truly scared of.

- Typically, non-runners, of which include our families and friends, will not understand your running interest - "you want to run HOW FAR? I don't even DRIVE that far!" This adds to a whole mindset of guilt and doubt surrounding your activity - to which you'll react in some manner (either in defiance or just simply feel guilty). This also adds to the whole voice of "running will ruin your knees" or "what do you expect, of course you got hurt doing all that running."

- And yes, because there is a litany of running injuries - there is a litany of running injury "cures." You've already encountered this - you need to work on your core - you're not strong enough - you have XYZ abnormality and it contributes to your pain - your running form is bad because you heel strike etc. Again perfect distractions for the TMS mind.


All of that is to say that you are ABSOLUTELY right to be skeptical of your twinges/aches/pains and make the TMS connection to them. If you've beaten TMS pain through other methods, then go back and follow those methods again. Good luck!

 

I think self-pressure to succeed or exceed your self-imposed idea of what success is to you, can also be a factor. It might be to place in a certain ranking or have a timing goal…
My TMS coach was a pro- athlete, and has TMS. It still creeps in when she forgets that first and foremost she loves her sport and started for the enjoyment of feeling her body feels to push it’s limits and to relish in small wins along with meeting larger goals. There’s a fine line in the mindset of pushing yourself and punishing yourself.

 

A huge THANK YOU to everyone! I had only seen the first reply from Mr Hip Guy when I decided to dig down even further. I went to the Curable podcast and stumbled upon Nicole Sachs and wow, wow, wow...THAT was exactly what I needed to hear.

They say marathon training will change you. I also think that I was so focussed on the training itself and my body that I pushed everything else out of my mind to focus on my body. But, there are definitely some things I need to deal with. I have decided to make journaling using the Journal Speak method a part of my daily routine for 20-30 minutes a day each morning. I have already discovered that not running the marathon because of injury would be a way to please my partner because he doesn't want me to do such a distance and I'm such a people pleaser, as is my inner child. But, my inner child also wants to stop being such a people pleaser! Definitely something to work on in these next couple weeks. I am going on my first run tomorrow since the ITBS pain last weekend, but I won't take my knee brace...there is absolutely nothing wrong with me and our bodies are made to run distances!

 

I have completed two marathons but signed up for many more only to be derailed by running injuries midway through the training. In the two I finished I had much less pressure on myself to meet certain goals/times/performances. The pressure and perfectionism that goes along with the training may be more stressful than the miles themselves.