Ahah, a blog about not running? How very Zen. There are a lot of things I haven't been doing apart from running, but you have to focus. As Facebook wisdom has it - you can't hug all the cats.
So how's the knee?
Well, whisper it, but it seems a wee bit better. I don't have to be so careful with it. I still have to think about stairs, steep inclines and declines, and it's still swollen, so I'm not running. I can't be bothered doing the re-injury thing, it takes too much of a toll. I've kind of accepted I'll need to start from scratch whenever and if ever I do get going again.
Which raises a question; what is scratch? How do you start running again? I was 25 last time I started running, and I'm guessing, but I was probably more resilient then than I am now. When I was 25 I was doing a Masters in IT at Stirling Uni because there weren't many jobs and the Scottish Govt was handing out funding, and one of the guys on my course was an ex PE teacher. Calum gave me this advice. "Just keep running for 20 minutes at first and you'll get fitter". He was right. It was terrible at first. The terrible thing was the breathing. I walked a lot and swam kind of regularly and had a bike so it didn't really seem hard on my legs. The breathing was something else. And the public humiliation. There's nothing for blowing your cool like huffing and puffing with a big red face while you run quite slowly.
Also, it was in the days when it was fine to shout out your van window at a puffing jogger lady, so I got more feedback than I was ever looking for. I have a fine fighting spirit however and THAT shit just made me more determined to run. Although I tried to do it after dark whenever I could.
So what I'm saying is I have no idea how I'll start running again. Maybe I'll do the couch to 5K thing people talk about.
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So how are you doing with physios?
How thoughtful of you to ask. I've got a bit to say about that. So the one I was telling you about 2 months ago who knew about knees and football. I went back to see him and I think it cost me £58 and in the meantime he'd forgotten everything we'd talked about and had to read his notes while I sat there, and then he gave me some rather hasty exercises where I didn't really get what he was asking me to do. He yawned the whole time as well. I'm still doing the first exercises he gave me and they've helped me I think, but I didn't go back.
You're quite the Diva these days aren't you Yakhunter?
Yes it's my new thing.
I thought I was maybe being a bit stubborn about the anti-inflammatories so I had a google and I found a paper on-line that said ibuprofen gel seemed to be just as effective as oral ibuprofen for reducing swelling and inflammation, but without the side-effects, so I've been using that, and it's hard to know what does what, but my knee's not so swollen - in fact it's much less swollen. I can do a standing quad stretch now which I couldn't do a couple of months ago.
Last thing and then I promise to shut up about my knee.
I got an NHS physio appointment through after...maybe 3 months wait. I didn't really want to go because I'm sick of the whole circus, but I went just in case they would have anything shiny or hopeful for me.
Quite the reverse actually. It's hard for me to say much about it because I appreciate the circumstances any NHS physio is working in - but it just made me feel tired, old and cynical. Obviously they're on a drive to reduce waiting lists because I got an assessment in a room with maybe 10 other people at the same time all saying their thing while I tried to say my thing. I couldn't hardly hear my young physio but I could hear the person adjacent to me who was saying she'd MAXED OUT ON ALL THE PAIN MEDS BUT SHE WAS STILL IN AGONY. He didn't know what was wrong with my knee. His face said he thought I should be happy with how my knee is because it's not too bad. He sent me a pdf of exercises to do the next day, that are less than the ones I'm already doing, and including lunges which I can't do because they hurt my knees. I won't be going back. I need to think of something to say. for cancelling the next appointment. I'll figure something out.
To the notion that you should just accept it if your knee packs up when you're 56 years old I would like to say this - cardiovascular disease, diabetes, chronic pain conditions - all associated with obesity - are killing the NHS. It isn't unreasonable to try to be as fit as possible for as long as possible. Exercise improves mental health, reduces blood pressure and the risk of stroke, reduces the chances of getting a host of different cancers, reduces the chances of getting osteoporosis and dementia. Oldies who exercise are doing everyone else a favour. So fuck off.
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So in the meantime I've been swimming and out on my bicycle, and I've been enjoying it. I went yesterday with Buchanan to Woodhall Dean to look for Purple Hairstreaks. (Butterflies). He's been at me to do this for a wee while. It was + or - 33 somewhat hilly miles to get there. The Hairstreaks, apparently, are more active in the late afternoon and early evening. I wasn't so keen for this because I like to be eating my tea and watching the Tour de France Highlights at 7pm - but I eased up on my precious regime for this one day. We found the Hairstreaks, and they were indeed much more active as the day got later. Then we cycled, possibly not a very good route, which was 18 miles and had as many hills as the previous 33, to North Berwick and got a train home from there.
Tea was a carry-out curry at 10.30pm, and I only just managed to get a lesson in on Duolingo to keep my 923 Spanish streak going. Estupendamente!!
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