How’s your relationship with your physio? Do you check in with them regularly or, like a bad friend, do you only phone them up when something awful has happened and you want to cry on their shoulder? The physio may be your first port of call when you’re injured, but they’ll be just as happy to hear from you when you’re not.

After three weeks of not running, my legs were feeling pretty good and without injury. So it might seem an odd time to pay the physio a visit. But Julia at Back in Action was pleased to see me. We chatted about injuries I’d had in the run up to Venice marathon and other injuries I’d had in the past – including the one I got while running barefoot away from thieves in Vietnam.

It’s been my suspicion that the lingering Vietnamese injury to the left foot was the cause of the niggles in my right side as I put less weight through the injured left foot. Julia agreed this could be the case but after looking at the way I run and walk, she had other suggestions.

Apparently I can’t walk properly as this picture shows. I’m supposed to look more like the dude on the right and use more of my foot. Also I run like I’m running on a tightrope with my right leg coming over to the left side a bit. This doesn’t sound ideal. I should be aiming to run more like I’m on train tracks – which defiantly sounds easier than tightrope running.

1. Balance on 1 leg in front of mirror and slowly bend the knee-return to upright position. Start x5 each leg and increase as able.
2. Bridging (bottom lifts) with ball between legs – start just with this and then progress to straightening out alternate legs and then dropping bottom to the ground and lift back up X5 each side.
3. Step lunges with knee in line with the 2^nd toe x10.
4. Hamstring stretches hold 30 seconds – especially now you are doing more cycling.