Recentltly I saw a program about the Olympic gold medal winning rower James Cracknell and his horrendous traumatic brain injury. He was hit on the back of the head with the wing mirror of a truck whilst racing his bicycle in USA. The progress that James has made since his injury is remarkable.
All of the people that help me to recover know how important being able to run is to me. I can already swim unaided, I have been told that when I can run I’ll have enough balance to be able to cycle which I have loved doing since I was a kid, so a long time!
Personally I think that the best and safest place for me to run is on the supportive treadmill at The Clear Unit in Oxford Brookes University that lifts the body too. I think that I should have 80% of body lift, then try stepping from one foot to the other with both feet being lifted up off the ground during the stride. I believe that I should try to get a running stance that has knees bent forwards a little during the running step and the body upright and leant forward a bit.
I am going to see how long I can do this for and increase the running period up to a speed that I decide in consulation with the Clear Unit Manager James Bateman.
Initially I will “run” very, very, slowly. As soon I can run for the longer time period I will increase the speed by an amount decided upon by me in consultation with James again. I will keep increasing the speed up to an limit as specified by consultataion with James, probably about 12 km/h.
I will then reduce the lift, I will do this in segments as soon I can run for the longer length of time.
I will keep doing this until I have no lift on the treadmill, I will then try and run on tarmacced roads outside folloed by rougher and rougher off road tracks.
By the time I can run on rough tracks in the countryside I will probably be 85 or so but I will run and cycle on own again before I die, I will run!
Shead Injury 