Up To Speed

Now, unfortunately, I have to start this instalment with a bit of disappointing news.

Our duo has sadly become a solo attempt at this year's Lakeland 50.

Amy has made the incredibly difficult decision to pull out after her previous hip and ankle injuries simply haven't settled enough. As frustrating as it is, the last thing either of us wants is to see those flare up halfway around a 50-mile course.

Knowing Amy, it certainly wasn't an easy decision. Anyone who knows her will tell you just how competitive she can get, so stepping away has probably been harder than the race itself would have been.

But sometimes the bravest decision isn't pushing through - it's knowing when your body genuinely needs you to listen.

Despite this, for the first time since signing up for the Lakeland 50, I don't feel like I’m desperately chasing the race quite as much.

Now, don’t get me wrong, I'm certainly not sat here thinking I've got this in the bag. Far from it, in fact. And there is still a huge amount of work to do, plenty of nerves and probably more than a few questionable decisions still to come.

But compared to where we were a mere six weeks ago...

I’m a different person.

It's strange how quickly things can change.

Only a few months ago I was wondering whether I'd even make it to the start line. My hip had dictated almost everything I did. Every run seemed to end with another setback, every training plan ended up back in the bin and it genuinely felt like time was slipping away.

Now, although the clock is ticking louder than ever, it finally feels like I’m moving in the right direction. Not because I've suddenly become an elite athlete - far from it. Trust me, nobody's mistaking me for a professional runner anytime soon. But because I’m doing the one thing we simply weren't able to do before.

Being consistent.

And that's where everything started to change.

Small Wins Become Big Wins

When anybody thinks about training, it's easy to focus on the obvious things.

Running further.

Running faster.

Climbing bigger hills.

They're all important. But to be completely honest, those aren’t the biggest improvements I noticed.

The biggest change has been my own confidence.

A few months ago, I found myself constantly questioning every ache and pain:

"Is the hip going again?"

"Should I stop?"

"Am I making it worse?"

Now, those thoughts are much quieter.

Not because everything feels perfect – it most certainly does not. There are still days where my legs feel like concrete after a full day in clinic. There are still mornings where getting out of bed requires a little more effort than I'd like to admit.

But the difference is that I now trust my body again.

I've seen it cope.

I've seen it recover.

I've seen it get stronger.

And that's probably been the biggest victory of all.

The Body Adapts

One of the biggest lessons this whole process has taught me is something we speak to patients about almost every day.

The body is incredibly adaptable.

Given the right amount of movement, recovery and patience, it has an amazing ability to change.

The frustrating part? It rarely feels like it's actually happening.

For weeks it can feel like you're putting the work in for absolutely nothing.

The walks still feel hard.

The runs still leave you out of breath.

The strength sessions still make your legs wobble.

Then one day you look back and realise something that used to feel impossible now feels... normal.

You don't notice progress while it's happening. You notice it when you stop and compare where you are now to where you started.

One thing that's surprised me most is how much my days in clinic have changed too. Treating patients is a physical job. Eight hours of bending, lifting, standing and concentrating soon catches up with you. Yet over the last few weeks I've found myself finishing the day with more energy than I had before. Not because work has become easier, but because my own body has become better at coping with it.

Looking Back

When we first sat down and wrote our strengths and weaknesses list, there was certainly no shortage of weaknesses.

The right hip.

Fitness.

Strength.

Nutrition.

Recovery.

General life balance.

The list went on.

At the time, it felt a little overwhelming. Looking back now, I'm glad we were honest. If we hadn't been, we'd never have known where to start.

Looking back now, I'm pleased to say quite a few of those boxes have started to move in the right direction.

The hip has held together far better than I expected.

Strength work has become part of the weekly routine instead of something I kept saying I'd do "next week."

Our nutrition isn't perfect by any stretch of the imagination, but it's certainly a lot better than it was.

Even our recovery has improved – it turns out sleep really does make a difference… Who knew?

There are still plenty of areas that need work.

Probably more than I'd care to admit.

But that's okay.

Progress was never going to happen overnight.

Now, if you've been following this journey from the beginning, you'll know this has never been about pretending everything is easy.

It hasn't been.

Some sessions have been brilliant. Others have been absolutely awful. I’ve had walks where I've questioned every life decision that led me to this point. Runs where the best part was getting back to the car. Strength sessions where I discovered muscles I didn't even know existed.

But every single one of those sessions counted.

Because every mile covered was another mile the body had adapted to.

Every hill climbed was another hill the legs had learnt to deal with.

Every session, good or bad, moved us one step closer.

Looking back on this past year. This whole journey has become about far more than just running.

It's made us look at everything.

How we eat.

How we recover.

How we manage stress.

How much we actually move during the week.

How often we make excuses because we're busy.

Running was never really the point. It simply became the reason to improve everything else. We started trying to train for 50 miles. Somewhere along the way we started sleeping better, eating better, moving more and feeling more like ourselves again.

Your own "Lakeland 50" doesn't have to be fifty miles. It might be getting back to Parkrun; it might be hiking a mountain you've always wanted to climb; it might simply be wanting enough energy to enjoy weekends again.

The goal changes. The process doesn't.

Looking Ahead

So, where are we now?

Stronger? Definitely.

Smarter? I'd like to think so.

More tired? Without a shadow of a doubt.

But perhaps the biggest change is this:

For the first time since this whole journey began, I genuinely believe I belong on that start line.

Whether we belong on the finish line... Well, that's a completely different question. And with race day getting closer by the day, we're about to find out.

Your Finding Balance Challenge

In our previous instalment in the ‘From Clinic to Mountains’ series, we offered you a sheet to start your own Finding Balance Challenge. It was designed to help you figure out what were the top elements you needed to work on and where you were already doing well.

However, if you’ve been training for something for a while, or have been starting something for yourself over recent weeks, then this one’s for you…

Take five minutes this week and think back to where you were six weeks ago.

Not six years.

Not six months.

Just six weeks.

Write down three things you've improved, no matter how small they seem.

Because progress isn't about being perfect. It's about becoming a little better than you were yesterday.

Follow the Journey

With the Lakeland 50 now just around the corner, the next few blogs are going to move from planning and preparation into the reality of race week.

We'll be sharing the highs, the inevitable lows and everything in between.

And if you're on your own journey back to fitness, dealing with an injury or simply don't know where to start, we'd love to help. Drop us a message or pop into the clinic for a chat—we're always happy to point you in the right direction.