Having said that, I normally run about 600+ miles a year through knee-high mud, through water obstacles and while climbing walls and cargo nets - my blade gets quite a beating! For many able-bodied athletes, qualification to the European and World Obstacle Course Racing Championships can be extremely difficult.

This blog looks my progression away from official results and looking at what it takes to count a personal best.

It also increases jump height to 8m and jump length to 40m (on the first slide jump) respectively 48m (on subsequent slide jumps). Once accepted, you are asked to come into Nashville for about a week to be fitted and test out what you might want to do with your prosthesis. Because those with a running blade don’t have the flexibility from a biological foot, it can be really difficult to slow down.

Join Runner’s World+ today for exclusive access to training advice, nutrition tips, and the latest news! Fortunately, the values I discovered can form the acronym B-HELD, with an aim for me to be held up through these values. I didn't feel prepared or ready for the race and had no intention of breaking a record but here's my breakdown of the weekend! Now although the rules only really matter with high-level competitions, there are strict rules within running blades. As someone who has now undergone over 50 operations, I am accustomed to bouncing back after both minor and major surgical procedures.For anyone who has watched Wheelchair Racing, you’ll probably remember a flurry of speedy wheelchairs, racing around a track. It comes with great tread, and the Ossur brand has been around for a long time, so it’s a trusted brand. Working out at home has always filled me with dread - the ability to have the space to train, as well as the equipment required has always put me off….

Years in the planning, it was so exciting to see everything come together and see para athletes on the stage, competing for awards. A competitor must not be seen to have a running blade which shows an “unrealistic enhancement of stride length". For my running, I use the Ossur Iceross Seal-In, and for my walking socket I use the Otto Bock Skinguard.While this blog certainly won’t extend your day by a couple of hours, it might just change your mindset, to find productivity in running. If you asked a small child to draw a running blade, I imagine that they would draw a stick person with a curved shape at the bottom of the leg. As we now start to venture into darkened nights, we now find that our runs start to get darker and darker.

It was a dream come true for me, to compete as a Para athlete against other athletes at a World level.As we come into March, those January goals are either completely on track on just on the cusp of abandonment (if they haven’t already been scrapped and if you can even remember what they are). Whether you have none, one or two feet, travelling in a wheelchair or flying in a rocket, nothing is impossible - I’m yet to see a rocket though!