'I sat in my room, staring at my Xbox' - Griggs running again after illness
'It felt like it was in the bone'
Now that he's coming out the other side of a "pretty grim" period, with him set to join his regular training partners in coach Mark Kirk's group of athletes travelling to the Pyrenees next week, Griggs is able to look back at what happened in Antalya."The gun went and I took one or two steps and I was feeling two hands on my shoulders which literally pushed me to the floor," added the Tyrone man, who was up near the front because his previous medal exploits at the event meant he was among the elite performers being introduced to the spectators."I got up and kept running and finished [second] and then about an hour later, I was in my cool down (run) and I said to Callum [Morgan] my team-mate and regular training partner, 'my knee is really, really sore. I don't know what that is'. "It felt like it was in the bone...I remember thinking that to myself."But there was a medal ceremony to do and he wasn't the only Irish athlete who limped his way back to the hotel with Cormac Dixon having got spiked."A few people said you got spiked. It might swell up a bit but in a week you'll be fine."I kept training for probably three weeks. Three full training weeks of probably 85 to 90 miles or whatever I was doing at the time but it just got to a point where I literally couldn't run any more."
Amid scans which didn't diagnose why there was a fluid build-up in Griggs' right knee, ice and compression treatment at the Sport Institute of Northern Ireland did initially appear to work in the first half of January.However, a sudden deterioration soon left the middle-distance athlete effectively back at square one."The fluid had meant the range of movement was gone, I couldn't run, couldn't cycle, couldn't do anything but this time it was actually different where I could wake up in the middle of the night and it would be throbbing in pain."After yet another scan on the afternoon before Storm Eowyn wreaked havoc, with osteomyelitis, a bone infection, by now having been diagnosed, medics told Griggs he was going to require twice-daily doses of intravenous antibiotics during a two-week hospital stay, followed by a further month of oral medication."It wasn't an injury, more like a chronic illness. By the time I got into hospital, I couldn't wait to get in there because it was so sore. I would get up in the morning and even putting my foot down would be sore," added the Tyrone man, who clocked huge 3,000m and 5,000m personal bests last summer in addition to bettering his 1500m time. "I had osteomyelitis. Mine was in the knee cap. It hadn't spread to the joint or the femur or anywhere else and I got quite lucky that it was quite localised. "If it spreads to the joint, you could be in serious trouble – you wouldn't have to get your leg amputated – but the knee might never be the same again."The freakish nature of what afflicted the runner is emphasised by his physio and strength and conditioning coach, in conjunction with the medics who looked after Griggs, now planning to a do a research paper on his case as there is no previous literature on this type of ailment in the sport of athletics.
Running 25 miles this week
After being discharged from Belfast's Musgrave Park Hospital on 14 February, Griggs wasn't allowed to do any running for a month with his return to exercise restricted to gentle cycling and walking."It was just spinning the legs. I wasn't allowed to get my heart rate up because that could have caused the infection to spread again."For the last two weeks that I was still on antibiotics, I was cycling but doing it five times a week and walking the other days and for the last five minutes, I was allowed to get my heart rate up to 140 which is like an easy run pace."The three-time European Cross Country individual medallist was able to resume running just over a fortnight ago and this week is up to a regime of 25 miles, which will be gradually increased if all goes to plan."I did 50 minutes yesterday and I'll do 55 minutes tomorrow. I'm running every other day at the moment so I'm doing four days this week and I'm still got the cycling," said Griggs on Wednesday."You feel like you're working again and being productive and building fitness. Obviously there's a long way to go but I'm getting there."
Griggs has returned to social media in recent days and is grateful for the messages of support he has been receiving, which he hopes to get round to answering."You just don't want to go on Instagram when you're lying in a hospital bed with a tube in your arm. "Mentally for me, removing myself from social media was easier than to force myself to look at and see people running fast times."In those days, it made more sense for him to fall back on the support of parents Andy and Royanne, his immediate friends as well as his coaches and training partners."My family and friends who were there to support me and all the team, the coach, physio, S&C coach, the doctors who were involved and everyone in the NHS who attended to me were all unbelievable. Without all of them, who knows what would have happened."After missing out on the indoor season, Griggs is optimistic he will have a summer outdoor campaign, with the staging of the World Championships in September giving him additional catch-up time. "We're still trying to make the World Championships but right now, it's just about trying not to even think about that."So much can change in a day or two or a week or two which I've learned the hard way over the past few months."Getting up to those 90-mile weeks, who knows when that could be. It could be in mid-May or June. You don't know what's going to happen."
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Herald Scotland
8 minutes ago
- The Herald Scotland
Maro Itoje eager to preserve ‘history and tradition' of Lions tours
But three days after leading Andy Farrell's men to a series-clinching victory over the Wallabies, with Saturday's final Test in Sydney still to play, Itoje revealed his preference is for the Lions' heritage to be preserved. Maro Itoje celebrates the Lions' series-clinching win (David Davies/PA). 'I thought about this at the beginning of the tour. My answer is, with the three nations that the Lions tour, there's a strong sense of history and tradition,' Itoje said. 'Perhaps the Lions is the last of the traditional organisations in the modern era. Part of me is keen for it to continue to rotate among the three countries it does. But, that being said, you have to stay relatively open-minded. 'As it stands, the three nations it tours is pretty good. Also it wouldn't feel the same if we took a short-haul flight. It needs a long-haul flight.' The Lions' passage through Australia had been something of a procession until they reached Melbourne, where they were pushed to the brink first by the First Nations and Pasifika XV and then the Wallabies. The 29-26 triumph in the second Test, made possible by overturning an 18-point deficit, will go down as one of the greatest games in their history and has provided validation for the entire 2025 expedition. Furthermore, with a record crowd for a Lions match in attendance at Melbourne Cricket Ground, it was a reminder of their pulling power, with Itoje insisting the institution described by manager Ieuan Evans as a 'glorious anachronism' is here to stay. 'It's been without a shadow of a doubt one of the highlights of my career,' said Itoje, who was also part of the 2017 and 2021 tours. 'When I am old and grey these occasions and these tours are going to be one of the experiences I look back on with extreme fondness. 'It's the aspiration of every British and Irish rugby player. I'd be surprised if you can find a British and Irish rugby player who says they don't want to be a Lion or they don't want to play for the Lions. 'This is something the players want and the players will continue to want for decades and for as long as rugby is being played. And it's something world rugby wants. 'It adds an extra bit of spice and intrigue to the Six Nations when it's Lions year. So I am struggling to see the negatives. It's a great occasion, it's a great event and long may it continue.' If the Lions prevail at Accor Stadium on Saturday, they will become the first team to whitewash the hosts in a Test series since 1927. 'We still have a job to do. We want to be part of something very special,' Itoje said. 'Winning a Lions series is obviously extremely special, but what would be an absolute dream would be to go out there and perform to the level that we think we can perform and win the third game. 'That's the exciting for us – we want to chase down the performance we have been searching for.'
The Guardian
9 minutes ago
- The Guardian
‘It wouldn't feel the same': Itoje plays down calls for future Lions tour to France
If Maro Itoje did not already know that leading the British & Irish Lions was a big deal, he does now. Since his side took an unbeatable 2-0 series lead against the Wallabies he has even had a congratulatory message from the UK foreign secretary, David Lammy, who was in Melbourne for the game last Saturday. Was he asking Itoje to consider dipping his toes into politics? 'No, no … he has some world issues to try and sort out before that.' Ask Itoje about his future vision for the Lions, however, and his manifesto is crystal clear. This tour has been the England captain's third in a red jersey and with every passing year his personal appreciation of the Lions continues to grow. 'It's been without a shadow of a doubt one of the highlights of my career. When I am old and grey these occasions and these tours are going to be one of the experiences I look back on with extreme fondness.' He also firmly believes that, for every top player, representing the Lions is a light that will never go out. 'I would be surprised if you can find a British and Irish rugby player who says they don't want to be a Lion. This is something the players will continue to want for decades and for as long as rugby is being played. It's something I know provides a huge sense of excitement in Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. And it adds an extra bit of spice and intrigue to the Six Nations when it's a Lions year. So I am struggling to see the negatives. It is a great event and long may it continue.' Coming from a man who is now one of just six living individuals to have captained a series-winning Lions squad – the others being Willie John McBride (1974), Finlay Calder (1989), Martin Johnson (1997) and Sam Warburton and Alun Wyn Jones (2013) – it is a significant rallying cry. There are occasional moments, particularly in the ever-more detailed modern game, when the Lions can feel like an anachronism but nothing gives the concept more of a boost than an enjoyable series win. Interestingly, Itoje is also of the opinion that the quadrennial Lions tour rota should not be casually altered, amid increasing support in high places for a potential tour to France one day. 'I thought about this at the beginning of the tour. There's a strong sense of history and tradition … part of me is keen for it to continue to rotate among the three countries it does. Also it wouldn't feel the same if we took a short-haul flight. It needs a long‑haul flight!' With a simply stunning view of the Sydney Harbour Bridge as the backdrop to the Lions' first fitness session since clocking back on after 48 hours of celebrations, Itoje's logic was easy to follow. There are many worse places to spend a week with a major series already in the bag but, as their captain was swift to reiterate, the Lions are still over here on business. 'We want to be part of something very special,' Itoje said, brushing aside any notion that he might wish to sit out the final Test. 'Winning a Lions Test series is obviously extremely special but what would be an absolute dream would be to go out, perform to the level to which we think we can perform and win the third game. 'While the first two games have been great, there's still a feeling that we haven't put it together in a way we know we can. We want to chase down the performance we've been searching for. The Wallabies will be hungry and up for it but we also want to make some history this weekend.' Sign up to The Breakdown The latest rugby union news and analysis, plus all the week's action reviewed after newsletter promotion When he eventually sits back and reflects on this tour, however, it is not just the on-field glory that will stand out. As recently as last month, for instance, he would never have guessed he would be spending time with Ireland's Jamie Osborne, let alone greeting the latter by his nickname. Itoje said: 'I now know that whenever I play against him in the future I can call him 'Showbiz' and he will have that little smirk on his face. 'I also have a lot of admiration for Jac Morgan, who is a very, very talented player. I've respected him from afar and being alongside him has been amazing. Finlay Bealham is another one. I never thought we would have a good relationship, but he's absolutely hilarious and a very endearing person. I can go through so many others.' Even at the end of a marathon season, consequently, Itoje sounds like a captain who doesn't want the tour to end. 'It has been said before but, in many ways, it shouldn't really work. You have four different nations, four different ideologies, several different ways of how to play the game and how to think. It is not a homogenous group but people buy in, you forge great relationships and you build bonds. That's what makes it special.'
Glasgow Times
26 minutes ago
- Glasgow Times
Maro Itoje eager to preserve ‘history and tradition' of Lions tours
The Lions currently visit Australia, New Zealand and South Africa on rotation, but there has been growing support for rugby-loving France to join them because of the strength of their Test team and club game, as well as the commercial opportunities. But three days after leading Andy Farrell's men to a series-clinching victory over the Wallabies, with Saturday's final Test in Sydney still to play, Itoje revealed his preference is for the Lions' heritage to be preserved. Maro Itoje celebrates the Lions' series-clinching win (David Davies/PA). 'I thought about this at the beginning of the tour. My answer is, with the three nations that the Lions tour, there's a strong sense of history and tradition,' Itoje said. 'Perhaps the Lions is the last of the traditional organisations in the modern era. Part of me is keen for it to continue to rotate among the three countries it does. But, that being said, you have to stay relatively open-minded. 'As it stands, the three nations it tours is pretty good. Also it wouldn't feel the same if we took a short-haul flight. It needs a long-haul flight.' The Lions' passage through Australia had been something of a procession until they reached Melbourne, where they were pushed to the brink first by the First Nations and Pasifika XV and then the Wallabies. The 29-26 triumph in the second Test, made possible by overturning an 18-point deficit, will go down as one of the greatest games in their history and has provided validation for the entire 2025 expedition. Furthermore, with a record crowd for a Lions match in attendance at Melbourne Cricket Ground, it was a reminder of their pulling power, with Itoje insisting the institution described by manager Ieuan Evans as a 'glorious anachronism' is here to stay. 'It's been without a shadow of a doubt one of the highlights of my career,' said Itoje, who was also part of the 2017 and 2021 tours. 'When I am old and grey these occasions and these tours are going to be one of the experiences I look back on with extreme fondness. 'It's the aspiration of every British and Irish rugby player. I'd be surprised if you can find a British and Irish rugby player who says they don't want to be a Lion or they don't want to play for the Lions. 'This is something the players want and the players will continue to want for decades and for as long as rugby is being played. And it's something world rugby wants. 'It adds an extra bit of spice and intrigue to the Six Nations when it's Lions year. So I am struggling to see the negatives. It's a great occasion, it's a great event and long may it continue.' If the Lions prevail at Accor Stadium on Saturday, they will become the first team to whitewash the hosts in a Test series since 1927. 'We still have a job to do. We want to be part of something very special,' Itoje said. 'Winning a Lions series is obviously extremely special, but what would be an absolute dream would be to go out there and perform to the level that we think we can perform and win the third game. 'That's the exciting for us – we want to chase down the performance we have been searching for.'
