12th
July
I was on the
whole pretty happy with my plan a few weeks ago to walk 1 hour every day. I was
walking 3.75 miles a hour, around 16 minute pace. It was going well that is
until the Saturday when the ankle starting swelling up again so back to the
R.I.C.E thing for the last few weeks, limiting the walking to 30 minutes a day.
I did get a appointment for the fracture clinic in the CUH for next Thursday
week so hopefully the healing process on the arm will have shown to have gone
well. I think it is going well as it is, mobility is much improved, able to
lift my arm above my head and side to side. It’s also able to bear some weight
in that cleaning my teeth, holding a spoon or a cup of tea is fine. Anything in
terms pushing a trolley, lifting a shopping bag or wielding a hammer/saw is a
bit trickier .I still can’t put my hand behind my back or bring down quickly.
That has it’s advantages- being able to dodge domestic duties when required
though I think my dearly beloved is beginning to cotton on.
Driving is
still out of the question until the clinic give me the go ahead and sleep is a
fitful exercise at times. I suspect the poor sleep has much to do with the fact
I am not actually doing anything during the day as anything else. I don’t think
uploading 600 albums on my iPod or getting through entire box sets of House of
Cards or Narco’s counts as work. I am pretty good at spending time in my
company so it’s good opportunity to catch up on some reading as well.
As to when I
will returning to light jogging I don’t know it depends on the doctors and
physio’s opinion. However as it is nearly 5 weeks since I went running I don’t
think any running will extend beyond any more than a walk/jog for quite a while.
I do indulge
in dreaming up some running plans over the next 12 months but with a new
arrival on the way in November (fingers crossed) it might stay a dream for a
long time. At the moment I will settle for running for fitness – happy to get
out 3-4 times a week, hopefully starting in early August. It does mean I will
have to defer a few races I have entered – Charleville 13.1 and the Galway Bay
marathon. The hunger for racing is a different thing entirely. It has been a
issue since last August when on holidays in Spain I picked up a stomach bug
which made me compromise on my training for Frankfurt. I did bounce back to
record a decent time in the marathon in October followed again by a good spell
of training in November and early December resulting in a PB in the Newmarket
5k. This in turn was followed by a tough spell at xmas and a average race in
the Dungarvan 10 miler in January. February was marked by work and personal
stuff taking priority and a large dose of the flu which wrecked a decent chance
of doing well in the Ballycotton 10. Looking back it was obvious I was dealing with a lot on my plate. March – May were good months for running
in that I was taking part running solid times but the Cork half marathon was a
nightmare situation. I dropped out at mile 8 not happy with the mess at the
start and having messed up my pacing. That is something I hope I will never do
again. However I was building up a good head of steam in terms of racing and
was hopeful of setting one or two PB’s before the fall and break happened.
