It’s been some time since my last post. The reason for this is that I’ve done very little running. In fact, since the Morecambe Half-Marathon six weeks ago, I’ve managed a mere thirteen miles.

The reason for this is injury. I’ve occasionally suffered mild hip pain, but recently it’s been getting worse. After being injured earlier this year and missing the Blackpool marathon I’m wary of ignoring the problem and causing a serious injury. Instead I’ve curtailed the running and visited the physiotherapist.

The good news is the physio seems to know what’s wrong and has me working on fixing it. Apparently years of working in an office, with my right arm leaning on a mousemat, has led to my right side being weaker than my left. This means that side of my body has coped less well with the pounding of long distance running. Apparently some appropriate exercises will restore the balance in my muscles and prevent further problems in the future.

It’s been frustrating not to run. I walk to work along the seafront, which is also my usual running route. There are always runners out and I long to join them. The good news is that the runs I have managed, while only short distances, have been fairly fast. I don’t seem to be losing condition as much as I feared.

Despite an improvement in my hip over the last week, I’ve managed to pick up another injury, this time to my foot, and my return to training has been delayed for another week. I’m hoping I will soon have these issues all out of the way so I can concentrate on the six months or so between now and the marathon. Still, I’d rather have these problems now than when the training is fully under-way.