To think I could run a marathon with a torn meniscus

I’ve recently had to accept that I won’t be running the marathon I’ve trained for months for due to an overuse injury. Marathon training blocks hurt! And I started out totally injury free and healthy. Currently only able to do 1 min run 1 min walks for brief periods. I miss running so much and wish I’d taken longer to build up to a marathon block.
It’s good that you’re strength training, and running short distances. Like other posters have suggested, try out some shorter distance races first. Park run, local 10k etc. See what is said at your appointment coming up.

I was told that as long as I work within the limits of my pain (e.g. stop if it becomes sharp or unbearable), and it’s not unstable, I can carry on like I was.

Does it not lock? Sadly I could run with no pain but it would horribly seize up within 24 hours and I couldn't even walk on it.

I’ve been told it’ll never be fully healed and I can’t live my life like I’m 80 for the next 60 years

I've been there. I don't live my life like I'm 80! I'm sorry to say I don't really run anymore, though. If it's a major tear and the surgery ends up being quite big, life isn't over. I recommend getting most of your cardio fitness from cycling, swimming etc and minimizing running. There was an adjustment period, there was some real grief, but you adapt.

If it's a minor tear, probably won't be much of a problem.

@Cleocaterpillarcan I be nosy and ask what you are experiencing now in your forties? I am in a similar position now - hours of fell running in my twenties and thirties and now I’m falling apart.

Meniscus tear can open up like a zip (been there).

I can’t stress enough how bad an idea it would be to train for & complete a marathon with a torn meniscus, genuinely I can’t.

I run marathon’s and the training blocks put a huge strain on even a totally healthy body, never mind working with an injury.

Running with pain changes the way you run and you over compensate somewhere else which can then lead to other injuries particularly in the hips, shins and achilles, then you’d have multiple injuries to contend with. A torn meniscus also provides less cushioning in the knee and continuing to run especially long distances will put stress on the cartilage and damage the joint over time which then increases your risk of arthritis specifically knee osteoarthritis.

Running isn’t a blanket no, your 2k up to even 10k would potentially be fine, but nothing close to the marathon distance would be without serious risk and not worth it.

husband has meniscus issues - dont do it! Find out, see what they propose and plan from there. They dont heal, only get worse. Most repair surgeries fail, which is why they dont do them anymore - typically they let it get bad then remove it, it’s not your age (only that youre more likely to see the repair fail as youre younger). The impact of a marathon is huge; it might be alright on and around the race BUT if you wear it even more, you could end up in trouble. DH had his repaired years ago, continued as normal with exercise which and it ended up locking after tripping in my DDs room and it was stuck for the best part of 7 weeks, ended up needing urgent surgery and has been told never to road run again NHS and private. Risk of running is to the other knee which has a torn meniscus and needing a knee replacement in the one with none. He’s in rehab/pyhsio for his knees, but regrets road running.

I'm not a slow coach and I'm regularly beaten by 60 and 70 plus year olds. One of the things I like about smaller trail running events is they tend to skew older. I marshalled a marathon recently and it wasn't all youngsters by any stretch. So take your time to heal properly because you have decades ahead to get back to it.

Learn from Lindsy Vonns mistakes...

You should still get your gait analysed to see what type you are OP, even if you don't buy anything there. I know people who go for try ons then buy another time in a sale. So many types of cushioning, toe box widths etc. Even with a decent make if it's not right for you your risking more injury.
Most people size up at least 1/2 a size if not a full becauseyour feet swell. It's worth getting proper socks, not cotton anyway.

I'm not sure what you mean by fun runs but I agree with others, start with booking a 10k.

You are very unlikely to be able to train for a Marathon with a torn meniscus.

It is hours and hours and weeks and months of preparation. It takes a MASSIVE toll on healthy joints and your knee is not healthy.

You can strength train and do all the physio possible and you will be able to run, but training for a 42km race with a torn meniscus is unwise.

You've done 7km up to now.
Try a few 10km races. If you love running and want to do it long term, years from now, then take care of yourself. Manage your injury and your expectations.

Have you got a parkrun within reach? That's often a good point of contact for finding out about other running resources locally. And you may discover surprising things about some of those codgers in your community.

If you think you can run 10k, why not enter a 10k? As someone who has done a lot of racing I would encourage you to consider the view that shorter distances are also great fun and worthwhile.

I cut right back on my running for around six months. I didn't do zero running, but I kept runs very short and didn't race from mid-2019 until February 2020. I walked a lot, cycled a lot, and did a little strength work though not as consistently as is recommended. But I suspect that time was the major contributor to the improvement.

Daft idea, very silly.

don’t be stupid.

I shall swim against the tide here and say go ahead, enter the damn ballot for London 2027 if you want. If you do get picked, you're not committed until you've paid the entry fee, and with a ballot place you've got the option of deferring for 12 months for any reason or none (though that means paying again). Putting your name in the hat is a low risk thing to do.

As for actually running the marathon, I'd recommend going online and having a really good ratch around the evidence regarding knee cartilage damage and running. You may find it more reassuring than not. Surgery is offered much less readily now than it used to be because statistically it doesn't change the outcome (this is at population level and doesn't apply to all individual people).

I did that over 6 years ago. In summary, I had a sore knee, an MRI showed a cartilage tear at the site of the pain plus a collateral ligament hanging by a thread, and an orthopaedic surgeon told me to stop running and listed me for arthroscopic surgery. Then the pandemic landed, and by the time routine operating lists opened again I was much better and starting to build up my running again and was happy to be removed from the waiting list. My first marathon back was the virtual London marathon in October 2020 and I've done several more since then without any further knee problems although it's likely that the MRI abnormalities will still be there because cartilage has a very poor blood supply and tears tend not to heal.

If you go on a long distance runners' group on FB and ask the same question you're likely to get broadly encouraging responses from other people who have been there and come out the other side.

If you get in, you'll have 12 months to train. Being able to run 7km already isn't a bad start.

If you do have another physio assessment, say that you intend to run a marathon next year and would like your rehabilitation to take this into account.

(I will add this: the marathon is a stupid distance and the training, done properly, is tedious and gruelling and disruptive. I recommend training to run your best possible 10k or even 5k instead.)