21/08/2010 – The Wedding Journal

Well, our wedding went off without a hitch and the honeymoon was fantastic. At one point whilst packing I decided I would put in my running gear and run in the sunshine in Spain. But then I decided having had a break from running again for the previous few weeks I would leave it and maybe my foot would heal completely.

Ever since I started running again in May at my parents’ house in Norwich after a three-month break I have been plagued by injuries in my left leg that has the good foot! In Norwich I was able to run on the road for half an hour every night but suffered from groin strain. After a vigorous massage in a hot bath though, I was good to go the next night. When I got home and started running on the treadmill I started to suffer with a tight calf and groin strain on my left side. Even massages and stretches seemed to do little to relieve my injuries. One week I went out with the running group and strained my groin really badly, a few days later on the treadmill I was again struck with a painful calf and groin strain at the same time and had to stop running. This is the first time I have ever had to end a run early and it was pretty depressing.

I got to thinking that my left leg must be compensating by taking the strain off my injured right foot but this was something that I couldn’t help. Eden suggested going to see a private physio who specialised in running, and checked out possibilities on the Internet. I was unsure as I didn’t want to get my hopes up and had already taken on board a lengthy stretching routine prior to and after my runs suggested by a personal trainer, which wasn’t working. However, I rang this guy we found and he seemed very genuine and didn’t push me into anything but listened while I ummed and ahhed about seeing him. Eveuntually I went to see him and he was absolutely great. Appointments were one hour but I left after nearly two hours and got a student discount!

He took my history and then gave me some lengthy balancing exercises to do like one-legged squats. Then I laid on the couch while he manipulated my legs in every conceivable movement. I thought that after that I would be going home as time was getting on and I knew that he only watched people run on the treadmill if it was necessary. He then surprised me by asking me to follow him to the gym and asked me to run how I normally do on a treadmill and at my usual speed. He proceeded then to video my run. After about 15 minutes he told me to stop running and he put the video of me onto a big screen in front of us.

What we learned from the video was amazing and turned into the treatment that would eventually set me free from pain and injury. My running style was completely inefficient and seemed to be causing my injuries. After a three-month break I was running no differently to how I had run for the past six months before that but my muscles weren’t ready to return to that style of run at all.

Firstly, I ran completely ramrod straight and upright, landing on my heels. This caused me to use one of the smallest muscles in my body, my calf muscle, to toe off with. My ankles (again, small structures), were also taking the brunt of toe off. My knees, too, were impacted severely as my heels struck the floor and I was lifting my legs far too high. When I got fatigued my hips slouched and this caused my knees to turn inwards, sometimes even knocking together as I ran and put even more strain on them. Basically I was running very poorly.

The physio then taught me to run more efficiently. This involved leaning forward looking toward the horizon, using small strides and only lifting my legs slightly. The smaller strides made sure that I landed on my mid foot, which meant l also landed with my knees bent to cushion them from impact. This was very important. Small strides help to keep your calves, ankles and knees from taking serious impact; they also lighten your step as you are off your feet more. Learning to look to the horizon rather than tilt my chin up helps too. My arms and shoulders used to ache sometimes with my old running style and with this new one they are hardly used at all. If I do use them it is usually to speed up and they are held low and horizontal, going forwards and backwards rather than up and down. This motion also helps you keep in a straight line.

I took some exercises with me on honeymoon that the physio recommended, which were leaning exercises, calf stretches and gluteus medius exercises.

The new running technique uses core strength to hold you in place, the hamstrings and glutes. These are much bigger muscles so are better to use. The gluteus medius muscles are located at the front, just at the side of the groin. Building up these muscles means that rather than using my legs as the major force when I run I can use these to hold me up. If you watch professional athletes run their hips don’t move at all, they are strong and hold them up.

The physio also taught me an alternative calf stretch, which uses a different part of the muscle. He also said that I don’t need my rigorous stretching regime, just a calf stretch and perhaps a hamstring one too.

I have now been implementing my new running method for a couple of weeks. It probably took a couple of goes to relax into my new leaning technique but now I find it much easier than my old way. My legs feel lighter, I can run faster and most of all I have had no injuries. Before, I was becoming injured every couple of runs. I am so pleased and am going back to see the physio for some abs exercises and some advanced gluteus medius ones too.

Of course, I have Eden to thank for finding the physio on the net and for encouraging me to see him, which he won’t let me forget!!

6/5/2011 - Army Training Course Needed!

04/02/2011 – Hi There! 

05/10/2010 - Morton’s Neuroma Madness!

21/08/2010 - The Wedding Journal

30/05/2010 - Running Free!!

06/05/2010 - Surprises Come In Podiatry Orthotics!!

15/04/2010 - Having Wheely Good Fun

22/03/2010 - Running Withdrawal

15/02/2010 - Swimming Towards Recovery

04/02/2010 - Help I’m Injured!