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I had my second visit to sports therapist, Grant McLullich, yesterday for more painful massage.  The good news is that my injury is improving, the bad news is that I’m still off the road.  I’ve to go back again next Thursday after trying a very short run on Wednesday to see how I react.

It’s been strange going from running 5 times a week to wincing every time I stand up.  I think this is the longest I’ve been injured or ill since I was 12, and I wasn’t supposed to be training for a marathon then!

We talk a lot about recovery in our house.  It’s a big topic in the mental health world.  What is recovery and what does ‘getting better’ mean?

It’s easier to quantify when the recovery is from physical injury.  There is no reason why I shouldn’t make a full recovery and go on to be physically fitter than I was before.  I’ll be more aware of the need to work on my overall strength and flexibility but I wonder how much mental recovery will be required?

I read the other day about Paula Radcliffe rushing off to hospital for a scan on what she thought was a tight hamstring only to find nothing was amiss.  She’s terrified of injury before the Olympics.

I wonder if I’ll be the same every time I feel a twinge or a tightening?  When you run things hurt, especially when you run any kind of distance.  That’s just how it is.

So, another week of stretching, hot water bottles and rest.  But I’m getting better… and the marathon is getting closer.

Last night I paid a man to hurt me.

I didn’t think I’d ever say that.  He was a sports therapist though, so that’s OK, right?

I took my sore back to see Grant McLullich.  It turns out that it’s not my back that is causing my pain… it’s my backside. (Insert your own joke here)

Sitting at a desk with poor posture and driving aren’t great for good muscle tone.  I spend a lot of time doing both.  Your hip flexor (on the front of your pelvis) gets short and your glutes (on the back) get loose and weak.  That means when you run your muscles are out of balance and something is going to get hurt.  For me it was the glutes which presses on the sciatic nerve which makes your back sore.

Grant spent some time treating the affected areas and gave me some stretches to do for now.

No running for a week.  I can go out on my bike though as long as I don’t go nuts.

I’m going back to see Grant next week for a second round of pain and some rehab exercises with the prospect of some light running after that.

It’s been two weeks since I hurt my back.  It’s improving slowly.  I can put my own socks on and everything!

When I set out on the road to a marathon injury was always my biggest concern, even more than the time commitment needed for the training.  As I’ve been hobbling around for longer and longer I’ve been getting more and more worried about the training runs slipping past.

I’m missing the runs.  I miss that feeling of getting outside, of pressing myself to go further or faster and just feeling good after a run.  I feel tired.

I suppose that means I’m getting better because last week I was just pleased to be able to stand up!

In some ways it’s ok that I’ve had a couple of weeks out.  I’ve got miles in the bank and I’ve still got plenty time until the end of May.

But… there’s always that niggling doubt.

Two weeks off the road is a long time.  It doesn’t take long for fitness to start to fall off.

I’m off to see a sports therapist tonight but I’m not expecting miracles.  My back is getting better every day but I’m not going to be running 20k tomorrow.  It’s going to take a while to get back to where I was this time 2 weeks ago.

That’s assuming the sports therapist doesn’t ground me…

Well, so much for making plans.

My last post was all about what I am going to do. I have big plans for running this year and I got off to a great start. I ran a great 16km on 2nd January and a nice 8km on the 4th.

I was feeling a bit tight but nothing unusual for the middle of the week after a long run.

On Thursday I was getting on my gear for another run and bent over to pull on my running tights and couldn’t get up. My back had gone. It was agony.

On Friday I couldn’t stand up but as the weekend progressed it loosened off a bit.

So, no long run this week and all of a sudden I’ve gone from feeling confident to worrying about how my back will cope with the big miles to come.

I’ve bought a foam roller, a gym ball and a Pilates band to get some serious stretching added to my training. I hope that helps.

What it did remind me was that often we make plans and the wheels fall off. That’s when we give up.

It wasn’t meant to be.

It’s too hard to get back into it.

I don’t know how to fix it.

I’ll never catch up.

I led worship on Sunday and the text was the baptism of Jesus. A new start. And he was 30.

Today I stood up without swearing. That’s progress.

So I’ll get fixed up and get back on the road. A new start isn’t a one time only thing. Every day offers the chance to start again. My resolutions stand. They will just be a little harder to achieve… but that’s ok.

I rarely make New Year resolutions but I resolve that 2012, my 40th year, will be all about the miles.

1. I will run the 5 mile Olympic Park Run in March.
2. I will run my first marathon in Edinburgh in May.
3. I will run the Great Scottish Run half marathon in Glasgow in September.
4. I will beat my 5km parkrun PB.
5. I will run more kilometers than in 2011.

So, those are the races and venues… what about the detail?

1. I will run the 5 mile Olympic Park Run in March in under 40 minutes.
2. I will run my first marathon in Edinburgh in May in under 4 hours 10 minutes.
3. I will run the Great Scottish Run half marathon in Glasgow in September in under 2 hours.
4. I will beat my 5km parkrun PB (23:50) by more than a minute.
5. I will run more kilometers than in 2011 (915km).  I will run at least 1200km in 2012.

That’s the plan.

When the world was dark

And the city was quiet,

You came.

You crept in beside us.

And no-one knew.

Only the few

Who dared to believe

That God might do something different.

Peace and joy to you this Christmas!

Solas Festival Staff Vacancy – Deputy Festival Coordinator

Applications by CV and covering letter to office [at] solasfestival [dot] co [dot] uk. Closing date is Wednesday 28th December 2011; interviews will be held on Wednesday 4th January 2012.

Solas Festival is a new and growing event, which features a broad arts programme, providing an excellent opportunity to gain a wide range of experience. The organisation is predominantly volunteer-led, with a large and committed group of individuals giving generously of their time, energy and talents to make the festival possible.

Solas Festival is seeking an energetic, self-motivated individual to join our staff and help deliver our third summer arts festival (22nd-24th June 2012, at Wiston, South Lanarkshire). Working closely with, and reporting to, the Festival Coordinator, the postholder will take responsibility for a range of festival planning areas, including aspects of programme, site, marketing, volunteer management and general administration. The remit is wide and variable, potentially including any of the tasks currently carried out by the Festival Coordinator, and to some extent will be shaped around the experience and strengths of the right candidate. The post is offered on the basis of a temporary self-employed contract.

Good communication skills are a must as the postholder will be required to attend meetings on behalf of the organisation and to line manage volunteers. Excellent organisational skills are also essential. Must be flexible and willing to work irregular hours when required, including occasional evenings and weekends, particularly as the festival approaches. Must be available over festival weekend and ideally throughout the whole of June 2012.

Solas Festival derives inspiration and values from its roots in the broad Christian tradition. This underpins our commitment to equality, justice, beauty and hospitality. Our aim is to create a space which is tolerant, inclusive and free of prejudice. We simply ask that all staff and volunteers be willing to work in sympathy with these values and aims.

Find out more at www.solasfestival.co.uk; enquiries to office [at] solasfestival [dot] co [dot] uk.

Solas Festival is a charity registered in Scotland, No. SC041434, and a Company Limited by Guarantee,
registered in Scotland, No. SC371181.  Registered Office Address: 110 St James Road, Glasgow, G4 0PS