Lazy (right) Butt(ock)

I went to see Ryan the Physio again on Tuesday to try and understand why my right knee had felt strange for ten days and it turns out the reason is that I have lazy right-hand-side bottom muscles! I was relieved when he told me that the swollen bursae (protective fluid sacs) behind my knee aggravated by the knee working hard to correct my asymmetry in running cannot get broken or snapped and my knee shouldn't hurt any more than it did. The strange feeling I had inside the back of my knee was essentially the swelling and also the cause of me not being able to fully straighten and lock out my leg since the hamstring muscles couldn't stretch over the lump. So Ryan was happy for me to carry on with my speed work run of that day and allowed me to use the gym where he's based to do this and so he could see my special gait in action. He's prescribed ice and buttock exercises so whenever I've been at home I've strapped an ice pack round my knee for 20 minutes every hour and a half and today (touch wood) it feels miles better.

The exercises are 40 reps (2 x 20) each side of the Side Lying Hip Abduction (The Clam) for Gluteus medius activation with an added freeweight balanced on the top knee - our hardbound copy of Larousse Gastronomique has never had so much use!

Picture credit Elizabeth Quinn

Plus 40 (2 x 20) reps each side of an adaptation of the above exercise raising the top leg, kicking back into the air then returning that knee to the floor in front of the lower knee. Apparently if I do these exercises daily I can correct a lifetime of dodgy running technique... sounds incredible but I'll do it until I'm 'toight like a tiger' ;)

The second 20-miler is up for me tomorrow so I'm hoping I'll be able to forget the recent leg niggles and just get on with it. After abandoning my first ever training run on Thursday after only 2 miles because the knee hurt in a new location for no apparent reason I'm keen for this injury-obsessed blip to be over already. Keep you posted.