'I can do anything'

By Liesl Hammer

On 11th April I went to the UEA Sportspark for an exciting new chapter in my fitness journey. I have always been very active; doing horse riding, pilates, skiing and swimming throughout school. Then, when I started university, I fell in love with the gym as I could push myself. Recently I have been craving more.

So, when I discovered that Able2B had a frame-running club, I knew I had to give it a go! Frame-Running was created in 1991 by Connie Hansen and Mansoor Siddiqi from Denmark as a way to make running accessible to those with a physical disability – particularly designed for people like myself who have Cerebral Palsy.

Made to look like a tricycle, the runner has three wheels and a handlebar to steer with. You then sit on a saddle, as you would on a bike, but instead of having your feet on peddles, you stand with your toes just reaching the ground.

There is a very good reason for this; due to the large wheels, you don’t have to work as hard as with other frames as once you have taken a few steps, the frame takes on the momentum. If you put your whole foot on the floor, you might break the speed.  

I had a fantastic, all-be-it-frustrating time during my first session. This was my fault for thinking I could go from taking forty minutes to complete a mile, to running as fast as an abled-bodied person overnight. Like with so many things, this will take time and determination.    

I loved that the shape of the seat kept my legs apart as I have very tight abductors so I got a good stretch in. But the seat was too high on my first try and I couldn’t get going because my feet were slightly too far off the ground for me to make any headway. It also caused quite a lot of pain in my abductors and hips as all my weight was pressed into the saddle.

Despite this uncomfortable first attempt, I tried again as it looked like it could turn into something great and I have never been one to quit. And I’m so glad I did because it was so much easier and therefore a lot more fun. I think there were two main contributing factors to this; the height of the seat and technique.

This time I had the seat slightly lower so my feet had more traction to the ground which meant I could get more steps in to build up speed. It feels very different from your typical walker because the wheels are much bigger but also, you don’t need to worry so much about balance as it is so wide. On my second go I therefore just focused on the accuracy and speed of my steps. This seemed to be worth it.

I will keep going with frame-running as the progress I have made with just two sessions is remarkable and I can’t wait to see what else I will achieve. We have 6 frames which vary in size so anyone can give it a go.

If this sounds exciting to you, please get in touch with Kieran through khall6230@gmail.com for more information, or come find us at our base at 9, Gilchrist Close, Bessemer Road, Norwich NR4 6AT. We can’t wait to see you.