Orthoses are go!

Well, I've been back to the physio since I got the all clear from my MRI scan. He got me to walk up and down loads of times on the RunScan thingy to analyse my feet and videoed me walking and running on the treadmill to check all aspects of my running posture in order to fit me for some Orthoses. I returned two weeks later to try them out.

I've been wearing them for two weeks, and today ventured out for my first short "5 minute" run in them. You're supposed to wear these special inner soles for an hour or two the first day, gradually building up to wearing them for as long as they don't feel uncomfortable. I got used to them within a couple of days, so have been wearing them all day long for over a week now.

If I hadn't been hit with a horrible chesty infection on Friday I would have started running again then. But I'm there now. 5 minutes a day four or five times a week now, gradually building up to 10 minute runs, and then in a few weeks I'll be back in training. This time I can plan to build up my runs more slowly - so I don't overuse my leg muscles until they're stronger. And therefore I should be able to avoid the knee injuries that set me back in January and scuppered my chances of doing the 2008 London Marathon. My physio thinks I may be fit enough by October to enter the Abingdon Half Marathon, but I'll see how things go. I don't want to run before I can walk (so to speak) so am not setting any firm targets just yet!

It's good to be back in training (albeit back to square one) and this time I have nine months to get up to the 26.2 milestone.