INTERNATIONAL runner Lindsey Brindle is almost back to her best after suffering serious injury last year.

The Horwich ace had progressed to become one of the top mountain and fell runners in the country before she was involved in a collision with a car while on a training run.

After months of recovery she has been gradually building up her training and has been producing impressive times at the Saturday morning Bolton parkrun of late.

Last weekend she clocked 19mins 27secs over the 5k course around the track, trails and paths of Leverhulme Park.

That was 25 seconds faster than her previous run six weeks ago, 55 seconds faster than the one before that in February, and 65 seconds faster than she ran at the end of January – her first one since sustaining the injury a little over 12 months ago.

The 36-year-old mother-of-two suffered a fractured spine in the collision and spent eight days in Bolton General Hospital before a long rehabilitation.

While she feels she will always feel the effects of the injury she is happy she is well on the way to returning to full fitness and is targeting two big international fell races this year.

“I was really fit before the accident,” said the Horwich RMI Harrier.

“I did a lot of training on longer distance runs before the accident and it has completely changed my training.

“I’m concentrating on shorter distances and the speed stuff now.

“I’ve been forcing myself to go to Tricky’s Gym since Christmas where I’ve been doing a lot of core work and strength work and it has really helped. I have really noticed how much I’m coming on.

“I’m getting a lot stronger and faster.

“I’m also doing pilates once a week because if I don’t I get a lot of pain still.

“I feel I will have a bad back forever now. I don’t feel it when I’m running but I feel it when I’m sitting down.

“I’m enjoying doing the parkrun and my times are coming down. My time now is something like I was doing a couple of years ago which is good.

“I’m looking to do a couple of races this year.

“The first is the Snowdon International Race in July. It’s one I did in 2014 when I beat some runners who had been picked for England and then the year after I was selected to run for England.

“I hope to be fit by then and then I want to do the Ben Nevis Race in September.”