<insert deep and meaningful title here>

Well, hello! Its been a little while, such a little while that I'm not quite sure how to go about this first-post-back, so I'll keep it simple...

I've been running again for around 6 weeks now, easing back in to it to build up my stamina and getting my body used to running (I have never felt so unfit in my entire life!). So far, so good, but about damn time if you ask me! I have plenty of targets in my mind but for now, it is amazing to feel like a runner!

I'll give a more detailed update over the next few weeks, right now my fingers are getting tired from not having blogged for so long ;) in the mean time, I hope anyone who previously read my blog is happy and healthy, and anyone who may not have, welcome!

Btw, I have a new job, which I've had for around 6 months now and it is fantabulistic!!

Bye for now

The last 8 months have been a very long 8 months for me, mainly due to my running injury, but also because of my job.

My injury continues to cause me pain,  and stop me from running. For that reason, I am taking a break from this blog, and all things social media.

I am not doing this for sympathy or attention, but because reading about other runners and their adventures only adds to the despondency, frustration and frankly, despair that I feel.

I hope to be back one day, I don't even care about being back stronger, just, to be back, pain free.

I wish anyone who reads my blog all the best for 2014, and I hope you stay happy and healthy.

David

All the rehab...

 ...and my inappropriate reference to Fifty Shades of Grey to my physio

My recovery from foot-gate continues, and, I think, it is finally feeling like it is properly on the mend. However I'm not even contemplating running, or thinking this is over by a long stretch, I'm just enjoying not being in constant pain when I'm sat at my desk all day, or relaxing on the couch at home.

I'm now using, as per the direction of the physio, an exercise resistance band - and a very dashing yellow colour it is too. It is the band that offers the least resistance, and suits my current foot strength, right down to the ground (way to ruin a guy's macho image).

When the physio originally presented the band to me, and then started wrapping it around my foot, I may have said something like 'this is all a bit Fifty Shades of Grey isn't it?!'... I don't think she was too enamoured with my comment, and after back tracking slightly by saying what an inappropriate thought for a Thursday morning (yes, it was a Thursday morning) and that I'd never read the books ('quite rightly too, and neither have I', was the reply) she went on to tell me that in her uni days, on a night out, one of her mates was tied up with an exercise band.

I didn't ask her to elaborate; I'd have been barred from physio forever, and knowing my made of glass body I'm pretty sure I'll be wanting to go back some day after all this is sorted.

So I'm merrily exercise band-ing away to strengthen the suspected ligament causing the issue... Below is a mid action shot of the 'swing' my foot must complete to really strengthen the aforementioned ligament.

Soon I plan to be able to pull a 4x4 car with the swing of my foot, and maybe run a bit too :)

Bye for now !

P.S Still can't do the splits...

P.P.S Does anyone else, when injured, get frustrated / annoyed at family / friends asking them are they running again yet? I've managed to resist retorting sarcastically 'if I was back running I think you'd know about it by now'

Untitled

Well, I'd originally planned that my 'come back' post would be about how I'm all on track with my running, how I was injury free, and how things were looking up.

Heck, I'd even thought about how I would start it off; 'hello you, how was the rest, you made it through, but never the less...' I'd then go on to say can anyone guess the artist or song (it's a song called 'Lights and Sounds' by Yellowcard), and how those opening words perfectly reflected the tone of the post...


Of course, things; lives, jobs, relationships, very rarely go to plan.

I've been wanting to blog for a while but with little running happening, it seemed pointless. Anyway, 'here' I am, and here is an update. Predictably I'm still suffering from the foot injury I've had for many months, though I feel like I'm almost better. Unfortunately, almost better in this instance is being pain free in my day to day life, rather than returning to running.

I'm currently seeing a physio through the NHS every couple of weeks, and tonight I returned to acupuncture in an aid to help things along (needles in foot picture below)

Having such an extended period off running has given me a lot of thinking time; have I missed running? What does it mean to me? Is there another sport or hobby I should take up instead?

I have other hobbies, I do other things; reading, seeing my mates, playing guitar, (when I'm not snapping the strings on it - see below !) to name but a small handful....

...None of these things though, are running.

I read a post from another blogger recently discussing how they had fallen out of love with running, and how they were aiming to get back in to it for 2014... I could never fall out of love with running - for me, the top and the bottom of it is that I love running, and I miss it so much. I don't know about you, but I define myself as a runner, it makes me who and what I am, and to not be able to do something that I define myself by, is horrible.

So, I will carry on doing what my physio says, hoping that acupuncture helps, and looking forward to the day when I can lace up my running shoes and go pound the streets, pain free!

I've not been keeping that up to date with the blogs I follow, simply because I can't bring myself to read how much others are loving their running, (envious, not jealous!) but I'm doing my best to start going through them and catching up on them.

Splitting in two...

... Not literally, but actually, yes, nearly literally.

I saw the picture below a while ago:

I thought "I'll have to do that at some point" but, as with anything, it's difficult to split the time so you can focus on doing it twice a day. (See what i did there? -Ok i'll get my coat!)

I've decided I'll try and do this. In two weeks I'll obviously be super flexible and have the ability to do the splits at the drop of a hat.

I've just done the first set. Guaranteed I'll be walking like I've got a bottle shoved... Yeah you get the picture don't you?!

Feel free to join in and let me know how you get on :)

P.S. Foot still not better, but getting there I think. Seeing GP on Tuesday; going to ask to be referred to a Physio.

Foot fetishes

Just to confirm I do not have a foot fetish -it appears however, that some people do...

Following my slightly moany (ok, very moany) post about my foot injury, everyone's favourite Lucy, IronLucy gave me some advice; "Youtube ballet foot strengthening and exercises" ... "Ballerinas have rock-hard kick-ass feet, toes of steel, man."

So YouTube I did...

If the agonising looking shapes these ballerinas contorted their feet into didn't sit well with me and made me a little queasy, some of the comments along side these videos made me throw up a bit in my mouth...

..People have foot fetishes and aren't afraid to shout about it! Below are a select few comments alongside the videos. (I've obviously taken out the user names, and I've not put in some of the more explicit ones)

Proof is in the 'pudding' (ice cream, pudding, no?)

As well as these exercises I've seen on YouTube, I've also set a reminder on my calendar in work every hour to tell me to go and stretch...



I can spell 'Stretch', I promise!

So every day this week whilst in work, every hour, I've taken 2-3 mins away from my desk to walk up and down 3 flights of stairs, and to stretch out my lower extremities. It feels like it's helping - I just hope that it is...

Do any of you have any weird fetishes unusual likes/guilty pleasures? -Actually, don't tell me, I'm not sure I want to know :p

When your nerves physically stop you...

I went to see a physio today about my foot injury... Whilst talking through the injury and how it has developed, it made me realise I've had the problem for over 10 weeks.

10 weeks man!

That's a long time...

Turns out it's a nerve issue; something* is causing / putting pressure on the nerve in the top of my foot, giving me the numb style pain I'm getting.

At a bit of a loss as to what to do, she ultra sound-ed the foot, then went even more high tech and used interferential therapy - it's basically a small scale slendertone system (you know, the electrical pulse belt that gives you rock hard abs?!) and can be applied to any area of the body (careful !).

Then ensued the thumbs, which didn't hurt too much compared to my previous dealings with elbows and IT bands...

So, I'm not to run whilst I still have this issue, and I'm to do foot stretching and strengthening exercises.

I'm pretty gutted - I was feeling positive going to the physio thinking lets get an action plan for getting back to running, but right now, I don't ever see a time when I'll be able to run pain free, or not be in pain because I've run.

So for now, running will need to take a back seat, maybe I'll just get a load of cats and be a crazy cat guy.

"Down, Down, but definitely not out" - You Me At Six

Disclaimer: There is nothing wrong with cats, or people who have them.

*but the physio doesn't know what, how it would be best treated, or had treated a condition like this before, yaaayyy!