I'd been thinking about posting a little update but hadn't got around to it. But
when Bagpuss wakes up, all his friends wake up too. So here we are with a little update.
I’ve fallen into the usual post-marathon slump – understandable, not only because of the mental and physical recovery needed, but also because there is always a slew of activities on the calendar in May. So really June becomes the recovery month, and here we are in July, already well past the summer solstice and the nights are drawing in.
I narrowly avoided a duck for both May and June, banking a solitary run in the last days of each month, and then finally started to build some momentum with a second outing in the first week of July.
I’m in the delightful position of having two months off work. My current project has wound down to almost nothing and so I’ve elected to start my new position in September when the kids go back to school. So three weeks of DIY, a week in Brittany and then 4 weeks of being super-soaker’d in the garden. I can’t ask for much more than that from life.
One nice touch is that I get a few weeks of doing the school run, in the nice weather. Monday morning we set off for Naomi’s pre-school; as we went out the door I was heading for the pushchair but Emma said “Back!”, indicating the Karrimor papoose hanging in the hall. I loaded her up and we walked the quarter mile or so to the church hall. I noticed that the straps seemed unevenly adjusted but thought little of it; big girl deposited we walked home with little girl on foot and I casually optimized the straps for next time.
Monday afternoon I was off to the builder’s merchants to pick up a load of 4x2s, before commencing boarding the loft. Nothing like a trip to the builder’s merchants to make you feel manly. The timber was duly loaded, unloaded, carried upstairs and into the loft. A corner of the loft was cleared and I was all set to start the next day. I was even considering waking the kids up by hammering above their heads at 7 am.
The old back felt a bit twingy Monday night – not unusual for a gangly, poor-postured oaf such as myself. Tuesday morning it was very bad. Loft work was not an option. It took several minutes to stand up straight, so to save time I was hobbling about bent double. Tuesday night I noticed that I was unable to straighten my spine in the left / right plane. The missus mentioned slipped discs. Paranoia set in.
Weds morning I drove to the doc’s, back spasming every time I braked. He reassured me that it was nothing serious, prescribed anti-inflammatories and heavy duty painkillers, and sent me hobbling on my way.
The drugs were amazing (man). Within 24 hours I was moving around normally, with only minor discomfort. It feels a bit sore if I do anything much (this morning I stretched to putting up a curtain track, slowly) but the improvement is amazing. Hopefully early next week I’ll be ready for a bit of a run. Nothing like half an hour of heel-strikes to settle the vertebrae
.
One great annoyance is that in a couple of weeks time I’d been planning to take the kids to the fun run attached to the
Wycombe 10K. Luke would run on his own, Naomi would trot along with me and I would walk with Emma on my back, in the now dreaded Karrimor. What a cute finish photo it would be, with us all in our race numbers. But I can’t risk it, even with the straps properly adjusted.
It’s also a timely reminder that my back won’t stand for any heavy fancy dress in next year’s marathon. I again want to step up the level a bit, but anything with serious weight is out. If anyone has any ideas for great outfits between now and the end of the year, do let me know!
As for any other races – I really can’t see any point in doing any summer events. My
last two fair-weather efforts have been hot, unpleasant slogs. Much better to embrace the light evenings (or even mornings) with some quality audio and just get some good miles in the bank. Maybe I should see what’s around in September, when things start to cool off a little. Before I know it, it will be time to not run the Marlow and Henley halfs, and then it’ll be marathon training time all over again…
Oh yeah – finally got around to updating my
Le Jog - I thought I’d head towards my in-laws in Brum; 314.2 miles for the year took me EXACTLY to their door. Spooky.
But don't tell them I called them that.
The rest of 2010 - between marathons
