It’s just over a month since I finished the SWCP. And I am thoroughly bored.
Since I got back I’ve managed 3 small sections (a paltry 25km added to my total, plus the return as I am walking out and back to my car to avoid Public Transport when I can…) of the Pennine Way (I’m into North Yorkshire now at least!) as a section walk that I am slowly ticking off, but have been otherwise troubled by injury*!
Barely a blister on the 630 mile slog around the south coast, and yet I seem to have hurt my knee and foot whilst sat in front of a screen updating my CV! My walking has reduced down to local wanders up and down my favourite valley testing to see if things are improving. So far, they are not.
I’ve no idea what happened, but my working theory is that I developed into a Walking Machine, a Hill Climbing Automaton on the trail. Then – I had a couple of weeks off for some hopeful work conversations and doing some much needed CV polishing. As a result The Machine has seized up!
I’ve oiled it liberally with local Black Forest Cherry Stout, and some of the good ‘medicine’ from my Bruichladdich bottles, but so far, no good.
My solution, is to get moving again, to show a bit of True Grit, and literally walk it off. But it’s not easy when you can feel every step in your foot, and knee. But – as it happens my foot seems to be a bit better today. The placebo affect of my brother who is a podiatrist (foot doctor to you and me) who had a prod and said “it’ll probably be OK mate”. Unfortunately – when I asked he said – “knees? I don’t do knees!”.
Lockdown 2.0 isn’t helping motivation, but I can’t blame the government for the condition of my right knee, although that said… 🙂
In other news I fell off my e-Bike. The one with the huge chunky tires, that are supposed to make it near impossible to tip over on. Going down, Heart-Attack Hill it was very muddy, and wobble, brake, topple I was over in a flash. Bruised pride, and scabs a plenty, but at least my dodgy bad knee broke the fall, so I didn’t damage the bike!
Part of me is hoping the wallop will have knocked the knee back into shape for walking when the swelling subsides, but that’s hopeful thinking that shows my knowledge of knees is ‘limited’ at best.
So – I am resting up, and bored. And it is obvious to me I need to be Walking, or Working. I loved walking every day, and need to get back to that from next week. And – I am genuinely missing work now. Sure, having a year off is a nice rest at the start, and it has been ace having the time to do bucket list stuff just for me. But – I love what I do, and I am very ready to get back at it, but patient (just!) enough to wait for the right ‘one’.
Until then – note to self – I need to pop some pain pills, ignore the creaks I can hear when I bend my knee, and get moving!