04/05/2026
Not every race goes to plan. And sometimes that’s the hardest lesson to sit with.
I trained for this one. Really trained. The prep was there, the fitness was there — I was tracking comfortably for a sub-2 hour half marathon and honestly? I felt good.
Then at 3km my knee had other ideas.
I ignored it. Told myself it would settle. It didn’t slow me down so I kept going. Until it did slow me down. Until every single step hurt. Until my race was over at 15km — not because I stopped, but because my body made the decision for me.
I watched the 2hr pacer go past. Then the 2:06. Then the 2:10.
Strangers stopped to tell me I had this. I smiled and said thank you and knew that I really, really didn’t.
I cried the last kilometre. Ugly cried. And crossed the line anyway because I was getting that medal.
Mentally this was one of the hardest things I’ve done. I felt like I’d failed something I’d worked so hard for. A result that slipped away because of something I’d missed — despite never having had knee pain a day in my training.
But here’s what I’m sitting with now:
I showed up. I did the work. My body was ready — it just had one thing to say on race day that I wasn’t expecting.
I’m not going to pretend that’s not disappointing. It is. Deeply.
But I’m 8 weeks out from Hyrox, I have another half marathon to my name, and I have a promise to myself — I will never be blindsided by my body again.
Onward. 🖤
Karen Denwood Physiotherapy is a welcoming and professional physiotherapy Clinic and Pilates Studio based in North East Adelaide.