I joined the local sports centre so that I can cross train / cycle / treadmill / swim in order to protect the foot.
So, for the fourth time in this whole process I swam to get the cardio without the pressure on the foot.
I hate swimming!! I really hate swimming. Such a faff!! So boring. So cold. A woman in the changing room summed it up as I was about to head into the pool. She was in a cubicle and calling to her friend: "I'll be ready in a minute - my pants are fighting back!" Getting dressed after a swim should definitely count as exercise in itself.
At least I have now worked out which is the deep end. First swim I got to the end of my first length and did the swimming pool equivalent of a Del Trotter by putting my feet down, straight on to nothing, and sinking like a stone, then spluttering away and trying to look as though I was intentionally ducking my head under in that way that real swimmers do.
Goggles are a conundrum. Don't wear them and I can't see a thing and my eyes sting. Do wear them and they make me look like I've gone several rounds in a boxing ring by the end of it. Not only that, they make me able to clearly see the hairs, occasional tissue and just general bits of unidentifiable yuk that I'm swimming through. Also, got a way too clear a view when I caught up with an older gentleman (who was a dude by the way) doing the backstroke. He was an incredible swimmer - but his shorts hailed from the days before lycra. It was a view I am trying hard to erase from my brain!! Serves me right for getting all full of myself and swimming in the 'medium' lane!
Today was all about testing the foot on a run. I'd been feeling a bit like this was all a bit much and I'd missed too much training due to the foot and was not in a great place about it all. But had a fantastic pep talk on Thursday from my brother Steve, who quite rightly said "You've started thinking about a time...forget the time...this is about getting round it for the cause". He was spot on. ( After the half marathon I'd felt so good I'd started to think about the time I might be able to get through this in. Doing that in combination with then injuring the foot had allowed a lot of negative thoughts to creep in. So now I'm back on just finishing this thing - and if I want to start messing around trying to get times I can keep up a bit of the half marathoning in the future - I'm determined to do the TW half in under two hours now!) Steve also suggested I went for getting my body used to the distance again today and not try and run it all in order to protect the foot. So today was about getting 16 miles on the clock by both walking and running. I also did it on the treadmill in order to give my foot a softer landing.
I can honestly say it was by a very long way the toughest run yet. I found being inside and on the treadmill really really dull. Mentally it felt like it went on forever. I was frustrated not to run it all - and despite my promises to forget about time couldn't help being a bit cross that I was having to walk some. I was absolutely pooped. So much so on the drive home I had a bit of a blub! I also felt really queasy which was not good at all. Apparently motion sickness after that long on a treadmill is a real possibility... great... needed that like a hole in the head! Ah well - I did it - that's the main thing. 16 miles now officially on the clock.
Time taken - bloody ages. Time thoughts really really must go. Not least because on a run that long I'm going to have to make a dive for the portaloos at some point - that much is now very clear!! It also burned 1617 calories. I'm not a great one for calorie stuff - don't really get it - but that does sound like a lot of mini eggs! We'll see how the foot is over the next few days. It hurts a bit at the moment but an ache not a pain - and frankly everything aches.
So my attention is now turning to getting the fundraising things I've been planning in my head actually happening as with today in the bag the possibility of doing this is real again. There have been some kind offers from my pilates centre and the coffee shop I use as my alternative office - and will be having a coffee morning and a pizza night from here - so time to get going on all that.
All good. Bye for now.
xx
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