A bend in the road.

After more trips to Wrightington hospital than wee stops for me on a run, all is well again. Another three lots of antibiotics were needed and a scan to sort the infection in the foot out. I have my last appointment on Thursday this week and then I am hoping I am free.

I have been running again at a decent mileage and getting back to good training for the last three weeks and my foot is fantastic. No problems at all to report and no pain…this is a bizarre feeling after coping and managing the pain in my foot for four years. The most significant improvement is just day to day walking about, my foot doesn't hurt at all.  Hurrah for Mr Clough - Good job!

The usual gang who look after me have been amazing as always and their treatment, help, training and advice is greatly appreciated. Massive thank you to Duncan Mason  www.athletematters.com in particular for getting my foot moving and generally keeping me going. Oh and for employing spies to keep an eye on me….as if I would break any rules!

I have had to reluctantly give up my place for the Three Peaks run this year, I was still intending on racing it, despite being told not to -  but I wouldn't beat my 3hrs49 from last year at the present time, although maybe I would…..I don't know but "No races till May!"

May is going to be an exciting month! I have been fortunate enough to have been offered a place to run for Greater Manchester in the Inter Counties Fell race on May the 14th. I am delighted about this and I am looking forward to a "short" fell race  - "Ras moel Eilio" and I hope I do not disappoint. The girls that I am running with are fantastic athletes and I hope that we can give it a really good effort and do GM proud. Training is focused on this at the moment and then build up again to the longer stuff. I am not worried about getting back to doing my long distance stuff as I don't feel I have lost much fitness. Aqua Jogging, Biking and lots of gym work has kept me pretty strong. Plus some new Asthma medication has made an incredible difference to me recently and I am genuinely excited about the potential this may give me.

When I started the new treatment after having four chest infections in a matter of weeks, it was a bit of a reality check into how poorly controlled my asthma was. It isn't perfect yet and still needs a bit of tweaking but being able to get a full breath of air into my lungs instead of feeling a sense of restriction is amazing. Getting the right help and advice from a fantastic doctor who is determined to help and get things sorted is invaluable and I can't thank him enough. It's the same person I also have to thank for getting the diagnosis with my foot sorted, after numerous scans and failed treatments resulted in me being told there was nothing that could be done as there wasn't anything wrong.  Top Guy - HUGE thanks.

I will carry on with the training. I will be supporting at the Three Peaks at the weekend. Little fell race first week in May just to get the race mentality going again. I did a sneaky park run on Saturday too, just to remind myself how it feels to set off too quickly and turn to jelly for a few seconds - All good!

Thanks to the 9Bar gang as ever for supplying me with my fuel for running, for my amazing kit and for all the incredible opportunities that you guys offer me…….like the one I need to reply to in a moment!

2016 - "Dream in light years, challenge miles, walk step by step."