General Frustration and Corporal Punishment

Salut Bloggeurs and Bloggeuses

It has been a while, I know, but the two key ingredients of happy blogging have been absent - these being

1) Time and access to a working computer
2) Inspiration

All has not been well in the Geneva sub-division of Team Atko - Christina has damaged ligaments in her left foot which means no running for at least two more weeks. Not good timing. Her very helpful doc has issued her with all sorts of painkillers and special creams and something called an "Air-Cast". This makes it sound very lightweight and non-cumbersome, but in reality it is two big lumps of plastic velcroed together in a cumbersome fashion. Christina has spent the last two years trying to get her left leg sorted out in one way or another so this is a real ding to the motivation. But, to her credit, she still aims to be on the start line and her top goal, which is still achievable, is to run all the way round. The training will be intense, but physio starts soon and an alternative training plan using the bike & swimming should keep Christina's fitness levels up until she can run again.

For my part, I was back in Jersey last week and between visiting my very ill Grandmother in a residential home, supervising plumbers/carpenters/letting agents, and trying to find a tenant for our flat, I managed a couple of runs. I ran from Georgetown to La Rocque and back only for my right calf to try and seperate itself from the rest of my leg.

To try and ease this, I went for a shorter run round the athletics track at FB Fields - allowing me to calibrate our new Polar watch doohickey footpod gubbin (as its known in the trade). A slim lady in well coordinated running gear wandered over and invited me to join in one of their training sessions at FB. I was going to politely decline, and when I saw her t-shirt had "Team GB Commonwealth Games Athletics Squad" printed on it, I knew that it was more prudent to run round in circles on my own.

I've just run 7km with Sam and the damn calf muscle is still awry. I have attacked it with one of those spiky ball things that looks like it should be attached to a stick with a bit of chain and then be wielded by some aggro Knight. That seems to help, strangely. Apart from the calf muscle, the running itself was ok, no cardio problems, the rest of me hasn't fallen apart, so I just need a replacement right calf muscle to be fitted, and I'm good to go.