Back on track...

Some months ago Airedale Athletics announced plans to provide taster sessions of various strands of running. Six week enhanced training courses would provide anything from fitness testing to speed work for endurance runners and all sorts in between. After consideration of what was on offer I decided to enrol for a Thursday evening course at Horsfall Track. Without further adieu here we are and the courses are about to start.

At the beginning of this week I contacted Jill Jones the Airedale Athletics administrator for the upcoming training courses and advised her that I would not be able to join the course I had applied for due to being injured. I requested that I be allowed to observe the sessions in the hope of picking up tips to pass on to our own members on training nights and maybe help out where I could, that really is how far ahead I was thinking that I would not be able to run - sometimes I entertained the thought that I may not run again. However, following my visit to the physio on Wednesday Ove's advice was to run. I came out of the clinic wondering if I had the courage to go for a run the following morning. I didn't.
I decided to turn up for the training course, Lycra at the ready and see how I went on! After a very inspiring talk by Brian Scobie, our coach, we went out onto the track to warm up. I managed to run several laps of the track and the warm up drills and we began some interval training. After which, I began to feel mild pain and so decided not to 'push my luck' and took a seat in the grandstand with Claire and Mick Brearley to watch the rest of the session. Result!
I went home and iced the area and next morning felt no ill effects.

I carried out my usual marshaling duties at Bradford parkrun on Saturday followed by football training for Marc.
I turn up early each week to collect Marc and walk Dave around the park so this week I decided to have a jog around with him. I must say he did very well and apart from trying to chase the odd leaf blown by the wind and showing great interest in the squirrels scurrying around, it would appear he's a natural runner!
I intend to take it one step at a time and try not to rush things, and I'm going to keep my fingers crossed that Dave and I will have a long and happy running relationship!
Whilst marshaling at Parkrun this week I was once again unsure of when it was time to leave my post. I'm sure lots of people have been in the same situation themselves when marshaling. I find it totally unacceptable that there are still runners out on the course and the organisers start packing up and marshals leave their posts. I am aware though that as in this case it's sometimes unintentional as it was on Saturday. We were packing up, collecting the cones which mark out the finish funnel when in came a lady. I was certain the last person had passed me. I have been thinking for some time that there is a real need for a sweeper. Recalling my delightful sweeping antics at the Wrose 5k a few weeks ago I started to think about how we could resolve this situation.
So....I have emailed Linda (Parkrun race director) and put a suggestion to her, watch this space!

Over and done with

A whole month has gone by now without a single run! I decided against trying to run as I was simply terrified of ending up back at square one. Ove had reluctantly said to try a mile or two when I pressed him as to whether I could run but when it came down to it I knew that I shouldn't. I get the feeling that is a natural process. You know when all is well and when it's not. Just as we learn when and how to gradually increase training when we first start running, I figure it's the same when we're injured - we know when we have over done it and it's no surprise when we end up with unusually achy muscles or even worse, a pulled muscle. Sometimes we get away with it, sometimes we don't.
I got away with it for longer than I probably should have done! In the end though I came to my senses and I'm not about to take any risks and run before I'm fully recovered. I can't explain why all of a sudden my attitude has changed and I have finally accepted that I really do need to make sure that I don't run before I am ready.

This showed at this weekend's Great North Run when far from dreading standing on the finish line I was really looking forward to it in the end. We had a fantastic weekend and apart from feeling emotional when Martin got off the transfer bus at the start of the race and five of us stayed on to go to the finish and again when I watched him cross the line, I found it a great experience seeing all the elite athletes, Haile Gebraselassie, Berhane Adere and of course Mara Yamauchi and one or two celebrities, Nell McAndrew and Tony Audenshaw. It was, of course, even more uplifting when I spotted Gary from club who finished amongst the fast club runners in a fantastic 1:29 and Jo who also clocked up a brilliant 1:56 despite them sporting charity vests when I was looking out for club vests! I don't however, want to repeat this year's event and am now looking forward to next year when with a great deal of patience I hope to run it. I've happily transferred my Horsforth 10k number for this coming Sunday to Martin and I hope that good sense will prevail for the next of my planned races. So with my final mention of a great weekend going to my son Marc who completed the Junior Great North Run (3 miles) in great time of 20:10 beating his Parkrun PB I'm going to log on and see if the official photos are uploaded yet.

So the (30th Anniversary) Great North Run is over and done with for another year...........

A week on Sunday

Here I am on week two of solitary confinement (yes that's exactly what it feels like). I'm feeling more miserable by the day and really thought that by now my attitude to whether I will or will not be able to run the Great North Run a week on Sunday might have changed but unfortunately for me - it hasn't. Just how do you train yourself to accept that you more than likely will not be able to do something you have looked forward to for months upon months? I wish I had the answer. It's not been made any easier by the fact that everyone around me are receiving their race packs containing race day info, timing chips and race numbers.

I have lightened my load a little by continuing to attend club training nights - this way I can keep in touch with everyone, meet new members and generally keep abreast of what's going on at club. This way I'm still in the same routine of getting out of the house three nights a week too. I'm also trying to volunteer where possible, my latest job being to marshal at the Epilepsy Action Alice's Run in Mytholmroyd last Sunday. Helen did the race report and wrote 'Lyndsey was flying the flag for ERR at Alice's run this weekend. She had cunningly positioned 8 ERR marshals along the route to keep her going on throughout the full 10k. Interesting route in this picturesque valley with good weather to boot. Thanks to our volunteer marshals and a special guest appearance by Dave Steele, who was adored by those who met him.............' I met a charming gentleman with whom I was manning the water station at the half way point and also directing the runners and traffic, all in all I was kept very busy and really enjoyed it. Marshaling can sometimes be as rewarding as running and certainly was in this instance.

Having not run for over two weeks I am now entering new territory for me. I went back to see Ove the physio this afternoon and whilst his treatment was not nearly as painful as last week, it was still very unpleasant. I've also been given a green exercise band and been shown how to do some exercises to strengthen my ankles as well as carrying on with the 'clam' exercises I was shown last week.

Questioned as to whether I can run this week Ove suggested I try a mile or two but if I feel any pain I must stop, ice the area and not run again but if it does go ok to increase the mileage very slightly a couple of days later. I must say I am not looking forward to trying to run as deep down I know all is not well. I also pressed Ove on the possibility of my taking part in the Great North Run - he put my chances at 50/50 and added that there were other races............

The moral of this story is.....

Just so that it's not assumed I've disappeared off the face of the Earth I thought I would keep up to date with my blog even though I'm not running at the moment. Yes, you guessed it, things with my Achilles have come to a head.

I went off for a few days to stay at my sister's house in the Washburn Valley region to look after her 2 dogs, Ben the Labrador and Jess the Dalmatian along with Jim the very large horse and Molly the not so large horse (required as I have two nieces, one very tall and one not so tall!) whilst they went on holiday. Of course I took Dave along with me. I had fully intended having a week of total rest from running whilst away (packed my kit just in case though) and this was going very well until Martin announced he was getting up early on Wednesday morning to go for a run around Fewston and Swinsty reservoirs. It is well documented that this area is one of my favourite places to run. Could I resist? Erm.... no......

I'm going to say no more on that subject other than I was in pain all the way round and had a terrible run as a result.

A few days later and I was back home to the Ponderosa and I mulled over my options, I began to entertain the possibility that I may not get round the Great North Run this year. That thought is not a very appealing one.

Saturday morning I remembered I had volunteered for the Bradford Parkrun so off Marc and I went, him to run and me to marshal. After the run we were chatting away to fellow runners in the Lister Park cafe (as usual!) and Gill suggested I should go and see a physio she had seen earlier in the year with much the same injury. No bones about it I shy away from such activities, scared of the cost. Gill's husband Ian emailed me the details of said physio and I completed an online enquiry form on their website, knowing it was Bank Holiday Monday coming up so it may be a few days before I got a reply. They telephoned me at work on Tuesday, lo and behold I was able to make an appointment for late Wednesday afternoon. After a rather long drive to Garforth I sat gingerly in the waiting room mulling over the story I was going to tell him. I knew I would be unable to admit I had had the problem as long as I have. However Ove (the physio) was understanding as you might expect, deep down I knew he had heard the same stories hundreds of times before and I must admit I was sceptical when after explaining my problem and telling him that I wanted to do the Great North Run, he worked out that we had 19 days to get me fixed!

He completed his assessment of my injury and began manipulating various areas of my lower right leg, I use the word manipulating very loosely, I can honestly say I have never felt such pain before (no not even during my massage with Penny Brook). Afterwards, I tried to compose myself and await his verdict.

My heart lifted when he said, 'you have a bit of tendinitis, don't run until I see you again, but I think we will be able to have you back running again next week'. Hooray, I felt as though he had just handed me a million pounds, believe me I really, really wish I had gone to see him sooner.

The moral of the story?
Never put all............
I really don't think I need to answer that.........