After 30 minutes of running I decided to call it a day and make my way home. The pain wasn't unbearable but I certainly felt uncomfortable. It is only when my heel strikes the ground that I feel pain and if I could run all the way round on the tip toes that would be great!

I decided to go to the gym and do a bit of training there. I worked out on the rowing machine and the cross trainer without feeling any pain which was great. I'm very worried about my lack of running but as long as I try and stay fit a week or two without running won't hurt my training too much, I hope.

The good news is that today, Sunday, I am not feeling too bad. My side definitely doesn't hurt as much and I can even walk without feeling any pain. I'm icing it 2-3 times a day and using Ibuprofen gel so hopefully I am on the mend.

I've booked into Fitness Yoga on Monday - a strength class with yoga moves - not really sure what it's all about but will give it a go. I think I need to get more stretching into my training and if I think I'm up to it I'm hoping to go to the running club on Tuesday.

On Monday I was in agony - it hurt to walk so running was out of the question. Gradually throughout the week the pain subsided to a dull ache and on Friday I went to the doctors.

How little I know the anatomy of the body - what I thought were the hips are actually the pelvis!

So, it isn't my right hip that is sore but my right pelvis. The doc examined me and said that there didn't seem to be any bony injury and thought it was musculature. That's good news, I think? Remedy - take Ibuprofen and rub in Ibuprofen gel, and ice the area. On Friday I had also arranged to see the physio. She gave me a really good massage, getting really deep and, yes, it was painful but in a delightful sort of way!

I'm up early this morning, I've had my porridge and writing this waiting for the food to digest. I'm then out for my first run since Sunday. I'm really hoping I will be okay. I don't mind having missed this week but I really can't afford to take more time off - only 8 weeks to go until the Big Day!

Stamford 30K

Well I did it!

The weather was absolutely perfect for strolling around in a T-shirt but not so good for running a gruelling hilly 30K. Can you believe it, I actually got sunburn on my shoulders and neck!

It was as tough as I feared - one good thing was it being measured in K's. They come round a heck of a lot quicker than Mile Markers!

I took a couple of Ibuprofen before the race to keep my thigh pain in check but after about 10K I could feel a dull ache which steadily got worse until about 20K when I took a couple more painkillers. The pain didn't go away but at least it didn't get any worse.

I ran the first half of the race well within my expected time but found the second half pretty hard going, especially the last 3 miles. I hung on in there and came home in a time of 2:50 and, surprisingly, I was first Lady V50!

I queued up and had a post-run massage which I think really helped as my legs don't ache today as much as I thought they would. My thigh is incredibly sore and I couldn't sleep very well at all. I've had a quick look on the internet and my symptoms seem to indicate hip bursitis. I'm going to make an appointment with the doc and see if he confirms my diagnosis.

Distance: 30K
Time: 2:50:47
Avg Pace: 9.06

I went to the sports physio on Wednesday hoping she would be able to massage out my problems but without much success, Boo Hoo. She advised that I continue seeing her for a while.....

The run on Thursday night started off ok, and it wasn't until nearing the end that my hip area started to hurt, around the 5 mile mark. Not so bad I had to stop but it is such an annoyance!

I have a big race on tomorrow - Stamford 30K!

"It is recognised nationally as a tough event, providing a good training run for those planning to run the Flora London Marathon.

Competitors travel the length and breadth of the country to compete on the hilly, challenging course, taking in some of the nicest rural lanes of South Lincolnshire."

My plan of action? Just get round it!!

I wore my new trainers yesterday and I did a very girly thing in trying to avoid all puddles – without much success!

It was surprisingly warm for the first half of the run and then on the way back I was running into the wind, which I hadn’t even realised was there on the way out. I tried to maintain form and keep my head up although I must admit that I checked on my trainers every now and again! My right butt felt ok’ish but I never felt totally relaxed and found parts of the run quite hard going. It was a good mixed route with long straight sections, a couple of hills and some track work. I didn’t take any music and found my mind drifting…..creating a You Tube video for my JustGiving site; dying my hair for the Marathon so friends can easily recognise me; what more I can do to reach my fundraising target; what A levels my son should study next year (we had just had parents evening the night before); and so on. I really find it therapeutic and a great way to think things over.

After the run and throughout the evening my right hip was sore – not sure why; my butt had held out but I guess it’s all part of the same problem. Could my shoes have made a difference and shifted the pain? I’ve booked to see a physio later today. I am hoping for a miracle and I walk out of there completely healed!

Flora London Marathon 2008 training day

Sunday’s training day was absolutely fantastic!

I was very excited about my day out (note to self: must get out more!) and caught the 9.00 am train to get me into London at 10.15. I made my way to where the training day was being held without getting lost – which is a big deal, if you’re wondering.

I made my way straight to the hall where Adidas were doing the foot scans and selling the clothing! Already I could see a massive queue ahead of me and quickly joined the end. A big screen had been set up and the talks being held in the main hall were being piped through to us so we wouldn’t miss out on anything although I must admit to being distracted by the shoe scan paraphernalia – it was very techno! There was a tremendous bargain of 35% off one pair of shoes or 50% off two pairs – I’d already made up my mind to buy two pairs. I would, after all, be saving money in the long run!

My turn eventually came and it was over all too soon. I did a couple of jogs over the mat with each foot and was shown that I have a neutral gait but am very heavy on the heel, banging my heel down into the ground – must be due to my old marching days! I was advised which shoes suited me best and off I went to try them on. Two pairs of shoes, one pair of ¾ lengths and one pair shorts later I made my way through to the main hall to catch the end of that morning’s talks.

During lunch I went over to the Lucozade Sport stand and listened in on the interesting facts being given out by the girls, along with free bottles of the stuff. I also got a couple of wrist bands with the pace marked out on them for what time you want to do it in.

After making our way back to the main hall David Bedford made an entrance! Here he is, as you’ve never seen him before. He certainly lived up to his reputation of being “the most colourful character in world athletics”.

You may wonder why he was dressed like that? Well, apart from perhaps liking to wear frocks, he was trying to make the point about wearing suitable clothing! His talk was hilarious and one I was glad not to have missed.

Liz Yelling – one of Britain’s top distance athletes - and Sam Murphy – writer, runner and coach, gave us some training advice. Amongst many things Sam said to keep your head up when running and not look down, as the head weighs something like 7 lbs (can’t remember exactly) and is a big strain on the neck and back. This was something that I put into practice tonight on my run!

They finished their talk with a bit of visualisation….. we closed our eyes and as she went through the landmarks of the London Marathon we were to visualise ourselves running and then finally crossing over the finishing line. It felt really good and brought a little tear to my eye – goodness knows what I shall be like on the day.

Well done to the London Marathon Team!

And then, to finish off a great day, Hubby came to meet me and we went to Masala Zone for a meal - highly recommended!