Sporting wife

OLA Balme is not a woman to run away from a challenge. In fact, she is more likely to don her running shoes and tackle it head on. She was not afraid when she ditched her admin job in favour of something more sporty, and she wasn't fazed when she swapped London living for the somewhat dimmer lights of York.

So it is with relish rather than trepidation that she is looking forward to opening her own sports massage business at The Healing Clinic in Fulford Cross on March 3.

Ola, 36, who is originally from Nigeria and who moved to Heworth last November with her husband Jon and their two-year-old daughter Katie, is a dedicated runner - dedicated to the point that, while pregnant, she completed a half marathon (beating her previous personal best with a time of 89 minutes and 21 seconds) and finished seventh in a National Road Relay six-stage event.

This is all the more impressive when you consider that she didn't even start running until 1995.

"I'd never done any sport at all before," she says. "In fact, I hadn't done very much of anything. When I started running my only ambition was to run to the bus stop without doubling over. Once I started though, I found I really enjoyed it - I got a real buzz from it."

She joined a running club and began setting herself targets. She started running 35-40 miles a week, doing long runs of about two-and-a-half hours at a time, and decided, perhaps a little prematurely, to enter her first marathon.

"I did the London Marathon in 1996," she says. "What a big mistake. I just wasn't ready. I didn't know how to cope with hitting the wall or how to deal with plummeting sugar levels. I learned to listen to my body after that; it comes with experience I suppose."

Her second marathon in Paris the following year was more successful. She knew what to expect, was better prepared, there were more refreshments available and her confidence was given a much-needed boost.

Dissatisfied with her job in admin - "I didn't know what I wanted to do, but I knew admin wasn't it" - she completed a Club Coach Level 1 (endurance running) course so she could coach new runners, and started studying anatomy, physiology and body massage.

"I soon realised that people had very little real information about how to prevent injuries and how to cope with them when they occurred," says Ola. "They weren't even aware of the benefits of having a good stretch before running."

She first became aware of sports massage in 1999 when her husband Jon spotted a job advert for a running coach that specified that applicants should be experienced sports massage therapists.

She knew nothing about it, but soon embarked on a steep learning curve when she pursued a diploma in the subject.

"Sports massage is different from a normal relaxing massage," she explains. "People tend to come for a sports massage when they have a specific problem or injury.

"It is not just for sports people though. Of course I get people with pulled muscles from playing football, but it's also not unusual for me to deal with someone who has tripped up at home and strained themselves.

"The technique is very similar to a relaxing massage, only it often hurts more because it's much deeper and concentrated on a specific area."

As part of her studies, Ola worked closely with the Dulwich Hamlets, a semi-professional football team in the Ryman League, for two seasons.

"I learned a lot working with all those macho men," she says, with a smile of obvious affection. "At first they said I was just a weak little woman who wouldn't be able to handle them. They soon changed their minds though when I got them on the table and made them scream."

She also got the chance to study with a physiotherapist who worked with First Division teams (before the advent of the Premier League) such as Crystal Palace for 20 years and who had a long standing association with the Irish youth squad.

"He would leave to work with the Irish boys during the summer and I would be left to look after the Dulwich team alone," says Ola. "It really taught me how to talk to people; how to relate to them as individuals. They come across as quite brash at first, but I soon realised they were vulnerable young men with their hearts set on high-flying football careers (one of the boys went on to play for Spurs).

"I didn't just run on to the pitch when they were injured, I also tried to teach them how to look after themselves, how to deal with injuries and how to prevent them."

Ola found success in London when she launched her own sports massage business and is hoping to repeat the experience here in York next month.

"Sports massage has been a breath of fresh air in my life," she adds. "The positive feedback from clients is inspiring, and it is an incredibly rewarding experience knowing that I am making a positive difference to their performance and health.

"One client who overcame injury problems with my help rang me, elated after completing his first marathon. Moments like that make me realise the power of massage."

Her own enthusiasm for running continues unabated. She now has four marathons under her belt (achieving a personal best of three hours and 21 minutes in Edinburgh), as well as several half marathons, 10km road races, cross country league events and national road races.

She is also a familiar figure in Heworth, clocking up a few miles as she pushes Katie along in her jogging buggy.

"I am very lucky to have found something I enjoy so much," said Ola. "If nothing else, running will take my mind off waiting for the phone to ring."

- For more details about Ola Balme's sports massage therapy, call The Healing Clinic on 01904 679868. An hour-long session costs £25 for a basic relaxing massage and £30 for a sports massage.

Updated: 08:51 Tuesday, February 18, 2003