The Norton 9 - The big test

You may or may not know that last July I had rather a nasty problem with my back.  Basically one of my lumbar discs decided to split and a bit came off.  It kindly attached itself to my sciatic nerve - ouch ouch ouch.  I have never in my entire life experienced such pain and I just could not get rid of it not matter what mind altering drugs the doctor gave me.

As an active person I found the most frightening thing was the forced inactivity.  I literally could not stand up for more than a few seconds without this painful ‘hot’ needle pain shooting up and down the back of my right leg.  Awful.  I has also lost the sensation in my right foot.  When I could finally stand I tried to go up on my toes on the right foot - couldn’t.

The big thing for me besides the awful pain was the fact that I couldn’t see how I would ever get better or run again.  Depression loomed large and also its best mate anxiety! The negatively even as I write this is obvious.

After a lot of patience from my top Physio Phil Willams and of course Daren I started to improve.  Eventually a scan showed the full extent of the problem but by that time there was a small light at the end of the tunnel and I was improving.   Luckily for me surgery was not required, my body had started to absorb the bit of disc!

I attempted to run again in September.  It felt like a bit of my right leg had been chopped off?  Very bizzare.  It hurt everywhere but not in my back.  I carried on but was so so unfit.  Two miles felt like 10.  The belief I could run again was being drummed into me by Daren and Phil - it took me a while to catch up.

Eventually it started to come back - but would my power in the right side ever be there again?

After running round the Ward Green 6, then doing the Winter Track Series I knew I needed another challenge just to see where I was - The Norton 9.

Never done this race before.  No watch, no negative thinking and off I went.  Support from the club great.  Started slow and just did what I could.  Conditions were perfect and my pace nice and steady and even.  At 7 miles even though I was tired I was smiling - I’d achieved my come back.  At 8 I knew it was downhill home and I tried so hard to push on.  The hill to the finish virtually had me beaten - where was the finish line.  Everyone watching at the bottom said ‘Finish is just up there’!  Where I could not see it.  After a little stress I turned into the field and there it was.  Crossed the line and burst into tears - I felt so tired, so emotional and a bit sick!  But objective achieve and an average pace of 8.20.

The support I received for finishing in not a bad time was fab and meant an awful lot.

So on to the next challenge - The Segovia Half Marathon on 17 March!  It will be hilly but just going to trot round and ‘smell the roses’ on the way happy that I can run.

 A little taster of what's to come......