Well, where do I begin. My last blog was back in December when I was super excited to be getting my new orthotics to help with my chronic achillies tendinopathy and I had everything crossed that they would help so I could start training for Brighton Marathon 2015 at the beginning of January.
I was doing minimal running until I got my orthotics and that included a parkrun on a Saturday. Just before Christmas, I was running around the first field of Frimley Lodge parkrun with my boyfriend Ben and the next thing I know I am on the floor, in tears due to the pain in my left ankle. Ben and Duncan carried me back to the benches as I couldn't walk and took a closer look at my ankle. My ankle bone (lateral malleolus) had swollen up and it looked like I had a golf ball attached to my ankle. Everyone was telling me, you've just sprained it, you'll be fine. I was on crutches for a couple of days until I had to go back to work and then had to weight bear on my ankle as treating clients whilst on crutches proved to be very difficult.
With being out for so long with chronic Achilles tendinopathy I was eager to get back running, so I tried running after 3 weeks after doing some cross training. Well... that was a bad decision. I couldn't walk without pain in my left ankle and foot, it was constantly swollen and bruised. 5 weeks later and after dropping a 10kg weight on my toes at the gym, Ben forced me to go to A&E at 11pm on a Saturday night as I was getting constant sharp pains into my ankle whilst laying in bed. The x-ray came back NAD (nothing adnormal detected) but I wasn't convinced. Frustrated and in pain, I went to see my best friend Lucy who is an Osteopath and well it is probably easier to list what wasn't wrong with my ankle and foot. We both agreed there was a stress fracture due to pain I was in but where, we don't know. Myself, Lucy and Ben agreed I would have 1 month off running which would take me to the 12th March, exactly one month before Brighton Marathon!!!!
I had daily massages on my ankle as well as laser therapy, ultrasound and acupuncture. Slowly the month passed, admittedly I was still cross training but no running but it was time to start running again. I started off with 10 minutes of running on the treadmill very slowly and thankfully there was no significant pain just a few niggles. I went to Portugal for 5 days to work on a warm weather training camp and managed to run most days building up to 4-5 miles by my last day there. I ran Fleet 1/2 Marathon with Ben and we ran 1.56. We were over the moon but knew I still had a long way to go to run a marathon! The only pain I was getting was in my big toe (1st Metatarsal Joint) if I wore the Asics Cummulus trainers I was running in. So off I went to Alton Sports and tried on so many pairs of trainers to see if I could find a pair that didn't cause me pain. I was very unsure on buying a pair of Adidas Boost trainers but they were they only ones that didn't aggravate my big toe.
10 days before Brighton we ran the Maidenhead 10. For Ben, it wasn't his best race due to issues he was having with his calfs and tibilas anterior muscle and he couldn't finish it due to the pain he was in. I carried on and ran 86 minutes. Thankfully I had no pain in my ankle or big toe and my confidence was slowly coming back.
The week going into Brighton, we were still unsure whether both of us would be able to complete it. Ben wasn't sure what trainers to run in and we couldn't decide what pace to run! We were both treating each other to help get us to the start line. Friday came and we headed down to the Brighton Marathon Expo with our running friends. We collected our numbers and then started the necessary carb loading!!!!
Sunday morning came around very quickly. We were up at 5am to head to Brighton. The sun was shinning but there was quite a breeze. Myself and Ben agreed on 4hr15 pace so it worked out about 9.20ish/mile pace. With 30 minutes to go, Ben was still undecided what trainers to where! We walked down towards the start line and made sure we where towards the back of our pen so the faster people could go in front of us. We started off and within a mile I was regretting wearing a base layer top. Our pacing was going nicely until about 10 miles. I managed to go over on my left ankle and Ben was starting to struggle with his hips being tight. Running through half way and out towards the 14/18 miles, the support from the crowds was overwhelming! We could constantly hear 'Go on Abby and Ben'!! I saw my family and grabbed some paracetamol to see if that would help Ben but it turned out he just needed to stretch every couple of miles. As everyone says the toughest part of the course is out towards the power station and they aren't lying. We both struggled and Ben wanted to walk but I knew he wanted to watch the Masters Golf when we got home so I may have gently threatened....'If you walk, your not allowed to watch the Masters'. It worked a treat. Our place had slowed significantly but we took on a number of gels, shot blocks and as much water as we could and headed back towards the sea front for the last 3 miles. For those that who ran Brighton Marathon this year, I am sure you will agree the support from the crowds in the last 3 miles was overwhelming. For the last couple of miles, our friend Darren ran alongside us, supporting and encouraging us. My family, our personal trainer (Dave) and his girlfriend (Jen) ran with us for the last mile but we lost them at 26 miles as we headed towards the finish. Ben kept asking 'Where is the finish'! Finally we could see it, and pushed on towards the finish line. We finished in 4.39.31!!
That's when the tears occurred! I saw my friend Lee who I had met on the training camp, he gave us our medals and took our picture. The walk back to meet our family and friends was so painful and took us a while! Again there was a lot of tears when we met them and lots of pictures to cherish the moment.
Like 2014, I didn't do the proper training for a marathon but I can say I have now done two marathons and want to do more! I have a time of 3.37 to beat and it will be in the next couple of years! I learnt a lot through this marathon journey but it has made me realise how strong I am. To our friends and family that supported myself and Ben through our challenge we can't thank you enough. You kept us going with your motivating messages and supporting us on the course. To David Peddle, thank you for entertaining us in the last 6 miles of the marathon!!! #Coachfudge (my mum) has been the most amazing and supportive coach, making sure I still maintain my fitness and helping us finishing the marathon. Dave, thank you for putting up with my all my tears and tantrums because I couldn't train properly but you have now got me back on track and I feel stronger than ever.
My biggest thank you goes to Ben for putting up with me through my injury, supporting me, treating me and for running the Marathon with me, I couldn't have done any of it without you.
There were so many of my friends who completed Brighton and/or London Marathons and you all did amazing. Completing a marathon isn't easy!
Lots of Love
Abby xx
As some of you may know and may have noticed, being able to run has been a bit of a struggle since July. A calf problem, aggravated by speed work, flip flops and walking bear foot on holiday, slowly turned into my previous achillies tendinopathy flaring up again. For a few months I did my best to train and run through it, which included 2 half marathons, a undulating 10km, a few parkRuns and even a cross country race but it finally became too much about a month ago when I was attempting a long run around Virginia Waters. I wasn't even 2 miles into the run and my left calf became very tight and I really struggled to run back to the car.
Enough was enough, I had tried everything that I knew to do for achillies tendinopathy, including stretching, teaching my boyfriend how to do Accupuncture on my calf, hot and cold hydrotherapy, eccentric exercises for my calfs and achillies, green tea, nutrition, wearing a heel raise and a gait analysis to check I was wearing the correct running trainers.
A very good friend of mine recommended I see a podiatrist, Karen Knightly of foot mechanix. At the initial consultation, I discovered I was wearing the wrong running trainers as my right foot/ankle wasn't allowed to naturally pronate like it needed to because of how my foot is made up. I'm no longer allowed to wear uggs, converse, vans, ballet pumps or heels. People who know me well, know I live in these shoes, but it's a sacrifice I have to make. I was also told I was only allowed to do minimal running until I have the customised orthotics that are currently being made for me.
I was upset that I wasn't able to run or train properly until Christmas, especially as I am doing Brighton Marathon in 2015 and was hoping to train properly for it!! After a big think, I realised it wasn't the end of the world; I belong to a gym ( a big thanks to Ben for that) and I have an amazing personal trainer, Dave Cole of Physicole Fitness, who is helping me improve the strength and conditioning side of my training.
So 2 weeks in, I'm training 5 days a week on the cross trainer at the gym. 2 sessions are interval sessions, 1 long rep session and 1 short recovery speed session. I'm having 2 to 3 personal training sessions a week and then making it up to 5 strength and conditions sessions, concentrating on mobility, technique, stretching and getting my glutes to work.
I have seen this a lot being an osteopath, that a lot of runners who come in with lower limb injuries or lower back pain can be caused by their Glute muscles not working properly. There are a few simple exercises that you can do at home that can get them working but I will share them with you in another blog.
Being injured is tough mentally. I lost the enthusiasm to train at times and I started to comfort eat therefore my weight increased. Being told I couldn't really run was a massive motivation to get myself as strong and fit as possible so when I can run, I can hopefully start to train properly and get ready for Brighton Marathon 2015. I am also working on my diet and nutrition. Junk food is no longer allowed, my protein intake has increased along with mangesium to help with muscle recovery and repair. This has been done my having a whey protein shake after each gym session I do and increasing the amount of meat that is in my diet. I'm not going to lie, it is difficult trying to avoid the foods that I love but it's all for the best and I feel so much better for working on my nutrition.
To all those who have had to put of with moaning about not being able to run and my weight I'm sorry but thank you for your support and helping me.
Lotsa love
Fudgeybum xx
Firstly apologies for the delay in writing this, May has been a crazy month!! There are so many things I would like to write about, but a friend said he wanted to hear about my journey to completing the Brighton Marathon and how it's changed me, so here it goes...
My journey started last year... I received an email saying I had been entered for the Brighton Marathon. I had never been so confused as I certainly didn't enter myself but who would be so mean to do that to me??!!!! Obviously my brother in law, Rob had something to do with it along with his friend Andy. His reason for entering me was that I needed to know what it felt like to do a marathon especially with being an Osteopath!!
A lot of people were against me doing the marathon because of past illnesses and not knowing if my body would cope with the training. In December, it was decided that I wouldn't be running the marathon as I had been suffering with achillies tendinopathy for 6 months and it needed to heal rather than make it worse with the extra training.
The 12th of February was the day that changed my life.... I was with my sister when we received the devastating news that she was suffering with another ectopic pregnancy. I felt so hopeless, so me being me, I decided I was doing the marathon and fundraising for The Ectopic Pregnancy Trust. The panic set in though when I realised it was only 50 days to go until the marathon, uh oh!!
Although the marathon was not my main running goal for the year ( it was to get back racing on the track as I had unfinished business there!! ) my training had to change and so did my mind set and lifestyle. Long runs have always been an issue for me mentally and I had to get over that! So my long runs leading up to the marathon comprised of 1, 10 mile race (Bramley 10), Surrey 1/2 Marathon, Fleet half marathon and Brooklands half marathon and 2, 10 mile runs. I knew it wasn't enough but there was nothing I could do. To do the marathon I knew i needed to do more strength and conditioning training so I joined a gym so I could do circuit training. Jeez it hurt to begin with but that was one of the best decisions I made.
The week before the marathon, I was speaking to a friend, and he went "Abby what is the longest run you've done?" The answer was a half marathon, his reply then was "wow ok, your going to struggle!!" I did my final half marathon and I was told to enjoy it by #coachfudge and I did and smashed my half marathon PB by 6 minutes!! That was a shock and I thought I would be in trouble by my coach for running too fast the week before a marathon but thankfully I wasn't. The days leading up to the marathon dragged and I had to keep myself busy so I didn't think too much about the marathon. The realisation set in that I was doing the marathon when I went to the Brighton marathon exhibition. I went to pick up my number and I ended up with an elite number!!! I was not happy!
Sunday 6th April.... The day had finally come. Time to run 26.2 miles. Some of my amazing running friends came to Brighton to support me along with my family and they all managed to keep me sane before the start. I knew I would struggle but I just had to finish it. I wore a 4 hour pacing band just hoping to stick to the pace until half way and then see what happens...... Well that lasted for 2 miles!! It started to rain just before the start, so I said my goodbyes and headed down to the start with rob and Andy in my sexy rain Coat! We went for the back f of our pen so around 4hrs 30 mins. As we got closer to the start, I won't repeat what Rob and Andy said but the polite way of saying what they said was to go off! The first 6 miles took you through the city centre so the streets were lined with crowds supporting you. I knew I would see my family at some point but not sure when. They were around 4 or 5 miles and I was so happy to see them. I threw my gloves off at them and gave them a big wave and smile :)
From 6 miles onwards you were heading out of town on a out and back loop. It wasn't as supported as much but you can the quicker runners, running back towards half way. I was really hoping to see rob and Andy at this point of the course but I didn't. At 11 miles the crowds started to pick back up as you headed towards half way, and hearing all the support it put such a big smile on my face. You run past the finish before half way, and it did make me realise I still had a long way to go!!! I put my head down but still looking for my family as I knew they would be at the 14 mile mark. I saw them and my friends jumping and waving and encouraging me so I just carried on loving every step I was taking. 14 to 18 miles was an out and back section and I continued to run through the runners. People were starting to struggle but all you could do was give them a pat on the back and some encouragement. At the 18 mile mark I managed to see my mum once I had run past her. She was offering me more gels, they were the last thing I wanted. I had only taken on 3 gels at that point and some jelly beans and I was dreading the next one, even if it was Mojito flavour!! As I turned the corner and headed out on the stretch towards the power station, I managed to spot Duncan, James and Darren. Again they put the biggest smile on my face and just what I needed before I headed out on the toughest section of the course. 21 miles was around the power station. By my calculations if I kept going and even if I had to slow I could still run under 3.45. My hip flexors started to hurt but I kept saying to myself it's 5 miles to go you can do this, just remember why your doing this. From 22 miles I was running blind as someone had hit my garmin and stopped it.
At 23 miles, the pain in my hip flexors really started to get to me but I knew it was just a parkrun to go and I could see the pier!! That was the toughest 5km I've ever run. The crowds started to get thicker and louder, and I could hear people shouting my name so I took out my headphones so I could soak up the atmosphere. From 25 miles, all I wanted was just to see someone I knew and as I was getting closer and closer to the finish I didn't think I would. With 400 meters to go, I saw my mum in the corner of my eye jumping around like a mad woman and I burst into tears!! Running and crying is quite difficult to do. I dug in deep and sprinted for the finish line and crossed in 3hrs 46!!! That's when the pain really set in but the emotion took over and I couldn't stop crying. I had my photo taken with my medal but all I wanted was to get to my phone so I could phone my mum and meet her. As soon as she picked up the phone, I started crying again and she asked why was I crying!! I finally met up with her, there were more tears from both of us, then my dad and sister joined us and we were all crying! My friends arrived and I had silenced them because they couldn't believe what I had done and I was finally told my time 3.37.59!!!! We took a very slow stroll to the beach to wait for rob and Andy to finish. They both did it with some difficulties but a massive well done to you both.
I'm writing this as I lay by the pool in turkey, reflecting on how 26.2 miles changed my life. I proved to myself how mentally strong I am and no matter what life throws at you, good or bad, you can always make the situation better and that's what I did. I raised over £1800 for the ectopic pregnancy trust by completing something that I thought was impossible even as I walked through to the start line. It still makes me cry reflecting on that day!!
To everyone who supported me through this life changing journey, I am forever in your debt and I really can't thank you enough.
So here's to Brighton marathon 2014 and to next one in 2015!!
Lotsa love fudgeybum xx
Well this is by first blog so here it goes.... Wish me luck!!
As many of you know, the day I decided to do a marathon, 13th February 2014, it changed me and my life. It was a personal reason to me and my family to why I decided to do it and many of you thought I was crazy doing it, especially as I was struggling with Achilles tendinopathy and it was only 49 days till the marathon!!!
Training for the marathon, gave me a focus that I needed and helped me find my love for running again. I cant even begin to tell you how I felt once I completed the marathon and the time I did and the realisation of completing the marathon still hasn't sunk in.
This blog is going to be about what training I do, what training I have found helps me and others, advice from other runners, coaches and trainers, nutritional advice as well as osteopathic advice. I hope you enjoy reading future posts and any feedback would be much appreciated.
Much love
fudgeybum x
