Set Out To Surprise Yourself.
How pushing past your own expectations of self can instil great confidence.
I’ve been injured or ‘off-games’ for the past year or so with a chronic hip problem. In spite of various treatments and therapies, my left hip has been one stubborn bugger and has hindered me from doing, well most active things really. Actually, wait. That’s not entirely the truth. Being in PAIN every day has hindered me from exercising to the levels of intensity that I have trained to for extended periods of my life. At times, waking up with an aching and sore hip has made me depressed and left me looking ruefully back on the times in Dubai when I was a machiiiiine, bashing out Olympic lifts, Concept 2 erg marathons and air-bike calories-for-time relays for fun. I found myself at times accidentally indulging the darker and less helpful side of my brainworkings, worrying whether age had caught up with me and anxiously predicting that my sporting career was all but over…at 41, that’s not a good feeling.
However, over the last month or so and supported by much online research into biomechanical physiology, and expert insight from Jimmy at Movement Lifestyle,, I identified that the symptoms I had been suffering with were due to tendinopathy of the rectus femoris. What the #$*@ is a ‘rectus femoris??’, I hear you say! Well, let the (self-appointed) good doctor here inform you…
According to Physio-Pedia, the rectus femoris is ‘a bulk of muscle located in the superior, anterior middle compartment of the thigh and is the only muscle in the quadriceps group that crosses the hip’. Hmmm, ‘the only muscle…that crosses the hip’, eh…?? ‘The only muscle that makes the hip incandescent with rage when provoked’ is what that should read, frankly. Anyway, I digress. Apparently, because I have a slightly rotated pelvis, my gait relies on more of the front of my left leg doing the work pulling my leg forward, rather than my left glute firing properly and ‘pushing off’. I’ve had a rotated pelvis for a long time but only now has it started to give me trouble, which can only be down to age and the fact that I am weaker than I have been for a number of years and have let my core strength fall away. This ‘weakness’ has brought the issue to the surface and told me in no uncertain terms that it must be addressed once and for all.
So, after much glute bridging and lower ab pressure cuff work my hip pain has all but gone. WHAT A RELIEF!! But, in order to make sure it really was gone for good, I decided to test it, and myself, last weekend down by the River Thames in Walton. I signed up alongside my cousin (who runs a LOT) to one of Phoenix Running’s themed running mornings. This one was called the ‘Donut Dash’, and needless to say, there was an endless supply of Krispy Kreme’s finest available for those needing an extra energy boost, alongside Phoenix’ usual and supremely organised and presented supply of various classic sweets (cola bottles, gummy bears, jelly beans etc etc). I had said before the day that I would run at least one 5.2km loop (see map) at an easy pace and then take it from there.
My 5km PB of 22’30” was never going to be threatened, I was just focusing on not walking at any stage due my rectus femoris dicking about once again. I completed the first loop in 33’27”, hardly a world record, but no bad start. After a quick drink of water, I embarked on a second loop, recording a somewhat slower 40’50” (that’ll be the toilet break at the 2.5k point). Having completed 10.4k, I felt well enough to go for a third 5.2km, but this was a great deal slower, the result of some walking as my right knee had started to get quite angry, not used to this much repetitive work. Walking most of the third lap led to a 51’31” time for aforementioned reasons. I called it a day on 15.6km. And might have eaten a couple of those donuts solely for carbohydrate replacement purposes…before heading home to a Radox bath, a bowl of pasta and an afternoon kip. Pretty solid day out, if I don’t say so myself…!
So, what are the learnings here?
First and foremost, my left hip is now pain-free and I have confidence in my body’s basic capabilities (run, jump, swim etc) again. This is a great feeling and I can now start increasing load and intensity. The second takeaway is that I’m not as ridiculously unfit as I led myself in those darker moments to believe. Not many people can just go and cover 15km straight off the bat, so I feel pretty chuffed with that. Lastly and most importantly, it feels really bloody good to have surprised myself.
I thoroughly recommend you sign up to something you think you’re not going to do very well, or dare I say it, fail in and see how you get on. What have you got to lose? Replacing the recent frustration and depression about pain in my body with renewed confidence and excitement regarding my strength, fitness and physical capabilities is a great boost, especially when I think and look forward to what those combined powers will help me achieve in the future.
Probably without the donuts though…
