Very post post race

So it's February ... I did my first half marathon last November.  What happened?  I couldn't bring myself to write about the race afterwards and I have no idea why. Because it was brilliant!  I was on a high afterwards. I loved it (well, most of it!), I felt a huge sense of pride and achievement.  I felt so much, I didn't know what to write.  I just couldn't begin.  So I didn't...  and then time passed and it seemed to far away and I lost momentum.

But now I want to start blogging about running again, so I feel I have to update things.  I hate leaving work unfinished!

So, quick race report.
Michelle was unable to run. She was still hobbling and in pain on the race day, but she insisted on coming to Norwich with me to drive me there and support me.  She was awesome.  I felt terrible that we couldn't do it together after all the training, and she was pretty gutted too, but she was/is an amazing friend.

It was a freezing freezing day.  It snowed the night before, thankfully just a sprinkling but it was so cold and grey when we started.  I was so excited lining up to start and was just determined to run my own pace and enjoy it.

And enjoy it I did.  I made a point to say hello and chat to people and I had a couple of lovely chats with people who I ran with for the odd mile here or there.  I said hello and thank you (and even high fived!) to all the marshals and people offering water.  I smiled a lot and took some photos!  After the first mile the sun came out and it was one of those glorious cold sunny winter days.    We ran around pretty little country lanes, past houses where people came out to cheer and clap.

When I ran past the half way sign I felt elated.  I hadn't stopped and walked yet and I was feeling great.

Between miles 8 and 9 it was horribly hilly but I kept going, but those hills made my hip start to ache.  By mile 10 I was starting to really flag and slow down.  And then I hit another massive hill approaching mile 11 and had to walk up it, and then the weather turned.  I kept going, determined to try and get to the finish before it started to rain, but I was getting slower and slower, running for 5 mins then having to walk for a minute,  and at mile 12 it started to bucket down, cold, heavy sleety snowy rain.  My glasses were fogged, I was wading through freezing puddles. Started to hate it, just wanted to finish.

Shortly after that, we turned back into the Norwich showground and had a mile lap to do in front of the spectators (and earlier finishers), in the rain. It was miserable. Thankfully i saw Michelle as I started that final mile and that little cheer kept me going.

I still had to walk run that last mile, until the last quarter mile when I just went for it!  I came over the line with a massive grin on my face and burst into tears.  I couldn't believe how amazing it felt to finish.  I was so overwhelmed by what I'd what I'd achieved.  I finished in 2 hours 45.  Fine for my pace and i was just glad to finish although I really wish I hadn't walked and got closer to 2.5 hours.

I ached a lot after- it was a painfully slow (and wet) walk back to the car.  And I kept getting cramp in the car on the way home.  But I felt epic. EPIC.  I wanted to do it again...

The day after long run day...

Oh my goodness I'm useless today.  I actually want to lie down on the sofa and cry because I'm so mentally and physically exhausted.    Yesterday I ran the furthest I've ever run in my life.  11 and a tiny bit miles!

And the weirdest thing... is that I could have kept going! And actually I'm not in pain or too stiff... so my body is stronger than I thought and has really grown in fitness with all the training I've done. I can see and feel huge differences... and yet still, I'm now 1 week and 6 days away from my first half marathon and I feel like I want to pull out!  I'm dreading it!

My mind is always my biggest problem when I run... as you can see from this summary of yesterday's run...

Woke up, having been looking forward to long run day all week, I woke up terrified and wondered if I could come up with an excuse to get me out of it.... Obviously not, so I went and met my lovely running coach/buddy Michelle, and hoped that she would be injured or ill and want to stop!

We started, I felt great, (we ran downhill for the first kilometre! that always helps).   I tried really hard to slow right down as my biggest downfall on other long runs is going way too fast at the beginning.

It was all going fine but I was struggling with breath due to going off a bit fast.  Got to about 2.5/3 miles and decided I hated running.  My mind was all over the place thinking of ways to stop the run.  Could I trip myself up so we had to stop and limp home?  I started to feel sick! Sick! I've never had exercise induced nausea before!  I can't run while I feel sick.  I could never run 11 miles. I can't even finish 3!  Look at all these other fast runners coming past me looking all smiley and fit.  I bloody hate running.

45 minutes in, time for a drink and an energy gel.  Thank god we got to walk for 2-3 minutes ... maybe we should just keep walking, walking is nice... start running again, slow slow slow.  oh my god we're going up a hill. I can't run up hills. I hate hills. Why did we stop?  I can't get my head going again, I had just got over my mile 3 nausea panic!!

1 hour... ah the gel is kicking in.... I'm starting to find my stride, I'm actually enjoying this.  Why did it take an hour of hell to get here?   Bloody hell another hill ,,, I think I may die. Oh dear that disgusting gel has made me feel nauseas again.  I can't breath, maybe I'm having a panic attack? Am I actually going to be sick?  Have we even run 5 miles yet?  I hate running.

And on and on like that, while the wonderful Michelle just kept chatting to me, all sorts of random rubbish to keep distracting me and keep me going.... she is an angel!

6 miles!  Hooray, we only have 5 miles to go, I've already done 6.... 5 is nothing!  We have turned around and we're on our way home now....

... and suddenly we're 7.5 miles and I'm ok! I'm OK! I'm doing this.  I've found my stride, we're having lovely random chats! Everyone is smiling at us.... look at those other runners - i'm just as good as them!  (Well, maybe not as good as the man with the Ironman Austria t shirt whose calves look like bronze statues of greek gods!) Ok so my legs feel like lead and my hip is as stiff and sore as anything but I'm in the zone and my legs are just going. I love this! I could run forever

Then ... Stop for another little walk to have another gel and a drink.... oh no. Can't get going again.  But only 3.5 miles to go... just a bit more than a park run... how hard can that be?  But I can't....

I have about a mile of decent running before I think my legs may just be glued to the ground, and then need another little walk and a talking too.  It's ok says Michelle.  Isn't it better to have 1 minute of walking and then go on to finish 11 miles rather than just give up at 8 or 9 miles?

Don't know how... but we got going again!

Then we had to run over two hump back bridges... HILARIOUS! The steep humps really really hurt my hip so I had to walk up the bridges and the steep down side really hurt Michelle's calves so she had to walk down them.... while we're both moaning and complaining like a couple of old grannies!

And then at almost 10 miles the most hilarious thing.... we run past Costa and Michelle says, ooooh I could murder a hot chocolate. And I said... I have a tenner in my pocket!  Let's do it!  So we agree to run up the road for 1/2 mile and then run back to costa and we'll be at 11miles and we can have a hot chocolate!!!! That thought is like rocket fuel.... fastest mile ever! And I feel great!  And actually, once we got up to 10.5miles we talked ourselves out of the Costa!  Because we realised that if we ran back there, we'd then have to walk or run another Kilometre back to Michelle's house and my car after our treat!!!! So we just kept going and ran home instead, which was just as rewarding (and cheaper, and without having to sit in Costa RED AND SWEATY and scaring small children!!!! lol).

And although I was stiff and my hip was complaining and I was shuffling and going sooooooo slowly really... when Michelle said, ok, stop, 11 miles.....

I felt like I could have kept going... so I did! Well, not really, maybe another 0.2 of a mile just to get myself back to my park bench where I like to stretch.  So I ran over 11 miles.  Ta dahhhh!

Shocker.

So, in spite of all my moaning and moaning. It was a great run.  And I felt epic.....


And then.....

I got home, still feeling nauseas, and tired and thirsty and hungry.
Quick cold bath (whose stupid idea was that?!?!?!) then a Long hot bath, banana, chocolate milk.  Wonderful.

Was pretty useless the rest of the day though.  Very stiff and sore, very very tired and nauseas all day.

Today I'm fine. It's a bit ouchie walking up and down stairs but nothing serious on the pain front.  My mind is more shattered than anything.  I just can't concentrate on work. I want a nap.

1 week 6 days.....

Short and sweet! Run report 3rd November

This will be short and sweet as I have a tonne of work to do!

Haven't managed to run for a week due to half term and being away but thankfully managed to get out with the lovely ladies at Chelmer Roadrunners (Tuesday group) this morning.

A lovely, slightly damp but crisp Autumn morning, perfect running conditions. Not too cold, not too hot.  Lovely.  We ran a new route around Galleywood, slightly hilly which was tough, but kept up a decent pace (averaged 7mins per km) and managed to run 7kms, partly because we weren't sure where we were going!

The only annoyance is that my hip started to ache again for the last kilometre.  To be fair I have not done my physio exercises for 5 days now either due to being away over half term.  And over the weekend I walked miles and had started to notice my hip aching at the end of a long day of walking around a foreign city (coupled with sleeping on a hard uncomfortable sofa bed at a friends house!).   Going to work v hard on my exercises this week and next.  Seeing my physio man again next Monday for the last time pre race.

Loved it again today, and it's made me excited about my next (and last pre race) long run which will be on Friday.

Oh yes, and I got home from my travels last night to my race number!  My race number and info for my first ever half marathon has arrived and it is all real now.  Gulp!  2 weeks 5 days!

Long run report 23/10/15. Mind over matter

First half marathon in 4 weeks 2 days!!!! Gaaaaaaaagghhhhh why did I agree to this?

This week has been a lot about resting my legs and doing my glute strength exercises since my great 8 mile on Sunday. I did another circuit/kettle bell type of class on Wednesday and even did 20 fast mins on the treadmill as my warm up - the idea of the short run was to keep my legs in the game without fatiguing them. And I fared much better, thank goodness, with the class this week - no where near as much stiffness or pain the next day!

All good. Until today's long run - we said 9-10. We did 9.5miles. But my god I think I hated running 8.9 of those miles 😭😭

Foolishly we decided to try a new route and we seemed to pick the hilliest roads in town. I kid you not that the first 4.5 miles was mostly uphill. And they were some seriously big never ending and in parts very steep hills. It was miserable. The hills triggered off my hip/thigh pain. I felt like I was running through treacle. I could not get my breath, no matter how much I slowed down, I felt panicky as I couldn't slow my breathing, I even felt a bit sick at one point. Could not run. 

Perked up slightly after a gel and a lovely flat downhill section until about mile 6.5 when I really really had to talk myself into every step. Even during the "easier" 4.5-6.5, downhill section, I still just found it incredibly hard to keep going, even downhill, as my right leg muscles were twinging and tightening with every step and my legs felt heavy and my whole body felt drained.  

I don't know how I kept going, we tried to chat, I kept losing my breathing. We tried saying lets just run slowly for ten minutes and see how we feel, and then setting new mini goals. It was a mind over matter run today. My mind was all out convincing my body that it wasn't going to die and just had to finish. I do not know how my mind triumphed because I was so close to giving up for so much of the run!

We even had an awful bit near the end where we just couldn't work out the best route home avoiding hills and yet still being long enough to get over 9 miles. Hilariously we ended up  doubling back a couple of times and down then running up and down my road three times to get us to 9.5 miles in the end. 

I still don't know where those inner reserves came from to keep going those last few metres. Sore sore sore tonight, but proud of course!

Back in the zone - 8 mile run

Yesterday, Sunday 18th October I managed a good long run to get my head back into the half marathon training.

Before going out I had been dreading it, and convinced I wouldn't be able to make it more than 5 miles.  However it went really well which has really helped me regain my confidence about this half marathon... which by the way is now 4 weeks and 6 days away! Gulp.

I was feeling very stiff and achey from an exercise class (kettle bells and squats) on Friday which I really regretted doing.  So I was not expecting the run to go well, and when I met my running buddy she was also in pain and her toe was still throbbing from her Royal Parks Half Marathon the weekend before.  So it didn't bode well, however we started off on another beautiful sunny Autumn morning and there was lots to catch up on to hear how her half marathon went last week so a lovely chatty run.

We set off on an 8 mile route, but both us said we would have been happy to achieve a 10km (6 miles). The first 3 miles was really tough, as always, I felt like I was wading through treacle and I honestly thought that even achieving 6 miles was going to be impossible.

Thankfully as usual, around mile 4 I got into a groove and was pleasantly surprised that my hip felt fine, and the stiffness from the kettlebell class was actually calming down, as though the run was loosening and waking up my muscles.  10kms passed and all felt good and I started to feel that actually, 8 miles was completely do-able.  And so we did it.  The last half mile was really hard work, and my hip, thigh and lower back was starting to get stiff.  However, despite that struggle, hilariously we ran the last 3/4s of a mile at a pace I usually save for a fast 5k race! I think having the end in sight, and wanting to get there quicker just pushed me along!

I felt ecstatic - really really pleased with myself and I can't tell you how important that run was mentally to feel like I can achieve this half marathon and that training is back on track.  If I had not been able to achieve this run  I would have been feeling behind and struggling to get my distances back up.

It's still going to be a push - We think we only have time for 2 more long runs.  Later this week on Friday we will have another long run, hopefully 10 miles but then it's half term the week after, and I'm going to be doings thing with my little Monster, including a weekend visiting friends in Spain, so a long run is not possible.  We then plan to have our final long run of 11-12 miles the first week of November, before resting for two weeks before the event on 22nd November.

And this morning?  Well my hip and bum are still incredibly stiff and uncomfortable.  I'm not sure if it's still the after effect of the over the top kettle bell class that I shouldn't have done on Friday!

Feeling positive about running though.  Back in the zone!

Stressing

Stressing and worrying about my hip this evening and the upcoming half marathon. I don't know if I should rest it. It's difficult to decide since I feel absolutely fine at rest and walking and even when I start running I have no problems at first at all. The niggles just start after I've run 3-4kms at the moment.

Part of me wonders if resting might help it to heal, but I also know I had a week off running after my 10km race and it made no difference - as soon as I started running again the niggle was back. 

So what if I rest and it's all for nothing? I'll be missing out on vital training ahead of my first ever half marathon.

I know have managed to run up to 10.5- 11 miles before, (depending on which watch/app you believe lol!) but that was 3 weeks ago now and I haven't run more than 10kms since. So I'm panicking that I don't have enough time to get those long runs in again.

The half is on 22nd November

The plan was for - 

- 8-9 miles this Thursday or Friday

- 10.5 miles next week,

Then a rest week with just short runs due to it being half term and going to Spain,

- Then two weeks before the race 11-12 miles long run.

Then taper.

So if I don't manage to do the 8-9 miles this week I'm worried that I'll really struggle to make the leap back up to 10 plus next week. And I'll only have two long runs before the race. And I've never run this distance before. Until August I'd never run further than a 10k!

I just don't know what to do for the best 😫😩😫😩

Anyone got any advise or experience?

Run report 13th October 2015

I went out to run with the Chelmer Roadrunners this morning. It's the first time I've managed to go with them on a Tuesday. Was interested to see what would happen with my hip running two days in a row. And it was nice go run somewhere different.

We went for a little 5km, not too fast, plenty of chatting and it was a joy to be running again on another beautiful sunny but chilly Autumn morning. I think this is my favourite time to run! All going fine. Hip started to twinge slightly from 3.5kms and again it was when we were running up a long gradual hill that it felt worst. But I found that it was manageable, it wasn't painful just twingey, tight and pulling. I have to learn to run though that I think, until my strength builds up. 

By the time we got past 4kms my head was focused on finishing so it takes my mind off the hip niggles and I just speed up to get home faster lol!

I almost had a serious fall though! I had to get up one big curb at one point, misjudged and didn't lift my knees high enough and went toppling forward! One of the other girls had lightening reactions and managed to catch me! What a star. If she hadn't been there I would have had some serious grazing, probably would have fallen on my face! Pretty. I find it amazing, touch wood, that I haven't fallen over in 2.5 years of running as I'm usually the worlds clumsiest person.  Lucky escape. 

So... Did 5kms in just under 35minutes. Home for a hot bath now and some more strength exercises. And Michelle just called me, bless her, while I was in the bath, to see if I was ok. She's worried about my hip too and doesn't want me to overdo it and then struggle with the half marathon. I'm lucky to have such a caring friend. 

Negativity (and run report 12 Oct '15)

My morning started with my second trip to the physio. I'm in a proper grumpy mood at the moment. Have been for the last week.  I was stressing about having too much work on and had a few nights of bad sleep last night and now the stress and exhaustion has just turned into a black mood.  I can't shake it. Even though the sun is shining and I had a great, if busy weekend. I just feel grumpy.

So I went to see my physio man for the second time today, feeling grumpy.  Since I saw him last week I have only managed to run twice (planned three) and they were both shitty runs.  I've done all the exercises he set me but when I run I still felt the hip pain and it started to come on earlier (at 2 miles instead of after 3!). I felt like I was going backwards and felt crazy and that there is no way I'm going to be able to run a half marathon in 6 weeks.  Shit.

He was pleased. My range of motion has improved he thinks, and it will just take time for the strength to build up so I just have to keep running.  And he gave me more exercises to do too.  I told him that I really wanted to do a longer 7-8 mile run this week as part of my build up to the half marathon and he said that's fine, just see how it goes.  He didn't say whether I should stop if it hurts though. I forgot to ask him.  I think I just have to run through the niggles and pain a bit and man up and wait for the strength exercises to start having an impact.  Hey ho.  

And then since the sun was shining and it was a beautiful Autumn day I decided to stop off and run in the park through the city centre.  I was going to come home, do some work and then run before school run but I realised that that would never happen - work always squishes my time and once I'm in the house it's harder to go out again.  So I did it.

And I was in my mood so despite the gorgeous surroundings and the perfect crisp and sunny conditions I hated it.  I realised that it's an incline that sets my hip strain off.  (which makes sense since it started to really bother me after we did our super hilly 10km race in Finsbury Park).   I ran up a little hill and partly because I was out of breath from the hill and partly because I felt my hip start to niggle, I decided to reward myself with a little walk until I got my breath back.  I managed to get going again and was trying to force myself to enjoy it and just keep going but my head was not in the game... until, I was heading back to the start and decided to look at the app on my phone.  Until that point I had been trying to ignore it and just enjoy the run.  I realised that I was at 4.25kms and in good time and that if I pushed myself a bit I might get close to my 5km personal best.  Unbelievable.  That just really pissed me off - imagine if I hadn't walked!!! Why didn't I push myself a bit more?!?! Stupid negative woman :(

So I went for it. I put my heart and sole into that last 750metres and although I didn't beat my personal best I got very very close and felt great for pushing myself! And for about 30 seconds I felt proud of a good run...

I then walked a bit to get over my "sprint finish" hehehehe, and carried on jogging again slowly back to the car.  I hadn't worried about my achey hip while I was pushing myself for a good 5k time. Silly mare. I probably need to run with headphones in to distract me and stop me being so negative.

So in the end, the run report should say that I had a great work out in glorious surroundings and perfect conditions, AND that in the end I ran a total of 6kms including a fast (for me) 5k of 32mins 14 seconds! And my hip is ok. I'll live ha ha ha.

I so need to kill this negative attitude.

What was I thinking?

Serious doubts kicked in today.  What was I thinking signing up for a half marathon?  I can't run!

I had a really really shitty run today. Woke up in a bad mood, feeling exhausted like I hadn't had much sleep. Went to run with Chelmer Roadrunners and was pleased than an interval session was planned, rather than distance.

But I just couldn't do it.  We ran about a mile as warm up, but because the 6 or so of us were all trying to stick together we went off way too fast, all trying to keep up with the fastest lady and she was seemingly oblivious to the rest of us struggling. Then we started our intervals - was planned to be 30 seconds faster (not sprinting, just increasing cadence) and then 2 minute recovery jog, repeated 8 times, and then finish off with another mile plus as a slower cool down run.   I don't think we managed that many intervals.  4 out of 6 of us were all so tired from going out too fast that the 30 second faster bits seemed to last forever and ever and ever and got slower and slower and harder and harder.  I think I did 5 well-ish, although starting to flag, and then on the 6th I started to feel queasy and had to walk my recovery rather than jog it.

And by that point my bum and hip were starting to hurt too :(  Oh woe is me... crappy crappy run.

Once I'd walked for a minute I did try to get back into it I really did but just couldn't! I wanted to keep going for a mile at a slow pace to cool down but actually managed less than 1/3 of a mile before the nausea kept bubbling up in my throat and I started to get really worried about hurting my hip.  So I decided to walk back to the start, and thankfully there was another lady, Emma who was also struggling and very happy to walk with me.  We put a little slow jog on for the last 1/4 mile and had a lovely chat about finding work that fits around children and school runs!  I've never felt queasy on a run before so that was a new, not very welcome experience for me.

In the end we ran less than 5kms and I hated every minute of it and I now hate running. Full Stop.  I really hate running and I hate that I seem to have hurt myself.   What an idiot to think I could run a half marathon... ( in 6 and a half weeks!!!!).... when those long training runs have broken me and I now I can't even manage 3 miles :( I want to cry.

I am keeping on with the glute strengthening exercises that the physio has given me but also finding them very hard and it's too early to see any difference yet... I wish someone could magically fix my running.

I'm off to eat some chocolate now and wallow in the self-pity of a shitty run.

Monday night rainy run with the Dynamo ladies

I wasn't going to run last night since I ran on Sunday and having seen the physio in the morning.  But then my husband came home from work early and I thought, if I don't take this opportunity and run tonight, I'm going to struggle to get 2 or 3 runs in this week.   So I went out to join the Dynamos at 8.

It was raining as well, so I nearly changed my mind.  The old me would have stayed on the sofa and watched TV ... I have  no idea what happened to change me... but I went anyway.

It was strangely warm in spite of the rain and it being October.  Once we got running the light rain was actually nice and cooled us down.  There was just three of us in the main run group (and loads in the beginners course!  Very impressed with those ladies - if I was a beginner I'm not sure i would have made the effort in the rain and dark.

So we set off on an easy 5k! Yeah right, its never easy.  The pace felt fast but manageable and we went a slightly different route to usual to mix it up.  Finished off at 5.8kms in 39mins.  So not that fast, but not slow either...

HOWEVER.  The hip was not happy again.  It started to niggle from 2kms.  Maybe because I'd had the physio prod, plus I had managed to do some of my exercises yesterday too ... even with a 4 year old trying to hang off me and climb under me as I held a one leg bridge!  Once we finished running it was sore for a little as I walked it off, but thankfully it is fine this morning.

A day of sitting in an all day meeting today so I will have to squeeze my exercises in this evening.

Have a good day of running all
Lisa x

Double run day and first time physio!

Yesterday was a beautiful day.  Started off cold and crisp, and bright and sunny and my son and I headed off to Junior parkrun full of excitement and with a spring in our steps to enjoy the sunshine.  The leaves are just starting to turn and the park looked so pretty and by the time we started to run, it was surprisingly warm.  The last gasp of summer in October!  As he is only 4, bless him, junior park run for us is more a fun thing, with lots of walk breaks, and chasing and racing from tree to tree and playing tag.  He adores sprinting over the finish line though, and yesterday he was much faster than usual because he had a batman t shirt on!

He runs the 2km (1.5mile) course in times ranging from 18-20 minutes.  Some of the over 10s at junior parkrun are amazing and finish in 7 minutes!  My aim is not to push him into running or being competitive at all at this age.  To me it's just important that he enjoys some physical activity and being outside, and it's nice to enjoy it together.

After dropping him at home I was off on my own run with my running buddy and by 10.30am it was positively tropical out!  Such a nice sunny day for a run.  As usual we went out all excited and feeling great, and went off far too fast (10m30s per mile!) so by mile 2 I was really out of puff!  We had a plan to run for about 45 minutes, and we had said we would go slow and take it easy but we start talking and just speed up and even when we tell each other to slow down we do and then forget and speed up again!

It's good for me though, as if I ran on my own I would plod and never push myself.  With Michelle I push myself to keep up with her.

After mile 3 my hip started to niggle again :(  we kept going but decided not to push for an extra little loop around a park we like, and head back for home, with a plan of running for 40 minutes instead of 45.  In the end we completed 6kms (3.75 miles) in 40 minutes and I was happy with that as it was faster than my usual pace, given that I hadn't run for a whole week and was recovering... however by the end my hip and butt cheek was very unhappy.  I spent the day stretching and hoping this wouldn't turn into something serious.

However my biggest issue at the moment is that when this happens, I'm afraid to tell my husband, because he's so negative about me running that he will use it as an excuse to try to put me off running.

Likewise, I had not told him that I had an appointment booked in with a physio this morning....

Fast forward (through coffee shops, cooking, homework, mowing the lawn and Downton Abbey) to today (Monday) ... After the school run I had my appointment with a physiotherapist who specialises in sports and had been recommended to me by other runners.

He was brilliant!  He obviously sees a lot of people with similar issues and was really positve.  He concluded what I had an inkling of myself - that I lack good muscle strength in my body and in particular the muscles in my hips and thighs and bum that are the main controller of running, lack strength.  This is fine if I just keep running comfortably up to 5-6kms but once running regular 10kms and more, my muscles are struggling as they don't have the strength to keep me going for runs over an hour without causing pain.

He showed me how, as a result, my knees are bowing in, to over compensate for the tightness and strain those muscles are feeling which is in turn making the hip hurt more, slowing me down, causing me to waste energy.  After lots of questions, watching me stand, walk, stand on one leg, bend my knees, touch my toes etc, then he spent about 20 minutes manipulating the muscles in my right thigh, hip and bum to try and loosen up the muscles.   It was EXTREMELY painful!  But, it helped a lot, the mobility in that leg and hip improved immensely as a result by the end of the session.

He then took me through two exercises that I have to do twice every day for the next 6 days to start to build up my strength.  He also thankfully said I should NOT stop running, but just stick to 3mile runs for the next week, as that is the point at which it starts to suffer.

His theory is that with perhaps 3 sessions with him and 6 weeks of exercises (and he said he will change and add more exercises each week), my hips will be a lot stronger, I will be able to run longer without pain, and ultimately run better with less after effect.

Very interesting talking to him and I'm feeling more positive now about tackling the half marathon next month.   Just have to make sure I do these exercises twice a day now! Oh, those exercises if you're interested are:

Single leg bridge, 10sec Left, 10 sec right x 10
Side leg race (lying on left, raising right leg) hold for 30seconds x 10

And finally... last night, running buddy Michelle sent me a plan for our longer runs for Norwich. Our aim is to get up to 12 miles before then.  So off we go!

Lisa x