Hebden 22 Success!
One of my New Year’s resolutions for 2012 was to try and continue to improve on my long distance races after showing some signs of promise last year in Ireland and at Duddon. As many people will know ‘the long ones’ have never been my forte and this is something I’ve been working hard on to try and change.Last year I only ran the Hebden 22 because it had been included in the club champs, previously I just thought the people who did it were mad! Especially during the race because I really struggled on the last 3 miles and Gav (Mulholland) dragged me round the entire route. This year I was much more prepared. I’m not yet in top form but I have been running longer distances in training and I even reccied the route 4 times in the 3 weeks prior to race day! So I was confident I could get round in at least sub 3:30.The Monday before the race I had a sports massage at Back to Fitness Physiotherapy and I was crying like a baby! Hahaha! No pain, no gain I kept thinking! My legs were very sore for a few days so I trained light and by Saturday I was raring to go! So the tears on the massage bed hadn’t been in vain! Like the previous year Gav and I had agreed to run together and the aim was to enjoy it and eat as much food as possible before, during and after the race! If I’m honest I’d already ruled out anyone breaking the record because the conditions were horrible, very windy and extremely wet underfoot! We set off at a decent pace and soon opened up a good lead…I knew we’d have to as Calder Valley legend Adam Breaks and Kevin ‘Usain’ Hoult were both in the chasing pack. On the first climb Gav told me that his legs were already smashed and was beginning to regret running AND cycling the previous day!!!! Not the best prep! In fact long before the first checkpoint he was urging me to push on but I didn’t want to leave him because he’d dragged me round the previous year and I’d miss his company too much awwwwwww! I kept saying we’d take it easy on certain sections so he could last the full 22 but I was lying and just kept pushing the pace anyway, I was enjoying watching him suffer too much I was really impressed with the way he dug in and kept going especially on the climb up to Stoodley which always seems to last forever! From there we blasted down the descent across Erringdon Moor and started to think we could get a decent time. By the time we reached the last checkpoint Gav was nearly on his last legs and a bit further down the road he told me to run on and try and break 3 hours. Amazingly I still felt good and as I descended back towards the finish I was literally sprinting my way through the streets to try and beat the clock (and be the first to get to the food in the church hall!). I couldn’t believe I’d gone round so quickly (2 hours 53 mins!!!) and I was even more pleased that I still felt so good! Karl Gray will tell you what I usually look like after a race over 10 miles! Gav came in 2nd just 3 minutes behind which was brilliant considering his legs had been tired from the very start. Adam Breaks was an excellent 3rd in 3 hours 11 mins with ‘Usain’ Hoult 5th in 3:15. It was also great to see my friend and fellow Calder Valley team mate Jo Waites back in form clocking 3 hours 31 mins, 1st lady and 12th overall! 2nd lady home was my Calder Valley and ‘Back To Fitness Physio’ team mate Anne Johnson who wasn’t far behind Jo in 3:43! Although winning the race was a brilliant feeling I must admit that the post race treats were the highlight of my day. After a quick shower, change and feed I was back on the physio table having my calves massaged by Joe from the Back to Fitness team. Charlotte was also on hand and it was great to see them supporting yet another local race! In fact I think Charlotte was even more tired than me by the end of the day after 5 hours of constant massaging! I felt sorry for her forearms and she even ran out of massage oil! Think I’ll stick to the running, its far less hard work Overall a fantastic race and great local performances all round!!!!! Same again next year I hope!!!!!!

Len specialises in arthroscopic (keyhole) and minimally invasive surgery of the shoulder. His shoulder surgery uses advanced modern techniques for the management of shoulder dislocations, frozen shoulder, arthritis and sports injuries of the shoulder.
Len routinely treats elite and professional athletes, with a particular interest in shoulder injuries in Rugby and contact sports, with a large experience in treating professional sports people. More information about Len and the service he provides is available at

We arrived there bright and early (and somewhat bleary eyed) at 6.45am and got changed into theatre clothes, clogs and hats (see the photo). We were lucky enough to be able to see two rotator cuff repairs, a Bankart repair and a shoulder stabilisation. After some lunch, we went into clinic to watch Len assess some patients. Then we got to have a play on the arthroscopic shoulder simulator! It was brilliant – basically a plastic shoulder linked to a computer into which we inserted an arthroscope (camera) and a probe. On the computer was a virtual image of the inside of the shoulder and we played a game which tested our knowledge of shoulder anatomy trying to find little green balls hidden within the joint. We were then given a score. It would be rude to say who did best but Joe left there looking somewhat dejected

It was such a fun day and a great chance to see a master at work (Len, not me on the shoulder simulator!)

Charlotte

Last weekend saw the return of the West Yorkshire XC Winter League as the new 2011/12 season kick started in Skipton. 8 teams compete in the league from around West Yorkshire including my 2nd claim club, Stainland Lions (who I might add are the defending champions after winning the competition for the last 3 years woop, woop!!!). I have also been the very proud winner of the individual competition for the last 4 years and I am eager to try and repeat my success again this season.

Unfortunately for me however I have been ‘out’ of the racing scene for a couple of months (mainly to move house and let my body recover after a busy season) so I was worried before the race that I might struggle to keep pace with the competition. The Pudsey course is always particularly muddy and this year was no exception! I was hoping that it might slow down some of the ‘roadies’ and give me more of a chance of winning!

Despite my lack of confidence I went out hard from the start and soon began to build up a lead although I could tell how unfit I was compared to the summer months! Quentin Lewis of Baildon was in hot pursuit after the first lap and I was conscious of his presence right up until the final climb where I knew that I’d just done enough to shake him off. I was desperate to see the finishing line at the end and VERY pleased I took the win! I’ll certainly be putting in some hard training before the next one to get back to full fitness!

I was also pleased that my teammate and training partner Gavin Mulholland finished just behind Quentin in 3rd place and took some notable scalps including Rob Bridges of Leeds & Bradford Tri Club, well done Gav! But most importantly Stainland finished 1st on the day and look set to have another very successful season! For those that are interested, full results can be found on www.wymedia.co.uk/wywl

Hopefully I’ll be ‘Back to Fitness!’ when I write the next blog…

Here’s Ben Mounsey (one of our sponsored runners) sporting the all new Back to Fitness Physiotherapy running vest – everyone is going to want one soon! It’s THE thing to be photographed in this season!

Keep up the good work Ben, you’re doing us proud!

‘At the weekend, I ran in the last race of the British championships fell races, the Devils Beeftub, near Moffat. The race was just 2 miles with 750ft of climb. I had a fantastic run finishing in 4th place. If I’d been able to run 4 seconds quicker, I could have come 2nd!!! I was pretty chuffed seeing as long distance is more my thing. Jackie Lee from Eryri, finished just 1 second ahead of me, gaining an advantage after a 50m fall/bumslide to the bottom of the last steep descent!! Our Calder Valley ladies team did fantastic and we finished the championships in gold medal position.

No individual medal for me, as I’ve spent the last 5 months getting back to fitness after 15 months out of running due to knee injury.

My next big event is the Rab mountain marathon which is a paired 2 day running event in North Wales on the 24th/25th Sept.

Rab mountain marathon.
What a fantastic weekend! My partner Bill and I finished 6th overall out of 296 teams and 1st mixed team.
The event this year was in the Welsh mountains starting from Bethesda. A mountain marathon consists of 2 days of running in the mountains, carrying a tent, sleeping bag, food, stove and a minimum amount of compulsory kit to be self sufficient for 36 hours. To be able to run well, the weight of your kit is critical, so everything is weighed and every ounce you can shave off is vital. The event takes the format of a score event. At the start, you are given a map which is dotted with controls,each one worth a certain number of points. The idea is to navigate your way to as many controls as possible and score as many points as possible. The first day you have 6 hours and the second day 5 hours.
We had a good day 1 arriving at the overnight camp with 20 minutes to spare. If you arrive after 6 hours you start to lose all your hard earned points. We were 11th overall and 1st mixed team. We spent the next few hours cooking and eating a great tea of chicken noodles, couscous and angel delight. Delicious!! I’d sneaked in a few quality chocolates and a miniature bottle of Kahlua as it was Bill’s birthday. So much for the careful weighing!!
Day 2 was superb. The weather was good. We both ran our legs off, gathering all the far flung controls. Bill did all the navigation and was spot on every time. We finished with 2 minutes to spare and were in joint second position overall for day 2. Final position 6th. Our prizes were fantastic Rab sleeping bags.
Later on we worked out we’d run 20 miles with 6,600ft of climb on day 1 and 18 miles with 5000 ft of climb on day 2.

I entered this event back in May, as something to aim for when I’d just started running again after a year off with knee problems. I’d been told I probably wouldn’t be able to do competitive running again. Charlotte has been superb in getting me back running. She has been spot on in analysing my weaknesses and getting muscles fired up which had seized to work. I can’t sing her praises enough. I never thought I’d be running so well again and doing what I love most. Also, mustn’t forget Alec’s brilliant sports massages which have helped prevent further injuries. If you have a knot, he will find it!! No pain, no gain!

Shepherds skyline race – 5th November
It was the 26th Shepherds Skyline race on Saturday. I had a great run finishing 1st lady. The course is 6.25 miles with 1150 ft of ascent. It starts from the Shepherds Rest inn at Lumbutts and makes it’s way up to Stoodley Pike.There was a record field of 350 runners with over 70 women. Despite the mad dash at the start, up a fairly narrow path, I steadily picked my way through the field, feeling stronger as the race progressed. Since first seeing Charlotte back in June, I’ve been working on improving my running technique. I always used to rely completely on my quads and calfs for strength to get me up the hills. Charlotte has managed to re-educate my ‘glute’ muscles which were lying dormant, with a series of strengthening exercises. It wasn’t an overnight change, but gradually I have noticed a huge difference, and am now able to switch from using my quads to my ‘glutes’ when one muscle set starts to fatigue. I’ve never had this before and it feels great! Throughout the race I had a lot more power and speed in my legs, never felt tired and just wished there was a second lap!! Looking forward to the ‘Tour of Pendle’ race in 2 weeks which is 16 miles.

Well, as we head into the last part of the season it’s good to look back at the summer and think about what will definitely be the climax of a great year for me.

When I think about how far I have come with Charlotte’s help from the low of continuously ‘popping’ my calf last year I am amazed…Getting fixed is only part of the progress, staying fixed is the most important. This means you can train when you want to and need to and then compete without anxiety. The fortnightly massage sessions at King Cross are a massive plus as Elizabeth can not only strip out fatigue but also keep an eye on changes as she gets more used to what the legs are like when they’re good and not so good!

I started the summer with the orienteering equivalent of a stage race, the Scottish 6 Day. Super tough technically and physically it is bi annual and always brings out the best competitors. The races were based on the west coast around Oban and I finished 4th overall with two stages on the podium with 3rds. Really pleased and the guys who beat me (without being too negative) should beat me… ex elite squad racers still at the top of their game. Over 180 behind me though ! This is my best overall in doing 10 of these events.

Racing takes a back seat to lots of cycling and some trekking in the holidays. I was luck to be able to do this in France and Morocco this year so have come back fresh and the warm sun will stick with me into the autumn.

Back to that climax to the season now….. as the picture shows I got the call up for the England orienteering team to race in Aberdeen in the Home Internationals in early October. Brilliant! The selections were based on a series of spring and early summer races. I now need to build on my great stamina from the biking and walking (and low weight!) with 3 weeks of focussed interval work in rough terrain. This should get me sharp and I need to do enough events in the next 2 weekends to make sure the map work isn’t rusty. I’m flying up s it should be a really pampered and exciting weekend.

I’ll update on how it all goes and the start of the off season next time….

Thanks again Charlotte and Elizabeth
Looking forward to seeing that Cragg clinic up and running (!) soon as well

It’s official! 2011 has literally been the best year of my life and certainly the best of my very short running career. As if the Yorkshire and England vest weren’t enough, I got a late call to run for Great Britain…in Italy…all expenses paid…for a downhill only stage of an Alpine relay (my speciality!) I actually thought I was dreaming until I stepped onto the plane to Venice and had one of the best weekends of my life! What made it even more special for the club is that I was joining our very own GB superstar Helen Fines who was running for a remarkable third year in a row!
The race we’d been selected for was the prestigious 3 Refugi relay in tiny mountain village of Collina, in the Carnic Alps in Italy. The relay, now in it’s 49th year, consists of 3 very different stages and as well as the intense heat and altitude (starting at 1250m) there was lots of steep, challenging and dangerous terrain. The race is famous for attracting the very best athletes around the globe including legends of mountain running and former world champions Jonathan Wyatt of New Zealand and Marco De Gasperi of Italy. Both men have set long standing records for stages 1 and 2 which many (including myself) believe will never be broken.
Both Great Britain teams were amongst the favourites for the win with the women previously winning the title for the last two years. The men’s team were competing in the event for the first time and we were equally confident of a top place finish. However, both teams faced stiff competition, most notably from an extremely talented Slovenia who boasted current world champion Mitja Kosovelj and his sister Mateja amongst their ranks.
Running on the opening stage were Leeds City’s Adam Osbourne and Bingley’s Mary Wilkinson who had the arduous task of climbing over 1000m in only 6.5km. They set both teams off to an excellent start by finishing 4th and 2nd respectfully. Adam is a regular in the Great Britain team and Mary is one of the finest runners in the country, recently gaining GB selection for the Commonwealth and World Championships. They then handed over to Dark Peak’s Belgian-based Es Tressider and Kendal’s Natalie White for the second leg which consisted of a mixture of climbing and descending over 4.5km and over more challenging terrain including some via ferrata. This leg is regarded as the most dangerous of the 3 legs as there is a greater risk of injury due to the extreme amount of exposure of the climbs. The experienced pair safely reached checkpoint 2, despite dropping one place each.
It was now time for me and Helen to tackle a hair raising mountain descent of 1000m all the way to the finish, ending the leg with a 2km on the road. I set off down the mountain like a man possessed knowing I was a number of minutes behind 4th with much work still to do. The route was absolutely breathtaking and it really suited my style of running (in short it was steep, tough and most importantly downhill!!!) I made excellent time through the technical and challenging part of the course before my old enemy ‘Mr big f**k off foot blister’ paid a visit to both feet. As I approached the road, my feet were in agony and I struggled to hold onto 5th position. I eventually finished in 6th place and Adam had to help carry me to the medics after I hobbled across the finishing line. I sat in a fountain across from our hotel and it took me about 20 minutes just to get my Inov8’s off because my foot was literally stuck to my shoe! Ouch!!! The rest of the team found it quite amusing and also disgusting as half my foot was still floating in the water until I eventually fished it out!
Helen also had a battle with injury as she struggled through the leg with a swollen ankle. She bravely managed to hold onto 3rd place overall for the women and remarkably recorded the fastest time of the day for the women on stage 3. The trophy she won was literally the most impressive that I’ve ever seen in my life!!!! It was this massive silver eagle that weighed almost as much as us both put together! The ladies also won a big ‘magic mushroom’ trophy, 150 Euros, some bags, t-shirts and Mary and Helen got some really nice glasses for recording 2 of the fastest legs of the day. We bagged 160 Euros for finishing 6th and also got the bags and t-shirts to match the ladies. All in all a bloody good day! Apart from the blisters, a bruised ankle and Slovenia winning both the male and female team prizes!  It was all made extra special for me at the end when the organizers kept bringing us vast amounts of free beer and wine which obviously I had to drink as not to let Great Britain down It also gave me chance to practice my Yorkshire-Italian on the locals, which as Helen will confirm was about as successful as the last mile of my leg on the road! Still I managed to blag us all some free engraved pen knifes so it can’t have been all bad! An experience I’ll never forget and one I hope to repeat next year! Just need to get these bloody feet sorted now!…..

We’re into stage two now and I am being helped out massively by my dad, Nigel Stead whom I have given the well deserved title of ‘Maintenance Manager’ (I’ve got him a name badge and everything!). He has just started building a stud wall to seperate our area off into a treatment room and reception. Next stage is to paint and then get all the equipment in.

It’s a very exciting time but there’s lots to do!

Saturday 17th September 2011

The grand opening of our fourth clinic at Mytholmroyd is getting ever nearer. The clinic opens for business on 1st October so we are busy with final preparations. The clinic shares premises with Fix Lifestyles

We are hoping that together we can promote healthy and injury free lifestyles. Have a look at their website too www.fixlifestyles.com.

We are holding an open day on 15th October 2-4pm at the new clinic so why don’t you come and take a look around? There will be some free massage and also an opportunity to book discounted packages of Physiotherapy and sports massage. Also it’s a good opportunity to meet some of the team who will be based there.

Appointments can be booked on our normal phone number 0800 0751 641 or you can email us for futher information on enquiries@backtofitnessphysio.com.

Our new addres there will be:

Back to Fitness Physiotherapy
1C Dean Hey Country Business Park
Cragg Road
Mytholmroyd
West Yorkshire
HX7 5RU

Today we are braving the weather to start our leaflet drop – fingers crossed the rain holds off!

36th Snowdon International

Well it’s finally over. What a race and what a weekend!! I was immensely proud to have represented England and there is no better feeling than pulling on that white vest! Something I hope to do again and again now that my international career has finally started.
I had high hopes going into the race, my aim was a top ten finish and a sub 70 minute run. In the end I managed 12th and 71 minutes but I’m still very pleased considering the standard of the international and open field this year. I would have been 7th last year with the same time!

The winner was once again my England team mate Andi Jones who was in his usual impeccable form. He outsprinted Scotland’s Murray Strain to claim his 5th win! What an athlete! Serious respect!!!

I was pleased more than anything with my climbing today, I reached the summit in 7th place and 45 mins, an excellent time! I flew down the steep descent towards the foot of Snowdon and it wasn’t until the final mile and a half where I eventually started to suffer! The transition between the steep and flat gradient made my legs cramp badly and what was looking like a sub 69 min run ended being 2 mins slower. I was also past by 5 other runners so I was obviously disappointed!

That aside I’m pleased with my performance and proud to be part of the England team that took silver behind a dominant Scotland.
Many thanks to all those who supported me on the day and Back to Fitness Physiotherapy who are my brilliant sponsors!

As I write this I’m on a coach heading to France… Sun, sea, sand and REST!!! Haha! My legs are killing!
Au revoir!!!

Back to Fitness Physiotherapy is proud to be sponsoring 4 fantastic runners: Jonathan Emberton (in the picture above), Ben Mounsey, Karl Gray and Anne Johnson. Good luck to all of you!