Hello Buzzers 😊

Another month has gone by already! Hope you’ve all been enjoying the beautiful weather over the last few days - what a treat 😊 Last time I was about to see the hip surgeon for what I hoped was the final post op appointment and I’m very happy to say that so it turned out to be 😁 11 weeks post op and he agreed that I could start introducing running again! He also said that he’d rather I walked a hundred miles than run again but there we go 😂 His words went something like ‘There’s a fair old amount of damage in that hip socket so the more you run, the faster I’ll see you back here for a hip replacement’. If that was meant to discourage me it failed! He also mentioned that he’d never had a patient recover as fast from that particular op - amazing what an impending half can do 😂😂

I’ve been working really hard trying to get some fitness back but it hasn’t been easy at times. I had a pretty bad chest infection from mid December and over Christmas and had barely stopped coughing at the end of January when I came down with tonsillitis! I’m so aware that my first half is only 12 days away now 😬 I also already know there’s absolutely no chance of me being able to run anywhere near the whole distance, not even a fraction of it - it will definitely be a run/walk. After the London Ten Mile last year, I really thought I stood a fighting chance of finally becoming a runner and that running a half was within my grasp. Now I have to accept that it isn’t and it may well never be, though it won’t be for the want of trying. The really annoying thing is that the breathing is fine, it’s the blooming joints that are holding me back 😕 I promised my physio that I wouldn’t run any more than her recommendation of 3 times a week. I really do intend to just walk when I go out, but I can’t help myself - I have it stuck in my head that if I don’t keep trying I’ll never improve. The hip has been really good - yes a bit sore, but nothing that a good icing doesn’t keep in check 😊

The biggest problem is that the more I’ve run, the worse the ankles have become again, especially the right one. I really thought I’d said goodbye to the ankle problems after that long rest with the hip 😕 Since changing my walking boots for trainers, I’ve rolled my ankles so many times too. Worryingly, this no longer causes any kind of pain or swelling - the ligaments are just so loose 😕 The jury is out on the soft ankle brace that was prescribed - not entirely sure whether it helps or not so I may well resort to taping again. I’ve tried experimenting with the different trainers I have and am rapidly coming to the conclusion that although the orthotics are helping my feet, they’re making the ankles worse. If anyone has any advice for dodgy ankles, I’d really appreciate it.

On a positive note, so far this year I’ve covered 270 miles which I guess is fairly commendable. I guess I also forget that I’m still only just over three and half months post op - I most definitely wasn’t anywhere near the front of the queue when they gave patience out 😂 As well as walking/trying to run, I’m also doing occasional cycle sprinting on the indoor bike, lots of glute and core work and hip strengthening. Parkrun times are very slowly coming down again - less than a minute off my Homewood course PB last Saturday which was quite pleasing as it’s not the easiest course. It was brilliant to meet up with our legend Nick and have a catch up a couple of weeks ago at Brooklands parkrun too 😊 

               

By Sunday, I really needed to know if I’d be able to cover a half marathon distance. I only intended to fast walk but..... I’d been having a rotten AS flare up all week so was in a fighting mood. The sun was shining, it was warm and I really needed to know. My go to route for a half is from home, roads to the canal, then across to the Thames and up the Thames Path to Runnymede. I also know that in good weather, there’s an ice cream van parked up ...... it would have been rude not to (first one of the season 😂).

                           

So I ran where I could and fast walked when I couldn’t. Until the 8 mile mark the run/walk went pretty well but after that, it became very much a walk/run and the last couple of miles, just walking. Still, 13.6 miles done in 3:02 so that's where I am at the moment. Hopefully as the year goes in I’ll see some sort of progress. In the meantime, I’ve signed up for a 50k in May as well to keep me motivated and keep the ultra walking going as well as attempted running 😊 

Happy training everyone 😊