“I have just gone online and bought nearly everything that I didn’t purchase in the hip dysfunction kit!

I just wanted to let you know how happy I am with the products. After speaking with you at length at GC marathon about my hip flexors, my painful piriformis and my dysfunctional calves, I used the hip kit for the few days before the marathon. As I reported to you in a previous email, although I didn’t have my fastest race by a long way (3;36), that was never on the cards due to being overweight (100kg) and undertrained. However, I suffered none of my usual crippling hip flexor pain that attacks me at 2/3rds of the way through any race of any distance. Even in my best physical shape when I ran 82 mins for a half, weighing 90Kg, I suffered terribly for the last 5kms with the hip flexors. I do not remember any running race or any game of rugby since the age of 14 when I didn’t get hip flexor pain that inhibited performance. So, the marathon was run, and unlike the previous 4 runs on the Goldie where I had the pain and then post race, my quads were rendered useless for a couple of days and I looked like a 90 year old man going up or down stairs, I was running up and down stairs the next day and all that week.

Anyway, the more impressive news for me is that this was not a one off. I have just run the City to Surf this weekend with little or no expectations of a good time as I have just spent 3 weeks in the UK where I ran once and I ate and drank far too much. At 101kg I was 13kg over my target race weight for a fast run and so I just wanted to enjoy the day and not hurt too much. Anyway, the competitive edge took over on the start line as usual and I was running with a few friends so we went for it. I was still expecting the hip flexors to blow-up on heartbreak hill and I would be left to just jog it in from there. Well, I ran hard. I was blowing but the legs felt good. I hit the top of the hill in 31 mins and realized that I still felt good. The legs kept going. I picked it up. I overtook all my regular running buddies and I ran it home in 60mins and about 15 secs. (official time not yet confirmed) That was a PB by 2 minutes. I had no pain at all in my legs even though I was blowing hard. I have not had more than a slight post race ache in the Quads of the level expected after a hard hill session. The best news is – NO HIP FLEXOR PAIN AT ANY POINT.

Once, I was still a little sceptical. Twice and I am a very happy runner. I am now forecasting some very enjoyable running in the next 12 months and have the inspiration to drop the weight again and try to crack 80 for the 1/2, 55 for the C2S and 3 hours for the marathon. It never seemed possible before because of the crippling pain. I am a runner reborn.”

Jonathan

Dr Jonathan Negus MA Cantab MSc MBBS MRCS

PhD Candidate

Department of Orthopaedics

University of Sydney