J(a)NU(a)RY I - anag

 See what I did there? The clue was in the name of the month. How had I never noticed before? January 2022 has been a beezer of a month.

January 1st was a nice day. I went a run round Arthur's Seat and extended it up the High Street a bit. My right hip seems fine now, but my left hip started to get a bit uncomfortable about 5 miles in. I didn't think it would be anything serious, just did some stretches and stuff when I got home.

I even gave it a couple of days - going for a walk with Peter on the Sunday instead of running and then nothing the day after.

I was off on the Tuesday so Peter and I went to Gullane. It was a lovely day but my hip was tight. I thought it would ease off as we ran but actually by the time we got back to the car I was hurpling. I was mightily fucked off but then took a day off and went swimming on the Thursday. I had got my head round being a bit patient again and going swimming and cycling until this injury came right.

Getting back in swimming was good and I was starting to think maybe it was a good thing that my running had stalled again because all round it's probably better for me if I diversify. 

But then I went a cycle the next day. It had been really cold over night and I knew there would be some ice and I was super careful until at Cramond I was caught out by some totally black ice. The bike went over sideways and I  landed on the side of my head and my right side. Unfortunately I'd put my camera in the side pocket of my rucksack so it was like landing on a brick with my ribs. There was a man and his wife and child there who were asking if I was alright, and I sat on the ice for a while trying to assess that very thing. I've hurt those very ribs before - probably cracked them although I don't know because I didn't bother going for an x-ray since they can't do anything anyway. At first I couldn't feel much there so I hoped I'd got away with it. Fat chance. As I got back up on my feet and shuffled off with my bike the pain in my side grew and grew. Oh my God the regret! Why did I go out on my stupid bike? The thing is while I was on my bike I was in a bad mood about my hip. Now I'd have given anything to be back in the world where I only had a hip injury! I could see now plainly that I had in fact had it made - all the swimming I wanted and cycling as soon as it wasn't icy. Aaaaaaaaaah! I was still holding onto a hope that maybe my ribs wouldn't be too bad though - so maybe I could still go swimming.

Two days later  I did go swimming and it wasn't too bad at the time - although I had to stop if I was breathing too heavily because that was hurting - but afterwards the muscles around the floating ribs on my right side went into a big tight cramp and I had a rather perturbing thought that maybe a bit of my ribs was poking into my liver. I'm never exactly sure where my liver is but it's round about there. It was really uncomfortable. Sitting on the sofa was sore. Trying to get horizontal for bed was a fucking crisis and the thought of having to get up for a pee was torture. I swapped between the two available positions, lying on my back or on the non-injured rib side getting maybe 20 minutes grace out of each position until it was too uncomfortable again. Maybe about 5 in the morning I got into a longer sleep and felt almost comfy at 7.30 when it was time to get up.

A day of work was a welcome distraction.

Then I ventured out a wee walk the next day.

I went out just at sunset and walked just shy of 3 miles. My hip was tight and uncomfortable all the time and didn't loosen off.

I'm giving it to you blow by blow aren't I? Lucky you. So anyway I took another 2 whole days off after that and just stayed inside the flat. I've been doing the dishes and thinking about tidying but not really doing it. Also thinking about packing because we're supposed to be going away next week. I've done a gazillion Feldenkrais lessons which usually does something good in terms of relaxing my muscles. What the heck is up with my left hip I don't know. I do not understand it. It's not really my hip. It's the hip area - at the back. I think it's stabilising muscles. I really don't know what it's all about.

Yesterday I ventured out to the Tesco recycling bins with my excess running shoes and then went to Lidl. My flipping hip was sore much of the time - uphills being slightly better. I came home and did another gazillion Feldenkrais lessons.

Today I woke up feeling a bit better. (Shhhh, don't jinx it.) I went a conservative, conditional stroll up to Princes St - I can still feel my hip but it was like whatever is tight in there was relaxing from time to time.  It wasn't just continually tight.

So whoop-de-do. I'm actually scared to go swimming in case I do myself a mischief. I don't want to go cycling because I know the stretch forwards will be sore on the bike. My ambition is to not make myself any worse before going on holiday. It's amazing how quickly and dramatically your horizons can narrow. Anyway, I really enjoyed getting out for a walk today.

So, emmm, Happy New Year! Get your lucky white heather here!