York 10k 2011

Jane Tomlinson York 10k 2011

I ran this event last year and loved it so much I did it again only this time roping Lee in too. Over 6ooo people ran and what a cracking day weather wise it was too. The route is superb, its almost totally flat and winds through the city centre along the river bank and past the minster whilst the bells chime. You cant really get much better than that !
Had a bit of a mare at the start as I was busting for the loo. The queue was enormous....

.....so I never got there and had to start the race busting ! After 3 miles I saw a sign to some loos and nipped of...I wasnt the only one so had to wait a min or so but I didnt care. That was such a releif and I felt great then, I knew I'd blown my chance of a PB tho so just did what I could.

Finished with a time of 56.16 not good really as last year did it in 51.42 but I guess the pit stop really didnt help !

Great event , would deffo do it again.

Deep tissue massage

After struggling along with this wretched hip flexor injury for almost 9 weeks, I decided to take the plunge and go to see a sports physio.
I didnt have one recommended to me, I just did a google search and went for the first local one that came up. The lady,Jane Watts,company name optimum, was home based and only a couple of miles away so thought I'd go for it. Her price list said it would be £35 for an hour or £20 for half, (good value if it works I thought).
I was slightly nervous having never been to one before but I needn't have been. Jane was very friendly and easy to talk to. She chatted to me first about my injury and the associated pain. I then got onto the massage bed (set up in the front room) and she went straight to the hip. Within a minute she had located the exact point of pain. I nearly went through the roof it was so sore but she worked it and worked it, it felt good even though it hurt ! She explained that the strained ligament had scar tissue in it, it felt like grittiness to her. She had to manipulate it to encourage it to disperse. My doctors advice was to rest and stretch but Jane explained that if I had continued to rest it, the scar tissue would have calcified and may have lead to tendonitis. Therapy at this point would have been harder as it would have been more difficult to manipulate.I had been good with the stretching though thank goodness.Jane also gave me a few more stretching exercises to do and recommended I do them daily. She also recommended I use a heat pad as often as possible.
I can honestly say that after only one 1 hour visit I have been pain free at the point where the injury was. I was generally sore in that area as a result of the massage but after 2 days of rest and some good stretching I had a go at a run. I decided to do a 2 miler on my treadmill. I felt that it would give me a bit of support not being as hard as trail or road. It went well, no pain during and more importantly no pain or soreness afterwards. I am hoping I may now be on the road to recovery !!
Next steps: I am going to try to get back into my 3 runs a week pattern increasing mileage very slowly and see how I go. I will probably mix treadmill in too but i get so bored on them I cant see it lasting for long.I have also ordered a foam roller and intend to incorporate that into my stretching exercises. Jane said I may not need a second visit but I will definitely go back and see her if I do !!
I can reccommend Optimum, Jane was superb !

Cheshire Cat 2011

Race complete and hip held out thank goodness !
The route itself was a really good introduction to cyclo sportives. This being my first I didnt really know what to expect. I was surprised by the size of the queue of bikes waiting to start. The event was supposed to get the first riders off by 8.30 am but they seemed very delayed. Lots of hanging around wasnt good in the cold but we were off soon enough.


Em, Lee, Rob and Joe
Waiting patiently at the start !!

I had chosen the 45 mile route so was pleased to see the bright pink signage was good.I quite envied the people veering off to the medium and hard routes as they get to challenge themselves on "Mow Cop" a very steep incline that you get a medal for if you go up without putting a foot down.



Below:Mow Cop

However It was early on in the ride and was still feeling strong so doubt I would have felt that way had I chosen to go the longer route ! Only thing I missed along the way was the feed station. I saw a sign to say feed station 1km then never saw it.If only they had put up a final sign to say feedstop here with a large arrow ! Many riders decided not to stop so was misleading to follow them really but never mind. Decided just to keep going and have my own stop at the side of the road should I need it. I had packed a few energy bars and had a sports drink in my bottle so all I really needed was a wee ! (Had to hold it till the end as couldnt find anywhere suitable to stop)The route wasnt too difficult, any hills were over quickly. Very scenic mostly country lanes so really enjoyable. Got tough about 5 miles from the finish due to road closures. Traffic was awful and bikes were weaving in and out of traffic queues. This part felt quite dangerous and was glad to get through it. I felt a last boost of energy kick in knowing the end was in sight and then I saw it...the finish !!

I was really pleased with my time too 3.08 only 8 mins of a silver (next year !) I came 16th out of 111 women and 139th overall out of 491 finishers.Not bad at all for my first attempt. My Husband and Sister in law had also competed at this distance and we all crossed the line within a minute of each other which was lovely.
Kilo to go, the event organisers had laid on pasta for lunch and tea or coffee which was complementary and very welcome. You then had to queue for your goodie bag and certificate. Free massages were also on offer for a charitable donation.
My son had entered the 67 miler and my brother the 100 so we waited for them to finish. Couldnt believe how the queues had built up. There were a lot of riders finishing at the same time who couldnt get over the timing mats. This was really frustrating for them. They also had another hour long queue to get in to collect their mow cop medals and certificates. Many people skipped this and went home. Shame they didnt just post these out.
We were thrilled to see Joe come over the line, it was also his first sportive and he completed the 67 mile route in 4.54 an excellent time. Next over the line was my brother who had done the 100 mile route. He got a silver and his time was an amazing 6.00 Well on form for "le Marmotte" that hes competing in this summer !
All in all I loved it and definitely plan to do it again next year.

Me and Lee looking very pleased with ourselves !

Cheshire cat 27/03/11

Race day tomorrow and after resting my injured hip completely for a week I have decided to take part. Just been out on a 3 mile test run and it felt ok. Odd twinge but nothing that made me feel I was making it worse.
So a bit of bike prep to do, cycling gear to get ready and check list to do so nothing major like Lees bike helmet gets forgotten. Will update after race completed ! wish me luck :-)

Hip flexor injury

Feeling rather fed up with a hip flexor injury I got whilst doing some speedwork during a training run.
Heres what I have found out.

I think the muscle I have strained is the illiacus, the red one on the diagram.
Im a little stuck as to what to do to help this injury. Advise as always is rest which is sensible I know. But I have quite a few events booked this year and want to ensure I am fit for these.I am so frustrated that I cant run so plan to try a swim today to keep my fitness up. The first event is this Sunday. My first cycling sportive, the Cheshire cat. Its a 45 miler and I was very much looking forward to it. I havent tried my bike this week but will give it a shot a day or so before the race to see how it feels. Any twinges at all and i'm gonna be out i'm afraid. I will have to let this one heal properly or I could put myself out for months. I had this injury before a few years ago in the other hip, I got it doing a 6 mile run on a tread mill and have pretty much avoided them since. It took ages to heal and I dont want this one too !
I have been given stretching exercises to do and have been advised to use ice on it every 2 hours for 20 mins.Apparently if you are flexible(which I am) you are more prone to this injury and sprinting ie,a sprint finish in a race,is what's likely to cause it.
Although I have followed all advice I havent seen an improvement yet :-(

Dronfield 10k 2011

This event means a lot to me as its the first I ever entered and its become something of a family tradition! Husband, brother, sister in law, son. Fun run for my granddaughter too !

The race itself is quite a hard one. It has a long steady hill in it which you have to do twice. It also starts on quite a steep hill so feels tough from the off. However with Dronfield being my hometown its on familiar turf which helps. The event has grown and grown in popularity and was an early sell out this year.
Unfortunately I picked up a slight hip flexor strain the Tues before the race. I managed a 6 mile training run on the Thurs before which left my hip sore. Hoping for the best I was worried on race day as my hip was still sore. Deep down I knew I shouldn't run but this was "the race" It means a lot, I had to run. My hip didnt hurt at all whilst racing, I gave it my all being helped along with my pace by my sister in law Em who is a faster and more experienced runner than me. It was great to have a pace setter and this definitely pushed my pace.
I was thrilled to bits to get a course PB and an all time PB at 51.01 !! I'm still smiling ! I was placed 11th out of 55 in my category too.
The downside is now a very sore and injured hip flexor, Having been to the doctors It was confirmed that its the iliacus hip flexor. RICE needed and thats all I can do really. I have everything crossed for a speedy recovery as I have my first sportive this sat the Cheshire Cat, a 45 miler.
Big well done to my Husband Lee who also got a PB and to my brother and Sis who also got course PB's...oh and cant forget the fun run which my daughter did and her boyfriend Tim who carried my granddaughter Maddie on his shoulders for 2 miles (and has the bruises to prove)

Mum you are a star as always providing bacon butties afterwards...good post race grub ! Thank you xx