If I were a horse they'd put me down ........

I managed to get two blisters on the side of one of my big toes on the run last Monday ...... the first time since I started running! ......... just due to sweaty feet I think as I was wearing a pair of my normal running socks and shoes. Luckily they hadn't burst.

Once home my right calf felt very tight ...... I put this down to stupidly dehydrating myself on the run by not taking water and so the muscles were complaining .......... I drank lots of water!!!!

On Tuesday I was hobbling around like a hobbling around person, my knee was niggling and the calf was very stiff, clearly I'd strained it and the lack of water had had nothing to do with it. Walking up and down stairs was a nightmare, both feet on the same stair before I could move up one.

If I were a horse they'd put me down

By Wednesday panic had set in ......... how the hell was I going to be in any fit state to run a race in three and a half weeks time????  One that I was being sponsored for as well. To be honest if I hadn't signed up to run for Children's Hospice Southwest then at this point I would have pulled the plug and given up but as it's not an option I decided to carry on training .........

............. Well the 30 minute easy run anyway!

It had been a very hot day and although I couldn't get out until 5pm it was still pretty warm. The OBOAB wobbled along with the dogs but ended going back with them after half a mile as Jess was limping, so it was just me. I tried to ignore the sore bits ......... the first two miles were relatively easy and in fact my second one which was mainly up hill was 9.31 min/mile ....... 33 seconds faster than the first one! This possibly might have had something to do with my having to run past a couple of lorry drivers twice and trying to appear cool! ( In reality a hot sweaty bird in lycra with a face brighter than her pink top!!!) It then all went to pot on the last .90 mile ....... 13.06 min/mile ...... what a struggle, it didn't help that one of the blisters rubbed raw either.

On Thursday despite everything I decided that I needed to do the 40 minute training run which included hard pace in the middle.
 So with my knee strapped up and padding on the blisters and nothing on the calf, I set off ......... it wasn't good, suffice to say I couldn't get out of first gear at all and ended up ambling for 30.17 minutes.

Yes, yes yes ....... I know what you're saying but as I had a free Saturday I HAD to do Parkrun and of course you're right I should have given it a miss and rested my knackered legs but I didn't!!

The hobbling continued over the weekend!

As I said if I were a horse they'd put me down!!!

This morning the OBOAB got very cross and shouted at me when I mentioned that I was going to run today, so guess what?

I went out on my bike instead ....... infact twice!!!!! Ok it was only a total of nine something miles but I tell you I'd rather run up hills than cycle, however it seems to have helped the knackered knee and calf, so much so that I can now walk up and down stairs normally!!!!

Do you think they'll waive the rules for me on 10th May and let me cycle the 10K instead ????


OBOAB = Old bloke on a bike