Reflecting On October
Not a great month! Frustrations at work, sick and bad back meant I missed a sportive and a special half marathon.
Work continues to be difficult (I know this is not work related!). By my measure of "if I didn't turn up, would anybody care", the answer would still be a resounding no. I have plenty to fill my day but if it didn't get done, it wouldn't matter other than my line manager would be annoyed. Contrast that to most other engagements where I work late every night by necessity.
My hip / pelvis / leg pain flared up again and prevented me from doing the Henley Half Marathon, one of my all time favourites. I went to physio and they confirmed no serious issue but to be honest, I didn't come away with any confidence they took my complaint seriously. The guy was on about knowing the difference between mild discomfort because your body is stiff and your body telling you to stop because damage was being done. This was my point to him! I have been running long distance for over twenty years, completed seven marathons, over sixty half marathons and cycled over eleven thousand miles in the last five years. I used to judge the success of the weekend by the physical pain trying to climb the stairs on a Monday morning. I know the difference between stiff and painful and my hips were painful. It seems to have settled down again and I got some great exercises off YouTube which are making all the difference. I have a hilly half marathon this Sunday which will be a good test.
We did manage a weekend in Snowdownia. My back meant we had to limit what we did and the first day was more of a trial than anything else for me. We went up Snowdon via the Pyg Track and back down the miners. Nothing special and it was crowded and damp which spoilt it a bit. The second day we climbed the Devil's Kitchen and up to the top of Y Garn in horrendous wind and poor visibility. That was much more enjoyable! Nothing like a real scramble to wake you up! My back actually felt a lot better for the movement which surprised me given I had a biggish pack on (not too heavy).
Work continues to be difficult (I know this is not work related!). By my measure of "if I didn't turn up, would anybody care", the answer would still be a resounding no. I have plenty to fill my day but if it didn't get done, it wouldn't matter other than my line manager would be annoyed. Contrast that to most other engagements where I work late every night by necessity.
My hip / pelvis / leg pain flared up again and prevented me from doing the Henley Half Marathon, one of my all time favourites. I went to physio and they confirmed no serious issue but to be honest, I didn't come away with any confidence they took my complaint seriously. The guy was on about knowing the difference between mild discomfort because your body is stiff and your body telling you to stop because damage was being done. This was my point to him! I have been running long distance for over twenty years, completed seven marathons, over sixty half marathons and cycled over eleven thousand miles in the last five years. I used to judge the success of the weekend by the physical pain trying to climb the stairs on a Monday morning. I know the difference between stiff and painful and my hips were painful. It seems to have settled down again and I got some great exercises off YouTube which are making all the difference. I have a hilly half marathon this Sunday which will be a good test.
We did manage a weekend in Snowdownia. My back meant we had to limit what we did and the first day was more of a trial than anything else for me. We went up Snowdon via the Pyg Track and back down the miners. Nothing special and it was crowded and damp which spoilt it a bit. The second day we climbed the Devil's Kitchen and up to the top of Y Garn in horrendous wind and poor visibility. That was much more enjoyable! Nothing like a real scramble to wake you up! My back actually felt a lot better for the movement which surprised me given I had a biggish pack on (not too heavy).
