Forty minutes of running, forty minutes of pain

Posted on July 5, 2025•By John Kraijenbrink•Column

Forty minutes of running, forty minutes of pain

My laptop stands on the table. The Tour de France is playing. My right foot is next to it. My ankle has swollen up again. This morning I did forty minutes of running, which meant forty minutes of pain.

It wasn’t meant to be painful. Or better said: I hoped it wouldn’t be painful. This forty minutes was my last recovery run. Next week the plan was to resume training, after I tore my ankle ligaments five weeks ago. The UTMB CCC is in seven weeks. If I want to start there, I have to train seriously now. But based on this morning’s run, that’s not going to happen.

Too much sitting

Okay, the build up to this morning’s training session wasn’t a great one. Thursday Sara and I came home from our trip to the United Kingdom. That meant sitting in a cab to get to the train station (we prefer not to fly for environmental reasons), sitting in the train from London to Brussels in Belgium, sitting in the train from Brussels to Lommel and another short cab ride home. In the evening my right ankle was as thick as my thigh.

Yesterday I did a FTP test (Functional Threshold Power) on the bike. I lost my way, on the way back. Which meant I biked for an hour and a half, instead of the planned 40 minutes. At the end of that ride my right foot was so swollen, it hardly fit in my shoe anymore and felt dead.

Garmisch Partenkirchen

Two weeks from now we’re supposed to go to Garmisch Partenkirchen. I’ve planned a training week on the Zugspitze in the South of Germany. That week will be do or die. If I can’t do that training week, it’s useless to go to Chamonix. The UTMB CCC is a hundred kilometres, with six thousand metres of climbing. That’s not a race I can do when I’m not hundred percent fit, and in shape.

So far my focus has been on recovery. Running, strength training, doing exercises for my ankle. I knew it would be a close call, but I decided to believe in a positive outcome. This morning doubt crept in for the first time. Forty minutes of pain is not the sign I was hoping for. Especially because I didn’t do anything crazy. It was just an easy run.

Not normal

I know, it’s only five weeks ago I tore my ligaments. It can take up to six weeks before you normally can walk again without any pain. I’ve been biking from the start, started kickbiking two weeks after my injury, and started running after four weeks. That’s not normal. Yet, it’s a calculated risk. As it’s the only way I can still make it to the UTMB CCC.

Okay, health always comes in the first place. But the CCC and I have this love-hate relationship. Last year I tore my hamstring walking up a steep flight of stairs, a day before the Grand Trail du Saint-Jacques. That race was my last serious training for the CCC. I recovered, but wasn’t in the best shape of my life starting the CCC. Halfway, at Champex-Lac, I had to step out. Overheated. I got sick in the days after the race, so I probably already had a flu going into it.

Revenge

This year should have been my big revenge. When I was running the Trail Alsace I felt stronger than I ever felt. And that’s when I rolled my ankle and tore my ligaments. It happens, I know. It’s part of trail running. Yet, the timing couldn’t be worse.

So far I’ve been hoping for a little miracle. Hoping to still make it. I knew I was going to cut it close. At the same time, the only thing that had to happen, was that everything went perfectly. It looked good so far. It didn’t always feel good, but he, a bit of pain doesn’t kill you.

Hell of pain

This morning was different. This morning wasn’t a bit of pain. This morning was a hell of pain. Continuous pain. This morning was a red flag. Let’s see how the rest of the week goes. Let’s hope it turns around again. Let’s hope the journey back from England has just been a bit too much.

My ankle doesn’t like to sit still. My ankle doesn’t like to be on the floor. It likes to be high up, on the coffee table. Just like now. Let’s give it a little bit of what it likes. So at least I can make it to Garmisch Partenkirchen. That’s where I will decide if I will run the UTMB CCC or not. Not now. Now I just have to turn a sad face into a happy face again.

I hope you’re happy and smiling. And if you’re out there running, cherish it. It’s special. Sometimes we only realize that when we can’t.

Keep on running.

John Kraijenbrink

Running Coach - Massage Therapist - Yoga Teacher - Journalist - Gear Tester. I run for the joy of running. Yet, I like to challenge myself to be the best version I can be. For me that means dedicating myself to a structured training plan. You can find me on the road, trails, on my gravel bike or in the swimming pool.