Looking Forward

We don't find out our results until the 2nd week of January - so
it's an anxious wait, but a big relief they're out of the way.

It's been a busy time recently, and I've not done a great deal of running, with my focus primarily on the studying required for my job - but with my first exam out of the way, and with my operation scheduled for last week delayed until February at the earliest, that's all about to change. I've booked my place to run the Fowlmead Challenge on 10th Janurary, and with this new event on the horizon, it'll be back to some serious training over the Christmas and New Year period. But first, a quick catch up on a weekend of competing at the end of last month.

Great Cornard Parkrun - Sat 28th November

Buoyed by a decent club time trial on the Thursday that I mentioned in my last post, I decided to try a parkrun to begin the weekend, and made the 40 minute drive to Great Cornard Parkrun feeling confident I could get a quick time. For some reason, I found it tough going - in the event getting almost exactly the same time as 2 days earlier, which was good enough for 7th place, but feeling twice as exhausted at the end. It was then back home for some studying before making the trip the next day to SouthWest London, for the Kingston 10k that I also mentioned in my last post. 

Kingston 10k - Sun 29th November

Me and my two short friends. ( Or, me and my two friends with the bottom
of the picture cut off so you can't see the podium we were standing on )

I was pleased enough with the run - not quite managing my target of sub 7 minute miles throughout, but going a bit quicker than I'd managed at Histon at the start of the month, and finishing in 40th place with a time of 44m16. My friends Bernadette and Rob ran round together, with Bernadette grabbing her best 10k result for some time - so it was a happy car journey home, with the highlight of the weekend undoubtedly a stop off at the Toby Carvery for a well-earned roast dinner.

And, given that I thought this would be my last event before surgery, and with my first module exams on the horizon, I put the running to one side, and immersed myself in the fascinating world of Bookkeeping for the first part of December.

Operation Postponed

Races fill up so quickly
these days - you need to
book months in advance
and I'm really not that
well organised. Ideally, I
need a coach and a secretary...

Unfortunately, due to paperwork issues, I then learnt (only a week before it was due) that my left hip will not now be operated on until some time next year - I am hoping mid February, but this is yet to be confirmed. Frustrating yes, and I spent a good 24hrs feeling a bit down about it, since I'd booked time off work to coincide with recuperation, and falling between study modules, the timing had been perfect -- but it's just one of those things, and hardly the end of the world. 

It's always possible to find silver linings to these clouds, and the first thing I did the next day was to seek out races for January and February that I could now do. By keeping my time off over Christmas, I have the chance to train - in daylight - pretty much every day should I choose to, and although I've hardly run at all over the last 3 weeks, I am confident I can get my fitness back up again pretty quickly. However, the hardest thing was finding a race with space left. One of my favourite events of the year - the Great Bentley Half, run in February - sold out within a few days of entries opening earlier in the year, and another good local race - on New Year's Eve - is also fully booked, although I'm now on their waiting list for a place. 

Fowlmead Challenge

Eventually I stumbled across an event I'd not heard of before - an endurance event in Kent early in the New Year. The course is an off road lap of just under 3.3 miles, the event lasts 6 hours, and you can do as many or as few laps in that time as you choose. Plenty of people look to complete 8 laps, which gives them marathon distance - a few hardy souls keep going for another lap, or more, thus completing an ultra. For me personally, I'll be looking to do 4 or maybe 5 laps - I'll be taking it nice and steady, and just looking to see if I can get past half marathon distance. 

Ordinarily I would find this relatively straightforward, but I've not run further than 10 miles since I broke down at Tarpley back in February, so this will be something of a challenge, especially since I've let the training slide for the last three weeks. But as I said before, I now have spare time -which has been at a premium lately - and I'm looking forward to getting back out every day, gradually increasing the miles with each run, and seeing what I may be able to achieve. 

With more time to prepare, this event would actually be a perfect way for me to tackle a marathon - fairly low key, the opportunity to pull out at the end of the nearest lap if things are going badly, and a good event to try out a slower pace. On both my previous marathon attempts, I've begun the training hoping for a sub 4 hour, but training (and build-up races) have gone well enough to suggest I can get nearer 3hr30. As a result, come marathon day on both occasions I've ended up going off at too quick a pace and this, combined with getting the nutritional aspect horribly wrong too, has led to cramping, walk/running and finish times over the 4 hour mark.

The beauty of this event would be that I could set off at 9 min mile pace - and if I found, as I would hope, that I could get to marathon distance under 4 hours and still feel comfortable, then I could keep going and do another lap or two, to turn it into a decent-paced ultra. I guess I'd be reluctant to do the same for a regular marathon, because I think I might then regret not trying a bit faster. Obviously, with less than 3 weeks to go before the event, I'm not going to be able to manage marathon distance this year - but I'm looking forward to checking the event out, and it may well then feature in my plans for 2017.

Planning for a marathon

Talking of marathons, I'm very keen to tackle one in the latter part of 2016 - even with a new operation date of February or March, I should be back running again end of May latest, giving me plenty of time to fit in a 16 week training plan for an autumn event. This does of course rely on everything going well with the second operation - but if, as anticipated, I am then back running pain-free, then I think I'll enjoy the challenge of getting back to some serious mileage. I do need to remember my consultant's advice about swapping some of the running for other, lower impact forms of training, and getting a decent bike remains on the agenda for some time in the New Year, finances allowing! My plan would then be 3 running sessions per week - the requisite long slow run for marathon training, a speedwork session at running club, and a threshold/tempo run in the middle of the week. The remainder of my week would be split between gym workouts and cycling. In terms of running mileage it would be much less than the usual recommended amount, but the additional core-strengthening work and the cardio work on the bike should more than make up for this, and lessen the strain on my weak hips at the same time.

If you're planning to run a marathon, you do need to sort out your nutrition - and to help me with this, I've downloaded an excellent e-book, written by a good friend of mine, Angela Isherwood. It pulls together all kinds of advice, but one of Angela's specialisms is running nutrition, which was my main reason for reading it - and as part of a structured training routine I really need to get my diet sorted. Fair to say it's gone down hill a bit in the last few months, and - unsurprisingly - the weight is starting to come back on again. Regular readers will know this is an ongoing battle for me - as I suspect it is for most people once they hit middle-age - but I do know I can get back to where I want to be in a relatively short period of time, since I've managed it before. 

It's all about willpower - as is running, of course - and although perhaps Christmas is not the best time to think about losing weight, it's crucial that I shift a bit before my next operation, when another period without being able to exercise is sure to take its toll. I talked in my last post about the various targets I've set for 2016, and it's fair to say I'm not going to be hitting them unless I shift a few pounds. And it's not just about eating less, but about eating the right kind of food to sustain you through your exercise regime - and of course, the further you plan to run, the more important it is that your body has the fuel you need. If. like me, you really don't know the difference between good and bad fats, what type of carbs to consume, and when, etc, etc - then I can't recommend Angela's book enough. You can download "How to Run your Best Marathon" by clicking on the link. Angela has this year run a time good enough to secure qualification for next year's Boston Marathon - so she clearly knows what she's doing!

Finally, I can't end this latest blog post without mentioning the sad news that a fellow runner sadly passed away recently. I mentioned Neil a while back - despite having been diagnosed with terminal cancer, he'd decided to run this year's London Marathon (for charity), and although the doctors had suggested he probably shouldn't attempt more than about 6 miles, of course he went and completed the whole race. This was typical of his bravery, spirit and determination. I only met him on a handful of occasions, but you only needed to meet him once to realise what a good man he was. It's only through reading about him afterwards that I've become aware of just how much he did for sport locally, and that he was a sub 3hr marathon runner in his prime - too modest to have ever mentioned that to me. 

My thoughts are with his wife Christine, and with their children Justine, Jack and Seb. A truly remarkable man.

Be Thankful For What You Have, Work Hard For What You Don't Have

A bit of a wordy title, but at least it prepares you for the rest of this post. Since my last blog, I've been training well, and continuing to see improvements in fitness and pace. As I write this, I'm gearing up for a weekend of racing that will take me over my 100 mile target for the month, with parkrun Saturday morning and then a 10km on Sunday - more later.

I'll still be using the treadmill at the end of my gym sessions,
when I usually try to do a couple of quick miles, but not as
a replacement for my longer runs, which I'll be looking to do
off-road from now on, where possible.

A quick apology first - in my last blog I mentioned that I may do more treadmill running in the future since I thought this would be easier on the joints. A conversation with my physio leads me to think this may not be the case - she's seen an article suggesting it can actually be worse. So apologies if that was misleading (or, to put it another way, just plain wrong.) One thing she did agree with was my idea of doing more off-road running, rather than always pounding concrete/tarmac - so long as the terrain's not too rugged. I've done a few more training runs on the railway path in Haverhill that we use for our club time trial, which is compacted earth, and I think this is perfect. As always, please, when reading my
blog, disregard all suggestions, or follow them
at your own risk!

How I hope I'll look

I've also not given up on the idea of more cross-training - in fact, I was at a bike shop today, to get an idea of price, although I was a little surprised at how expensive they are! But this is all for the future, since I only have 3 weeks left before my next operation, and another period of inactivity. I've been very fortunate to get the exact date I asked for, which ties in well with a break in studying at work, and has allowed me to book some time off for recovery without having to miss anything important. In fact, it's two days after my first module exams, so it will be quite a traumatic week!


Of course, having had the procedure already for my right hip, I know exactly what to expect in terms of discomfort/lack of mobility etc in the immediate aftermath of the surgery (much more manageable than I had expected) and in terms of speed of recovery afterwards: providing I follow the physio's exercise/rehabilitation programme as I did for the right hip, I'm sure I'll recover just as well.

Being sensible - to start with

How I expect I'll look

I'm probably going to ease back in to things a bit more gently once I'm given the go ahead to start running again, which should be towards the end of February. After the first hip was done, and I was able to train again, I felt I wanted to make the most of the limited time available to run before the inevitable break for the 2nd operation. It's been worthwhile, and I've enjoyed seeing a reasonably quick return to some kind of form - and most importantly, I will go in to the next operation with a good level of fitness again, which will speed recovery and will mean it's easier when I start running again.  But there'll be no rush really second time around, and I want to make sure I recover sensibly and don't risk further problems.

This will all tie in with the greater emphasis on cross-training, and probably less running mileage, but more targeted training so that I can still hit some new milestones. As always, I've been thinking ahead to what these might be, and it's really nice to think that after this next operation, I should be running pain free for the first time in over 2 years, and that consequently I should be able to gradually improve my times until I'm back collecting PBs again - and hopefully one or two trophies along the way!

Setting Targets

My targets for the end of 2016, then, are as follows:

5km: sub 18 mins

5mile: sub 30 mins

10km: sub 40 mins initially, then sub 38 mins

10mile: sub 65 mins

Half Marathon: sub 1hr 25mins

Full Marathon: sub 4hrs


Some of these are more ambitious than others: if I can get back to where I was before, then I would be pretty close to the 10 mile and Half Marathon targets, and the Full Marathon should definitely be achievable if I can get the nutrition/hydration strategy right. The shorter distance targets will require me to go consistently sub 6 min mile pace - a much tougher prospect, but what's the point of setting easy targets?! Once I can do this, I'll be right up there challenging for age-category placings, which is the ultimate goal.

What I have found is that, by putting in the miles and working hard, I've been able to reduce my times significantly in a short space of time - from 9 min mile pace in my first comeback races at Colchester Parkrun and at the Thurlow 5 on 17th & 18th October, down to sub 7 min pace yesterday at my club's 5km time trial. This bodes well for this weekend's races - but more importantly, it tells me that I should definitely be able to get back to where I was, and in theory once I get to that stage I should find I am able to push on further, unencumbered by any discomfort, and being, as a result, more prepared to push myself harder.

I'll need to shift some pounds if I want
to get back under 19mins. If I then embark
on a 4 month marathon training programme,
I should be able to keep that weight off
without having to worry so much about
what I eat. Which is a relief!

For 5kms in particular, it's all about shaving a few seconds off here and there, and it's the specific speedwork sessions that will help me do that - plus losing a bit of weight again! For the marathon - and I'm looking at something towards the end of the year - it's about learning to cope better with the Long Slow Runs, and again, with the discomfort gone, that should be a lot easier to do.

So, exciting to think of what I may be able to achieve, and important to have some clearly defined goals to work towards - all of which will help me get through the upcoming period when I won't be able to run. But, if I can sort a bike out, I can start that new part of my training regime only 4 weeks after the op, which really isn't too long to wait.

But before then:

Two races this weekend - a parkrun, obviously, because it's Saturday morning..... and this time, with plenty to do for the remainder of the day, I'll be going to a more local one - probably at Great Cornard, which is only about half an hour away, allowing me to get back home by 10am. I'm looking forward to this since it's been a long time since I've run there, and although I don't have the same group of friends there as I do at Colchester, I know one of two people to say hallo to, and it's nice and flat too!

Ah, the Thames. Makes you proud to be British.
Nice heron though. 

But it's Sunday I'm looking forward to more - a 10km in Kingston upon Thames. I did this race once before, in 2012, and loved it - I remember it being a crisp cold November morning, and a really lovely route, running alongside the Thames. I remember setting myself a target to keep every mile under 7 mins, and whilst I think I came up short a couple of times, I managed this pace on average and got myself what was then a PB time. If I can get this kind of time again, I'll be very happy - and the time trial yesterday tells me I should be able to do this: okay, it was only half the distance, but I felt pretty comfortable throughout and believe I could have maintained the same pace for much
longer.

And of course, the best races are the ones you do with friends, and I'll be travelling to Kingston with Rob and Bernadette, two fellow Commando runners, and good friends both, which means that, irrespective of what times we all manage, it'll be a good day.

In my next blog then, I'll be reporting back on how the weekend's racing went - in the meantime, good luck to anyone running or racing this weekend.

* ALL IMAGES USED IN THIS BLOG POST ARE EITHER MY OWN, NOT SUBJECT TO COPYRIGHT OR REUSED WITH KIND PERMISSION *

Making Good Progress

A while since my last blog - pleased to say that for no other reason than because I've been too busy running. Although a recent visit to my consultant has knocked the wind out of my sails a bit - more on this later. Positives first - and since I last wrote, I have to say training has gone far better than I could have possibly anticipated.

I talked in my last post about running more for enjoyment than for times. I've been surprised at how quickly my fitness has come back. In the first week, I was starting my training runs around 10min mile pace and improving to 9min miles at best by the end. There was an element of fear that I'd do some damage, that possibly held me back a little, but it was essentially a lack of fitness that accounted for the pace, and as such it was easy to accept and nothing to worry about.



So after Thurlow 5, I had nothing else booked, and just began to increase how often I ran, and how far. I take part in a monthly mileage challenge organised by The Commando Runners - we're divided up into 4 divisions, and post our miles every time we run, and at the end of each month the top 3 get promotion and the bottom 3 get relegated. It's just a bit of fun, but it does often help encourage you to get out and do some mileage when you might otherwise not bother. Having dropped into division 2 following my period of inactivity, I had a bit of a go at getting promotion in the latter part of October, and although I didn't quite manage it, I was still pretty pleased with the mileage I managed in those first couple of weeks back running. Most of these runs were still at a pretty relaxed pace, but it was pleasing that I was experiencing little or no discomfort, either in the operated hip or indeed in the groin area.

After a couple of slightly achy runs to start with, I was surprised at how
quickly I regained full and comfortable movement in the hip joint.

As November began, I started to really ramp up the training. I joined another facebook page challenging us to "Run 100 miles in November." This isn't actually that many, if you're a serious runner - I suspect Mo does that in a week! - but it's a decent enough challenge for me at this stage of my rehabilitation. When I was training properly a while back I reckoned on about 30 -35 miles a week, so this seems a good way to gauge how I am progressing. I've reached 50 miles so far, and not yet half way through the month, so I think I'll nail the target - and it really hasn't proved too hard at all. I'm training the way I always preferred to - never really doing huge distances, but running most days, typically 5 or 6 miles at a time, and mixing those runs up so that some are tempo, some speedwork, some easy and some recovery.

As for routes - it all depends on the time of day I get to run. On a typical work day, at this time of year in the UK, it's not yet light when I leave home in the morning, and it's dark again before I get back. Since my village has no street lights, this means if I want to run outside I need to travel to one of the nearby towns to keep safe: I've tried running with a headlamp once or twice before, and it's really not safe on country roads, especially since many have no pavements! My three choices are to run in Cambridge after work, or get home and then travel to either Newmarket or Haverhill.

I've had a couple of really nice runs in Newmarket, and found a particularly good 2 mile loop which I'll run 2 or 3 times to get my miles in. I quite enjoy running laps like this, and as my fitness has returned I've turned these into progression runs - gradually building pace throughout, and finding I'm capable of building up to 7 min mile pace quite comfortably by the end.

Another good route I've been using is our club's 5km time trial course, in Haverhill. It's a combination of pavement and dirt path, and just has one slight incline in it. The fact that it takes me 20 mins to drive there, and of course another 20 mins drive home, means that I want to make sure it's worth my while going, and I don't just want to do 5km. So I've been running it twice - but usually the opposite of a progression run, pushing a bit harder on the first effort and then just relaxing and taking it easy the second time round, again just so I can get some more miles under my belt.

My front garden. Genuinely.
(Only up to the hedge though -
 I don't rent the whole of
Cambridgeshire!)

But the best days are home study days - as I mentioned in my last post, I give myself a nice long break mid way through the day, and that's when I can do a longer run, in daylight, in the picturesque countryside that I'm so lucky to live in. Kirtling is right on the Cambridgeshire/Suffolk borders, and is truly beautiful - it's probably yet another sign of getting old that I'm enjoying the autumnal colours, whilst looking forward to seeing what it looks like in Winter too. My God, what has happened to
me?!

The furthest I've run so far since the operation was on one of these study days, when I managed just over 8 miles - but generally I'll run a 10km loop that I've found, which is challenging enough, what with the undulating landscape, the tough winds on the open parts, and the BMW drivers going too fast round corners (I now have a nice thorn-bush scar to go with the ones from my surgery - it was either the hedge or the bonnet!) If I'm free, I'll get out and run locally at the weekend too - but as you'll know if you're a regular reader, in an ideal world, weekends mean....racing.

Which leads me nicely into a report on the Histon 10km that I ran a couple of weeks back (you see how well planned this blog is...?)

Histon Bonfire Burn 10km

Nothing to do with the race to be honest,
just a random picture of a bonfire
I took when Harry and I went to a local display
in Linton last weekend.

So named due to its proximity to 5th November, and nothing to do with the lactic acid build up you get doing a hard 10km, I ran this back in 2012, and remember (remember) it well. In fact I remember it being horrific. I'd got there straight from a night shift driving coaches, and recall feeling somewhat tired and thoroughly drenched as we waited at the start line. There was a delay to the start - I don't recall why - and we all got wetter, and colder, and more and more miserable: it was without a doubt the most unhappy start area I've ever been in! I don't think I ran particularly well that day, and I was hampered by the fact that I'd chosen to wear tracksuit trousers to race in. I'd never race in anything other than shorts now, but in fairness, this was my first year of running, I was young and I didn't know any better! Well, youngish.

To be honest, until I ran it again, which jogged a few memories, I didn't remember much specifically about the route, except that it runs in part along the guided bus way that takes you into Cambridge. The reason I recall the tracksuit trousers is because, towards the end of the race, they had become so soaked through with rain - and had become so heavy - that they were starting to slip down as I ran. This led to a terrible sprint finish: using one arm to pump properly (hips to lips, hips to lips) but having to use the other hand to hold up my trousers.

A multi-terrain route, now in its 5th year,
much like my joke about looking
out for Fawkes in the road. 

Anyway, I digress - back to this year - and rather like Thurlow, I went into the race with limited expectations. I did however know I was now capable of going a bit quicker, and set myself a target of 8 min mile pace: this would be about 50 mins for the whole 10km (6.2 miles.) Right at the last minute, concerned that I was going to beat myself up if I didn't manage this pace, and knowing that putting myself under time pressure was the worst possible thing to do at this early stage of my recovery, I changed my watch to kilometres rather than miles, in the slightly unrealistic hope that this would somehow make a difference.

Which of course it did - it made me try to run even faster! Mainly because I set off for the first kilometre at what felt like a comfortable pace, then checked the watch and saw it was 4m30, and then realised that if I could maintain that for the rest of the race I'd get a 45min time. When I first started racing, 45mins was a time I was always pretty happy with for the distance, and to get this so soon after I'd begun my "comeback" would be hugely encouraging.

I am being slightly more sensible than I may have been in the past however, and even with this new target firmly in mind, I determined not to push too hard, and to accept any drop off in pace should it occur. Which it did - unsurprisingly - during a woodland section that seemed to last forever, although in reality it can't have been more than about a mile. I was pretty pleased to then return to 4m30 pace for the remainder of the race, and came in around 45m30, a result which gave me as much pleasure as any of my quicker race results from earlier in the year.

In fact, I would say I was happier with that than when I went under 41mins for the first time, at Littleport back in July. It's all to do with perfomance versus expectation, so a time significantly quicker than I was expecting to be able to achieve here at Histon understandably brought a more positive reaction than when I tried and failed 4 times to go sub 40mins over the summer, even if I did improve my PB in 3 successive 10kms in the process.

Tuesday Training

It's much the same with the training - because it's going better than expected, I'm really getting a buzz from it, even if I'm not quite as fast as I was only a few months back. A case in point being this week on Tuesday at running club: 1km reps, which was always my favourite speedwork session. However, whereas in the past this has always involved 5 reps, trying to run each one at slightly quicker than 5km pace, this time we were told we'd be doing 8 (2 sets of 4.)

After a 1km warm-up - always a good idea to do one of these, and especially if you're going to try going fast! - we set off on the first rep, and after the kilometre is up, we walked back to the start point for the 2nd rep. After 4, we had a short break (3 mins) and then did another set of 4. You use the walk back to the start line as your recovery time - I always walk it as slowly as possible! - and the idea is to try to keep the same pace up throughout the session. I was chuffed to bits to hold on to 4min per km pace all evening - with a slightly quicker one to finish. Again, not quite as quick as I may have done a few months back, but actually not all that far off, and so much better than I imagined I'd do.

Unfortunately, this session did also prove to be a bit of a wake-up call, since I was in a fair bit of discomfort the next day. Clearly pushing that hard was not the best idea! Because it was a home study day, I determined to go out on a run anyway, but just at a slower pace. This was not a great idea either - which I kind of knew, but I really didn't want to waste a rare daylight running opportunity, as previously discussed. I got round my 6 mile loop, and actually kept up a reasonable pace, but really didn't enjoy it, and suffered the remainder of the day. It forced me to rest for the next two days, before attempting parkrun this morning - more in a bit. No race planned for Sunday, and so I'm free to spend a bonus day with my son, though I may possibly go for a training run first thing, depending on what racing parkrun has done to my aging body when I wake up in the morning!

I was really looking foward to parkrun, since I intended to race it. The 10km at Histon, and the speedwork session, had given me the confidence to aim for 7min mile pace, which would get me round in just under 22mins, so that was the target. If I could do that, it would give me confidence for a 10km I have planned at the end of the month, where I hope to run at a similar pace, to give me a 43min time, give or take. I can't help but set myself targets, but what's nice is that I'm getting a real sense of achievement hitting them, even though they're some way off my old times. And to be fair, they're pretty realistic targets, based on what I'm comfortably achieving in training - in fact, they're possibly not demanding enough, but I think for the time being it's better to err on the side of caution than push too hard and risk a setback. I would never have this attitude normally - always aim high, if your running's going well, go for a PB - but for the moment, I need to reign that in a bit! All the more so given the conversation I had on Thursday with my consultant:

Changing my fitness regime?

So my three month check-up, and it didn't quite go as expected - I thought we'd simply be confirming everything had gone well, and working out when to do the operation on the other hip. However, after I mentioned how my running was going, he showed concern that I was trying to do too much too soon, and told me that he doesn't let his professional athlete patients return to competition until at least 6 months after this operation. Whilst I'm far from being one of those, I think his point was that if I'm racing, rather than just running, then it's effectively the same thing, relatively speaking.

More concerning than this - he asked if I still wanted the other hip done, which seemed a strange question given that both need doing to resolve the groin problem, which is why I ended up with him in the first place. But this began to make more sense when he explained to me that, if I keep working the hip hard by running all the time, the chances are I'll end up back with him in half a year's time needing a full hip replacement.

Not something you particularly want to hear, probably not ever but particularly if you're only 41! I asked him to explain, since I'd been under the impression that these operations would allow me to return to full training and full racing, and hadn't appreciated that I'd still need to ease off -- in fact if I'd known this, perhaps I wouldn't even have gone through with the operation at all, since it's only really when I train fully that the pain becomes unbearable - if I just stick to occasional running, I only experience a little discomfort, which I've learnt to put up with.

You want me to replace running with swimming? Are you mad?

He's a really good man, and very patient, and he was happy to explain that effectively a hip joint only has a finite amount of "cycles" before it wears out and needs replacing. Because of the damage I've done to mine, and because of the abnormality that I've been running with (the excess bone that he's now shaved off) effectively my hips only have about half the usual number of cycles. As he says, the time it takes to use those up could be 30 years or 3 years - it all depends how hard you work the joint. In other words, keep doing the mileage and the intensity that I hoped to, and they're not going to hold up for very long. He suggested alternatives - swimming (my heart sank, much like I probably would if I tried this) and cycling, which is a little more appealing, but he's realistic enough to know he's not going to stop me running completely. And to be fair, he didn't say I should - but that I really need to cut down, and get my exercise fix in other ways that are less traumatic to the hips.

I have to say I came away from the appointment absolutely gutted, since I'd really not expected this at all. He did say I could book the next operation if I wanted to - and I have requested a date since I may as well complete the other side in the hope that the discomfort will finally be sorted, which he does still expect to be the case. If the recovery goes as well as after this first op, then I know that I'll be back running 7 weeks after op 2, and that it won't take too long to regain a reasonable level of fitness - however, I'll probably try to refrain from booking too many races for the first 6 months as per his suggestion, and perhaps use the time to try out cycling and see if I can get into that.

Getting some perspective

Fortunately, it only took 24hrs for me to snap out of my slightly pessimistic frame of mind, and to see the positives from the situation: what he's told me is clearly sensible advice, and there are plenty of good runners out there who swear by the cross-training they do - so perhaps I can cut back on the miles and still remain competitive. Any cardio-vascular work is going to help with my running, as will anything that helps core strength - and these are all areas that, when my running is going well, I tend to ignore: I only ever fall back on gym work when I can't run for some reason! So cycle, gym, and less running - that's clearly the way forward for me now, so I can get as much out of my hips as possible before they give up! Other things to consider are treadmill rather than outside - more cushioned, less trauma on the joints - and if I do run outside, going off road rather than always pounding the pavements (something Paula Radcliffe, amongst others, is a big advocate of for precisely that reason - and she knows what she's talking about!)

So that's where I'm at at the moment - slightly thrown after a really promising period of recovery, but hopefully sensible enough to understand and accept the suggestions. And of course, well aware of how fortunate I am to still be able to run when so many people can't for various reasons. There have genuinely been times recently - and I'm not sure I ever really thought I'd say this, but it's true - when I've just been running at a gentle pace, with decent music on my ipod, enjoying the scenery and just loving the fact I'm back running again, without really caring what pace I'm going at.

Parkrun this morning

Getting up early every day for work is one thing - getting up early to travel all the way to Colchester just to run 5km is quite another, so just as well that's not really why I go: it's far more for the opportunity to see some good friends. This morning, the alarm got snoozed a few too many times, and I found myself running late and unlikely to make the 9am start time. The option was there to go somewhere more local, but I decided I'd rather try to make it, safe in the knowledge that I could always join in a bit late and still record my time. Which was fine in theory, until I realised I'd forgotten my watch in the rush to get out of the house.

Bugger!
(Photo by Evan)

In the end, I made it to the start line some 8 minutes or so after everyone else had begun - in fact, 8m33 to be specific, which I know since I made sure I checked with the time-keepers before I set off, so I'd be able to work out my time later once the official results came out. Not having the watch made it tricky to pace, a task made harder by the fact that I was running on my own for the first part - but I felt I was doing okay, and I was quite enjoying the challenge of trying to catch up with everyone else! In the end, I calculated a time of 21m35, which was almost exactly the 7min average pace I'd hoped for, although I suspect if I saw the mileage splits I'd see a big difference between the first and the last, since I was puffing a bit by the end.

I'll always want to race, and when I do, I'll always want to push myself to achieve targets. So long as I'm sensible about how I train in between, there's no reason why I can't keep doing that - just fewer races, more cross-training, and perhaps slightly more realistic long-term aims. I doubt very much that a 3hr30 marathon is within my grasp, based both on previous performances and this new, lower-mileage approach that I'm going to have to adopt -- but I would still like to have another go at breaking the 4hr barrier. More immediately - and perhaps more realistically -  I still reckon I can get my 10km time under 40mins, and hopefully my 5km time under 18.

I have plenty of running friends who are no longer able to do the miles they once did, or at the intensity they once could, for a whole variety of reasons. But they've not given up, they've just adapted their approach to running, and they still appear to enjoy it as a result.

A couple of friends have suggested that, if I do get into cycling, I could consider duathlons. Perhaps if I get into this, I may then start to think about getting some swimming lessons and doing some triathlons in the future too. There are always alternatives out there - and I reckon I still have a few more years of competing left in me yet.

* ALL IMAGES USED IN THIS BLOG POST ARE EITHER MY OWN, NOT SUBJECT TO COPYRIGHT OR REUSED WITH KIND PERMISSION *

Back running again

So last Thursday I got the news I'd been waiting for from my physio Emily, who checked me out on the treadmill and gave me the go-ahead to recommence running. What she was interested in was whether I was coming down too heavily on my good side to compensate for any discomfort in the operated side (in other words, running with a limp) but it appeared that, if I was, it was only very slight, and I promised I'd only run short distances to start with, and stop if I felt too much discomfort in the hip area.

A study day Friday (working from home) gave me the opportunity to take a decent break mid way through the afternoon and get out for my first run in over 7 weeks. With the nights drawing in (wow, that's the kind of thing old people say) opportunities for daylight running when you work full-time are not easy to find. Since I'm at home most Fridays, this will probably become my "long run" day once I've got back into a regular training regime - if I have to do most of my running on a treadmill during the winter months I'm fine with that, but anything further than 5 miles and I'd prefer to do it outside, particularly since the countryside around here is so nice.

Time for a break perhaps?

I'm surprisingly good at putting in a full day when working from home - it helps having a dedicated study room, where I lock myself away with my manuals, calculator and usually a packet of biscuits - and doing a full day is necessary since there's lots to get through each week. However, as long as I get 7 or 8 hours in, I can be flexible about when I do them, and the break from attempting to balance accounts will probably do me the world of good and keep me from going completely bonkers (it's hard work!)

But for the time being, I don't even need to take that long a break, since I'd promised to keep the runs short. I had envisaged doing about 3 miles, but taking my time on this first run, running at recovery pace (10min miles) and probably being on my feet for around half an hour. The ideal first work-out, and it would have gone according to plan if the loop I ran had worked out at 5km as expected. However, it didn't. In fact, it wasn't even a loop. Or at least, it may have been had I stuck with it for long enough, but I didn't much fancy completing an ultra on my first run back.

In fairness, this was my first run since moving to Kirtling, and I'm only really familiar with the roads I need to take me to Cambridge (for work,) or to Haverhill (for Harry.) Running is a really good way to discover how all the local roads link up, and to get to know your local area, and there are going to be some lovely routes for me to train on as I build my mileage back up. For now though, I just needed a short loop, and I relied purely on my sense of direction to find one. Big mistake! As my watch moved on to the 4 mile mark, my body was definitely telling me I'd done enough, but unfortunately I didn't appear to be getting any nearer to home.

Time to log my miles

At 4.37 miles I noticed an information board set back off the road, by a small river, and so I stopped and went to investigate, to see if I could figure out where I was. This was made easy for me because, in addition to some information telling me all about the importance of the river Stour (very interesting I'm sure, but I found it hard to care at the time) there was a map showing the route I'd taken. From this, and with my Garmin, I was able to calculate how far away from home I was. Basically, 4.37miles! So it could actually form part of a big loop, taking in Great Bradley and Thurlow, and would be a really nice long run route, but for now it was just plain annoying. There was no option but to turn and go back the way I'd come - there were some public footpaths and bridleways marked that may have offered a more direct route back but I knew I'd get lost in a field in the middle of no-where within a mile or so, and decided to stick with the roads I'd just come down.

So how had the actual running gone up until this point?

Ah, glad you asked - pretty well actually. In fact, had I got the distance right and completed after 3 miles or so, I'd have been chuffed to bits. It felt tough to start with, even at 10 min mile pace, which confirmed what I had suspected would be the case: ie, that I have lost a lot of fitness in the last 7 weeks. I didn't really hit the gym as much as I should have in my recovery period, and so my cardio-vascular fitness has suffered as a result. A lesson to learn for when I have the other hip done. But no matter - it just meant that the pace felt quite tough to start with, and I just concentrated on trying to run as smoothly as possible and to try to regulate my breathing as much as I could. It gradually got easier, and my pace picked up slightly, meaning I got up to around 9 min mile pace by the 3rd mile. This was more than fast enough, and I felt surprisingly comfortable in terms of the hip - but as I got to around 5km distance, I began to feel some groin discomfort, which steadily grew throughout the next mile. Not entirely unexpected - I've only had one hip done, so I would anticipate the unoperated side will still cause the old problem to flare up, and to start with the pain did seem to be primarily on that side, which is promising I guess. However, by the time I'd completed 4 miles it was more central, and I was more than ready to stop.

What were my immediate aims?

Another good question - and the answer, unsurprisingly for those that know me, was to get back racing asap. As in, the next day at parkrun. And the day after, at the Thurlow 5. Of course, I use the term "racing" quite wrongly, since I had no intention of trying to run quickly at either of them - but I wanted to get round at both without having to stop and walk. Honestly, just that. This was the main reason for doing the training run - I didn't know how realistic it was to go out and run 3.1 miles on the Saturday, let alone 5 on the Sunday, so I wanted to see what I was capable of. Consequently, I was happy with the way the first 3 miles had gone, and I'd managed over 4 before I'd stopped, so both the parkrun and the 5 miler were looking doable. In fact, I only really had one dilemma now. How was I going to get home?

So, how did I get home?

With no phone on me to call for back up (not sure I'd have bothered anyone I knew, but I may have been tempted to find a taxi company!) I had little option but to turn round and begin walking back.
With the groin pain already kicked in, it didn't seem wise to attempt to run home, especially if I intended to run the next couple of days. However, walking takes ages - and by 1 mile, with 3 more to go, I was itching to speed things up a bit! I decided to run the next mile, which I managed with relatively little increase in discomfort, and then walked the next and finished off by running the last 1 and a bit. Reasonably sensible then, although it meant my total mileage was over 6 miles, which was about double what I'd originally intended. And I was in a fair amount of pain when I finally collapsed on the sofa!

Colchester Castle Parkrun

The next morning I needed an early start to get to Colchester for 9am. Obviously there are closer parkruns for me - Cambridge is now my nearest, and Thetford, Nowton Park and Gt Cornard are all still pretty local too - but I wanted to combine the trip with a visit to see my Mum, and Colchester would give me a chance to catch up with some good friends too. As such, I intended to go even if I wasn't up to running, which was just as well because I was still in an amount of discomfort as I set off for the hour or so's drive, unsure if I would actually run or just support. In the event, I decided right at the last minute, walking up the hill to the bandstand, that I'd give it a go, and I'm really glad I did, because everything was absolutely fine.

I set off near the back of the field, with a target in mind of 30mins, which would allow me to run at

Friends told me to take it steady, but
there was never any danger I'd do
anything else - first race back was
all about getting round, nothing more.

around 10min mile pace, which I knew from the previous day's exertions would be okay. Of greatest importance however was not this time target, but to get round in one piece, continuing to work my under-used running muscles, and getting my hip used to the movement of running again. I don't really see this period between now and Christmas as anything other than an opportunity to get back to a decent level of fitness again prior to the second operation - I'm certainly not expecting to get anywhere near my old times - and in some ways this takes a lot of the pressure off: certainly I didn't experience the pre-race nerves I'm so used to, and I guess I'm not going to if I'm deliberately running nearer the back than the front.

That said, I did speed up a bit as I made my way round, much like on the training run, so I finished at nearer to 9min mile pace than 10. Overall time was under 29mins, so job done, and the cake afterwards felt well-earnt!

Thurlow 5

It's important that I keep up with the stretching and rehabilitation exercises set for me, since I won't be fully recovered until 16 weeks after the operation, so I'm only just about half way through at this point. They should also help me as a runner, and I'm sure doing a full set on the Saturday helped aid my recovery for the next day, because I woke up on the Sunday feeling really good. The groin pain had gone, and other than a bit of achiness in the quads, I was raring to go.

I had a sneaky look at the Suffolk Grand Prix standings as I ate my breakfast, and at the race entries for the day, and calculated that just getting round would probably give me a decent score. I've bored you all with this before, but just to recap, it's based on finishing position amongst other Suffolk runners within your age category, and in a relatively small race such as this, there won't actually be that many. (The size of the race this year was further diluted because there were two options, the 5 mile being new, and the more established 10 mile option that I've run on two previous occasions.) You could finish last in your age category, but if there were only 10 of you, that would still give you 91 points. (Thinking about it, on that proviso, you could finish last in the whole race and still pick up the same points!) Discount the runners ahead of you who weren't representing Suffolk clubs, and your score would be even higher.

Working all this out increased my determination to get round - you could argue that it makes a bit of a mockery of the competition, and you may be right, but whereas I might normally feel slightly embarrassed about picking up a decent score despite a poor performance, on this occasion I felt I could justifiably claim whatever points I could get - especially since I'd had to miss the previous two races of the series, and completing 5 miles was going to be quite a big achievement for me at this stage of my recovery. The final race of the series is mid December, and I hope to be back to a slightly quicker pace by then, albeit not at my best - and this will then give me the 5 races I need to post the most competitive final points score I can.

Other duties

In fairness, we started off pretty organised, but
hadn't factored in the last minute rush

Since the Thurlow fixture is the one organised by our own club, I felt I should really do something to help out - particularly since I've run it a couple of times previously, and last year I ran Saxon 5 the same day, so I've never actually volunteered for this one - and it's really the convention to do so at your own club's race. Up until recently I feel I've pulled my weight elsewhere within the club, but due to work pressures I've had to step down from the various roles I held, so I really wanted to do something to help this year. The trick was to find a role that would also allow me to run - so I ended up helping with the baggage drop off. I'm not sure how this may have affected me had I been going for a time - I like to be quite specific about when I eat breakfast, when and how much I drink, when I do my warm up, not to mention visits to the loo, etc, and this pre-race routine can make quite a difference to your performance. On this occasion though, I was happy to get there much earlier than normal, and help take in the bags right up until a few minutes before the start, and as a result I went to the start line unusually chilled out!

The race itself

I say went to the start line, but in fact I deliberately stood some way back - I wasn't going to be troubling the engravers in this particular race! - and I set off nice and steady, wanting to just get under way and settle into a rhythm in the early stages of the race. I keep saying race, but I wasn't really viewing it as such - certainly not in the same way I ordinarily would - and as a result I felt no pressure whatsoever to hit a particular pace or gain positions at any point. I had a vague idea that I might get around 46 minutes, which would match my pace from parkrun the day before, but I wasn't too worried if I didn't - primarily, I wanted to avoid stopping and/or walking at any point, and hopefully - although this was out of my control - avoid any pain or discomfort on the way round.

The route is much more uphill in the first half than it is the second, and whilst it's good to get the tough part done, it didn't make for an easy opening couple of miles. But it was lack of fitness, not hip/groin related issues, that made it tough - and so that was fine, and just required an amount of willpower to overcome. I was pathetically grateful for the water station at the halfway point, and even though I only took a couple of sips, it gave me a much needed boost. This didn't last, however, and at around 3 miles I almost stopped to walk for a bit - but only almost! The guy up ahead of me was alternating between walking and running, and I didn't appear to be gaining on him, which was slightly depressing! When he ran he looked a fairly decent runner, and I wonder if perhaps he's on his way back from injury too. His tactic looked very appealing as I huffed and puffed my way up yet another hill, but I elected to simply bring down the effort and just dig in and keep running.

I was rewarded for this resolve with a nice down hill section, which allowed me to actually increase pace even though I'd eased off the effort a bit. This must have spurred me on because, looking at my mile splits, I can see a big improvement in the latter part of the race:

Mile 1: 9m22
Mile 2: 9m16
Mile 3: 9m03
Mile 4: 8m02
Mile 5: 8m12

So a finish time of 44mins dead. I'm not going to say "almost literally dead" because I'm pretty sure I've used that joke in a previous blog post, and it probably wasn't all that funny then either. But suffice to say I was pretty pleased with that. Ok, it's 13 mins off a pb for the distance, but I feel like I'm starting again, and so the next time I race a 5 mile, I'll be comparing it with this new post operation time, and looking to see a gradual improvement. Best news of all, absolutely no groin discomfort whatsoever - why that should be I don't know, but I'll go with it.

The results

I've just looked at the official results properly for the first time, to calculate my Suffolk GP points. The fact that I've only just done so, whereas normally I'd be anxiously awaiting the email on race day, confirms that this was a very different race-day experience for me; still a rewarding one - just a lot more relaxed. Possibly, with work pressures growing, this is a healthy thing for me. I talked in my previous blog about how I can use running as an escape valve, but I rarely run without a demanding target, and I then beat myself up if I fail to achieve it. So sometimes it can be counter-productive, adding to the stress levels rather than reducing them. I had an interesting chat in the cafe after parkrun with some good friends, when we discussed whether we actually enjoy running or not - I declared that I enjoy racing rather than the training, and it's certainly true that it's race-day that I've missed the most over the last 7 weeks: hence why I did two in two days over this last weekend. But I think maybe somewhere along the way I've forgotten why I first fell in love with running: and it's not the first time I've reflected on that fact in my blog posts over the last couple of years.

So it may be that this operation - and stop me if I become overly philosophical here - will actually end up being a good thing for my overall understanding of why I run, and the importance of it. I have certainly accepted that, for the time being at least, and quite probably until some time after the 2nd operation, I will be unable to get anywhere near my old times. It won't stop me trying to get nearer - I look at the last couple of miles at Thurlow and am already plotting an 8min mile paced parkrun in a couple of weeks - but I think it may help me to enjoy my running a bit more, as I take my time to improve gradually, rather than aiming for a new pb every week.

This is a provisional list, and needs filling
out a bit. But the essentials are there.

But despite this, clearly I will always remain competitive - it's in my nature - and so back to the results. Position within age category - 6th, which sounds pretty decent, but there were only 7 of us! No matter, with only 3 of the 5 MV40s ahead of me running for Suffolk clubs, this means a points score of 97. It means I'll move up to 4th in my category, so well worth doing the race for that reason, although with only one race left, the top 3 are too far ahead for me to catch, no matter how well Waveney 10 may or may not go. Next year, with my 2nd operation probably only ruling me out of the first fixture, I intend to have a real go at the competition again, and as always the fixtures will undoubtedly form the backbone of my racing calendar.

And I do intend to get some structured training in place next year, to identify some other key races, to chose some PBs to target - it's part of what makes me tick. But, bottom line, if I can run without pain once this is all done, I'll be very grateful to everyone who's helped fix me, and I'll appreciate the fact I can run that much more. Running in discomfort for two and a bit years has no doubt eroded a lot of the enjoyment for me - how could it not? - but I think there's more to it than that, and I intend to keep a closer eye on this as I progress.


I never really understood people who ran purely for enjoyment rather than for times, but I think perhaps I do a bit more now. Certainly, for the moment, I'm just very happy to be back.

Missing my Escape Valve

Not long since my last blog, but I felt inspired to post again having read an excellent article in the latest edition of Runner's World magazine, about Andy Baddeley and his battle with depression.

For those who don't know who Andy is, I should give a brief resume of his running career. He's represented team GB at numerous major championships - he's been a Commonwealth, European and World Championship finalist, made the final of the Beijing Olympics and also competed at London 2012, as a 1500 metre specialist. Although he set a new 1500m PB that year, he had already begun to think about a move up in distance to 5km, and indeed set his PBs for 3km and 5km in 2012 too. On Saturday 11th August 2012, he rocked up at Bushy Park, and ran 5km in 13m48, which remains the parkrun World Record.

"I appreciate you just ran under 14mins, but if you forgot your barcode I'm afraid I'll still have to put you down as Unknown"

So all in all, a bit of a running hero of mine. But then, some time in late 2012, he began to suffer from injury problems, and has barely competed since. His last competitive race was back in September 2013, indeed he posted a sub 4 min mile, showing just how good he was even when not in peak condition: but nothing since. And this long period away from the sport he loves - and indeed, the sport that has been his job for so long - has led him into depression.

He wrote a blog about this on his website back in May 2015, which I hadn't known about until I read about it this week in Runner's World. It's well worth a read - incredibly insightful and very honest. (There's a link at the foot of this post)

He deals with how hard it's been for him, being unable to compete when that's what he does for a living, and for him a lot of the problem stems from a perceived loss of identity. When people ask him what he does, he still says "I'm a runner" - but he states that there have only been a handful of days over the last 3 years when he feels that's actually been an accurate description. However, in the magazine article. he also states he understands that being unable to run can seriously affect amateur athletes too, of all levels.

I find this particularly interesting because one of the main reasons I love running is because I find it offers a great release from the pressures of every day life. I'm not sure I can say that I suffer from depression - if so, I've certainly never had it diagnosed - but I do have low periods, occasionally very low, and on those days a run can feel like a life saver. Running allows me to set myself specific goals, and work hard towards them, giving me a clear focus to get through difficult times. And, without fail, no matter how bad a day feels, it always feels a bit better when I get back home from a run.

Therefore, knowing I would be unable to run for a fair few weeks, I had concerns that I may struggle a bit with my mental wellbeing following the operation. I didn't think not being able to run would lead to depression, but I was worried that if other factors were getting me down, I wouldn't be able to run them off the way I normally would - my usual escape valve was not going to be available to me.

What do you mean, go for a run? I'm absolutely fine...

And, despite initially being quite surprised at how well I'd coped, unfortunately my concerns do now seem to be proving well-founded, and I find myself struggling to get through each day at the moment. In addition to some personal issues I won't bore you with, I've been finding my new job - and specifically, the studying that runs alongside it - much harder than I anticipated. It's taking all my time - long days and working on it most evenings too - and I frequently question whether I'm really cut out for such a demanding position. I won't give up, because it's a great opportunity, and nor am I complaining, but I am seriously doubting my ability, and I know I would feel so much better about myself if I could get out and run each day. Even if just for a couple of miles, which is probably all I'd have time to do at the moment.

This week has seen a bit of a set-back in my post operation progress - the first really, in fairness - but not for any physical reason. I had to rearrange my physio appointment due to an unexpected work commitment, and unfortunately there was no new slot available until 9 days later. The relevance being that this was to be the appointment where I was checked out on the treadmill, and - if all went well - given the go-ahead to recommence running. Despite huge temptation to just start running anyway - after all, I've gone past the 6 week period required to ensure the labram has healed - I've made the sensible decision to wait until the new appointment, and until I'm officially given permission. No point taking a risk at this stage, and setting myself back. And it's just one of those things - but it just seems like a real kick in the teeth at a time when I really need to run!

Running has always given me a sense of self-worth, and an often much needed confidence boost, and in addition it has been at the centre of my social life too for the last few years. For these reasons, and many others besides, I can't wait until my newly arranged appointment next Thursday when - fingers' crossed - my physio gives me the green light. This is only 3 days before the Thurlow 5, which I may or may not now run: I'll probably go for a run on Thursday if allowed, and another on Friday, and then see how I feel. I would expect a certain amount of soreness in the hip joint, but it may well be the lack of fitness that proves to be the bigger issue.

I certainly don't expect to be particularly fast - but if I think I can complete the 5 miles, I will - and it'll be great to get back out there again. For all kinds of reason.

NB: I've only been out of running for 6 weeks. This is nothing compared to what many others have gone through or are currently going through. For anyone reading this who is currently struggling with injury or illness, mental or otherwise, I wish you a speedy recovery. Andy Baddeley still hopes to make the Rio Olympics next year. And I can't recommend his blog highly enough: Andrew Baddeley's Blog

The Operation

For as long as I’ve been blogging, I’ve been mentioning the ongoing issue I’ve had with groin pain and general discomfort, which I first noticed back in June 2013. It took a long time before I ended up under the care of Mr Khanduja, a consultant in Cambridge who specialises in knee and hip surgery, but I was confident as soon as I was referred to him that we were finally getting somewhere – he certainly appears to be highly regarded in his particular field.

Even with his expert care, it still took 10 months from my first appointment with him before I finally had the first of two operations that should – fingers crossed – finally sort out the problem. But in that 10 months, I had X-rays, an Ultrasound, an MRI scan, Hip Manipulation – and all this led to the conclusion that the pain has been caused by a problem in the hip area, and that there was a need for a hip arthroscopy on each side to confirm and then rectify the issue.

What happened in Surgery?

For a start, we needed the camera to confirm the exact nature of the problem, and so it was good news to discover there was a clear cause. I’m unsure if “bone spur” is the correct term (I’m going to go with it because it sounds like I know what I’m talking about,) but essentially there was too much bone at the top of my femur, where it fits into the hip joint – this would have formed many years ago whilst I was still growing, and is most likely the result of a sporty childhood: I used to do a lot of gymnastics when I was a kid, and chatting afterwards, the nurse felt this may well have been the cause. Anyway, whether or not this was the reason is irrelevant – the point is, this excess of bone then became a problem in later life when I took up running, and eventually resulted in a labral tear, as a result of the friction.

The labram is an area of cartilage that lines the hip socket and a tear here can lead to groin pain, so it fits perfectly with what I’ve been experiencing. The physio who first referred me to Mr Khanduja had thought the problem may be a sportman’s henia, and a google search for “labral tear” does state the symptoms of the two conditions to be very similar. The physio did say to me at the time that even if it wasn’t that, then the referral to this particular consultant would definitely result in the problem being resolved. I’m now very confident he was correct – and it transpires that keyhole surgery on this condition has only been possible in recent years, with very few surgeons capable of carrying out the operation, so I’ve been very fortunate in some regards. The operation took just over 2 hours, and involved two “fixes” – firstly to repair the tear, which involved putting in an anchor in, and secondly to shave off the offending bit of bone, to stop it happening again. There is an assumption that exactly the same situation exists in the other hip, hence the need for a second operation later on to correct this one too.

Mr Khanduja did mention to me that the hip joint wasn’t in great shape in general, but he seemed confident that what he’d done would fix the problem – of course, the difficulty is that we won’t really know even once everything’s healed up, because the other hip will then need doing, and we need to allow at least 16 weeks for the full recovery of the right hip before we can do the left. And because the discomfort is central (deferred from both hips) there’s unlikely to be any obvious improvement until both hips have had the procedure completed. However, given that a significant problem was found – and fixed – then I have to assume that it will do the trick.

The rehabilitation

Well that could have gone a bit better

I’m writing this almost 6 weeks after my right hip has been operated on, and it all seems to have gone very well. After the first couple of days, when I was in an amount of pain and needed the codeine tablets I was sent home with, I was pleasantly surprised at how quickly I recovered – I was done using crutches within 2 weeks, and experienced very little discomfort in general. I mentioned in my last post that I was moving in to a new property two days before the operation, and the priority was to get everything heavy moved into the correct position beforehand – but in fact I found I was mobile enough the day after to continue to get the house sorted, and the two weeks rest I had before starting my new job was plenty – I was absolutely fine to drive and work with no problems at all, although attempting to mow the lawn was probably slightly too ambitious...

I was given a set of exercises that I needed to follow, 3 times a day, to ensure I regained full movement in the hip joint as soon as possible. The first week’s routine involved isometric exercises and some gentle stretches, to work the thigh muscles and the glutes in particular. To work the hip abductors I had to use a belt around my thighs and push against this, working the muscles but restricting movement since any external rotation of the hip needed to be avoided for at least 6 weeks. Week two added in some internal rotation movements, and was followed by the first outpatient physiotherapy appointment.

My physio, Emily, is a runner herself, which is exactly what you want when you’re on the road to recovery – someone who understands how keen you are to get back out there. She showed me some additional exercises, and two weeks later I was back again to have even more added to my programme, which now takes longer than most of the training runs I used to do! Each type of stretch and movement has become gradually easier over time, suggesting the rehabilitation is going well. As an added and unexpected bonus, I think I understand how to stretch effectively far better than I did before – having a trained physio showing you certainly helps – and I intend to dedicate more time every day to this important aspect of overall fitness and wellbeing, even once I’m fully recovered.

When can I run again?

Best news of all is that I am allowed to commence running again next week. This is much earlier than I originally thought, although I’m not entirely sure what I’ll be able to achieve when I do get back out there, since it will only be a matter of time before I need to stop again for the second operation. I imagine it’s going to take a while to build up from 6 weeks off – I had intended to use the gym regularly in the meantime, but my new job has taken up nearly all of my time, and I’ve only been a few times. Today for the first time I tried out the cross-trainer, and was surprised at just how unfit I appear to have become in such a short time. The extra stone and a bit I’ve put on isn’t helping either! I can’t believe I’ll get back to proper race pace before it’s time for the next operation, but it seems to me a good idea to go into the second op having rebuilt as much fitness as possible, so that once I’ve had the other hip sorted, I can get back quicker – a much better idea than simply abandoning all exercise until both are done, which would mean having to start running again after at least 23 weeks out - a much harder task!

I wasn't sure how much to push the music degree - I think
I got the balance just about right

I’m also hugely relieved that the initial recovery was so quick, since it means I can pretty much accept any date for the second operation – there doesn’t appear to be any need to take two weeks off afterwards, let alone the four to six week period they officially recommend. Knowing I was able to move about quite comfortably within only 2 or 3 days of the procedure means that, whilst I shall still book some days off to be on the safe side, I’m confident I’ll be able to hobble along to any tutorials or meetings, and therefore not miss out on anything important. I’m very fortunate that the graduate programme is open to anyone with a degree, regardless of age (and indeed, regardless of what subject that degree was in, since mine is in music, which is not an obvious fit!) – I’m one of the oldest of the new recruits, but I still have plenty of years left to build a good career there, with successful completion of the course guaranteeing a managerial position just for starters.

The course is hard work though, and it’s taken all my time and effort over the last few weeks to keep on top of it. This has no doubt helped divert my attention from the fact that I can’t run – on particularly tough days I do desperately miss not being able to pull on the trainers and run off some anxieties and worries, but in the main I’m not sure I’d have had the time most days for any kind of decent mileage. 

This situation will no doubt ease as I get more used to the new position, and hopefully by the time of my next blog, I’ll have had the go-ahead to get back out running again – if so, I know I’ll find the time to do so.

Running with the Elite - the Ipswich Twilight 5km

Having fallen a bit behind with my blogging, the following was written a couple of weeks back, and a more recent blog will follow shortly....

You have to believe in yourself if you're going to achieve your best. So long as you don't cross over the line and become annoyingly over-confident, then I truly believe this is a really positive attitude and is a major factor in racing well.

A couple of years ago, I entered an "elite" 5km race at the Bury track, which was for anyone able to go sub 20mins. There was no official qualification required, you just chose on the night which race to enter - the elite or the open. I'd only gone under 20 a couple of times at that point, but I felt I'd probably go a bit quicker on a proper running track, so took the plunge and put my name down. Things went badly, I didn't get under 20mins, and ended up last. I found it tough to deal with the disappointment, and decided at the time that I wouldn't ever enter an "elite" race again - or at least, not until I was good enough to properly belong in one.

Fast forward to Friday 14th August 2015 - and the start line of the Ipswich Twilight 5km, for "elite" runners! 

Qualifying

This time you did actually need to submit a qualifying time from a race in 2015 - the criteria being sub 20mins for a 5km, or sub 40mins for a 10km. I think I've mentioned before in a previous blog post that they wouldn't accept parkrun results, meaning that I spent most of the year thinking I wouldn't be able to compete it this one, since there are very few non-parkrun, UKA certified 5kms in which to try to get the time. I tried on 4 separate occasions to get the sub 40min 10km instead, but whilst I've chipped away at my PB over the last few months, it's still nearly a minute out. The Kevin Henry 5k series I race in does include one race - our club's home fixture, the Kedington 5km - that is properly certified, and therefore would count, so I was chuffed to bits to record a time of 19m38 a few weeks before. I was in!

Operation

And then I was out - or at least, I was for a time, since the original date of my first operation was only a few weeks before, not allowing enough time for recovery. Fortunately, they decided to change the date of the operation, and whilst this was initally a bit frustrating, in fact it's all worked out really well - for reasons I'll bore you with later - and as an added bonus, it meant I could still race Ipswich. So, back in, and really looking forward to it.

Slowing up - the ELY 5km

Ely is best known for its Cathedral. According to its official
webpage, other good reasons to visit are that it's quite close
to Cambridge and Newmarket. And only an hour from London.

My last post covered the Littleport 10km, which - although a marginal PB - was not the sub 40 I really wanted. It was clear that the discomfort was now significantly affecting my running, and this was confirmed the following Thursday when I competed in the KH fixture at Ely. Another 5km race (my 101st since I started running!) and on a new course which was fast and flat. I went off pretty well (first mile around 6mins,) felt good until halfway - even thought I may be on for a sub 19min at one point - before the wheels fell off completely, and in the end I didn't quite break 20mins. The discomfort played its part, but so too the lack of training. Suffice to say, I felt pretty down afterwards,

International Racing (sort of)

Confusingly, there is another parkrun in Wales in a place
called Tredegar, so this particular parkrun is known as Newport.
It's become a very popular event, in a great location.

The next day we travelled down to Wales, to stay with Charlotte's sister Victoria and her partner Mark for the weekend. On the agenda was a parkrun at Tredegar House, Newport - we'd done it about a year ago and I was keen to try to improve on my time. Unusually, I set myself a realistic target for this one - just try to get under 20mins, nothing more than that. The course was harder than I'd remembered, but I dug in and just managed it - and I was pretty pleased with a top 20 finish in a field of over 400: like most parkruns, it's grown tremendously in the last year. 

Mark is steadily improving, and wasn't far behind - it's fair to say we've extended our friendly rivalry to multiple disciplines, and whilst I may have won this one, he was marginal victor later on in our back garden cricket match, and then proceeded to thrash me at Fifa on the Xbox. I did regain a little pride later in the evening during trivial pursuits, being a cheese ahead before we all lost the will to live. We've now embarked on a season long Fantasy Football League competition - this is going to run and run!

A mention too for Mei, Charlotte's 12 year old relative, whose sprint finish at parkrun was pretty impressive. Although a little way off his PB, this was then put into perspective when we realised he was in clear need of his inhaler at the end - yet he hadn't let this stop him. Maintaining relaxed and controlled breathing in a 5km race is hard enough - I can't imagine having to battle against asthma on the way round, and it's this kind of determination in a runner that really impresses me.

Some non-running stuff (skip it if you like)

So the day of the Twilight 5km was also my last day working at Natural England. This has been a great temporary position, which I've done since January. Thanks to Charlotte's support, and prior to that the help of my mum, I've been able to step away from full-time coach driving, which I did for more years than I care to remember, and to pursue a new career in office work. Step one was to go part time, and study for a diploma. Armed with this, I then began applying for all sorts of great positions, and found no-one would take me on - the qualification didn't seem to count for much without some experience to go alongside. I joined numerous temping agencies, and accepted that I may need to reduce my expectations - I was no longer after the dream job: just any job would do! 

Amongst other opportunities, I applied to get onto a Civil Service Graduate Scheme. This involved an initial application followed by two stages on online tests (numeracy and literacy, verbal reasoning, etc) - and if you got through all this, you'd be invited to a two-day assessment centre for the final stage. I began the application process in November, but with over 13000 applicants fighting for only 250 places, it seemed wise to keep looking elsewhere!

Finally, in January, an agency found me a position as an administrator at Natural England. Poorly paid, but promising some much needed office experience. I couldn't have given up the coach driving (which is relatively well-paid) to take this position without Charlotte's help - we both saw it as a step back to (hopefully) take two steps forward, but it was a bit of a gamble financially, and I desperately hoped the experience I would gain would enable to me to get a better-paid job in the near future.

The job itself has been interesting, and has certainly helped me become much more computer literate, and to learn how to organise my time/workload etc. The work-life balance is great - I've loved flexi-time in particular, and it's meant I've been able to arrange work around the things that really matter (Charlotte, Harry, racing, etc!) In March, having got through the online test stages, and following a very intense couple of days at the assessment centre, I found out that I had been accepted on the graduate scheme, to start in September. Suddenly, everything was working out perfectly - the position at Natural England was open-ended, so I knew I could continue to work there in the meantime, with a great job to look forward to. The graduate scheme pays pretty well from the outset, and at the end of the 4 year course, I should have a managerial position, together with a host of vocational qualifications and a new degree - and most importantly, for the first time in my life, instead of just having a job that pays the bills, I'll have a career, with prospects.

And the icing on the cake - it's in the same government offices in Cambridge that I've been working in these last few months, so I already know the building, can keep my gym membership (which will be crucial for my post-operation rehabilitation) and will still see my old Natural England colleagues around the place too.

We didn't quite get everything moved into
place before the operation,
but I managed to remain useful afterwards...

So having now worked my last day in my old job, I had almost a month off - but it promised to be pretty busy, starting with a week's holiday in France, followed by, the day after we got back, a house move. This wasn't planned, but our landlady needed her house back, so we didn't have a lot of choice. We found a really nice place not far away, in fact in a slightly better location for our respective new workplaces. Due back from Lyon on the Monday, we only had a couple of days that would work for a move date - either the Tuesday or the Wednesday - since the Thursday was the date for my first hip operation, and I was expected to be on crutches for a good couple of weeks afterwards, which wouldn't be ideal for moving house!
Those two weeks would hopefully be enough time for me to recover sufficiently to begin my new job 10th September (they recommend 4-6 weeks off work, but 2 would have to be enough!) I should probably mention at this point, as I tidy up this post and get ready to publish it, that I've had the operation and all has gone well - more next time though.

The Ipswich Twilight 5km

A race with some amazing runners,
but we all got the same medal -
and it's immediately become
one of the most valued I have

So back to the race - and what an amazing experience. After the 5k race, there was also to be a 10k, which attracted around 600 local runners, but our race only had about 100 entrants pre-race - and only 84 of those lined up at the start line. There were just 4 of us from Haverhill Running Club - and I think we were all a bit taken aback when a small group of additional runners joined us, conspicuous in that they had their names on their vests, rather than race numbers like the rest of us. It transpired that these runners had been invited by the organisers, Ipswich Jaffa (who, as always, put on a very impressive event) - invited in order to raise the profile of the race in its first year, since they were all top class athletes. Their names were announced to the crowd, together with lists of their achievements - and to give an idea of the strength of these runners, I've mentioned the podium finishers (with times) below. For anyone interested, you can find more about their achievements on the excellent thepowerof10 website

1. Ryan McLeod      14m10             1. Jessica Coulson   15m56
2. Andy Heyes         14m12             2. Lauren Howarth  16m26
3. Chris Thompson  14m15             3. Gemma Kersey    16m29


So with a mixture of anticipation and fear, we set off, and it immediately felt like a fast race - and that was without even trying to keep up with the leaders. The route was as fast and flat as they had promised, along closed roads and pavements, and with literally no excuses. Which was exactly what I needed - this would give me a true indication of my current level. And I have to say I was pleasantly surprised - much like at the parkrun the weekend before, I had limited my expectations to sub 20mins, and so managing to get just under 19m30 was much better than I'd hoped. Far more important than the time, though, was that I'd been able to close things before my operation with a decent run, in a great event, and with a smile on my face. Charlotte and Harry were there to support me, and we stayed to cheer on the 10k runners as they set off, before later learning that the other 3 HRC runners -
Sian-Marie, Siobhan and Mary Ann - had collected the 2nd female team award. A good night all round.

Near the back of the field (no.30) but an experience I wouldn't have missed for anything - and I hope to be back again next year.

So, a far more rewarding experience than my previous attempt to run with the elite - well worth taking the risk - and a good memory to bank as a I move into a period of non-running. I'm looking forward to getting through my operations, regaining fitness, and hopefully qualifying to try again next year.