Hi folks,
Thanks very much for sponsoring me – here’s just a quick update on my progress at the end of Jan. 85 days to go. <Gulp>
I’ve now been running for a couple of months and I’ve built up to 9 miles. With this morning’s run, I’ve now completed 101 miles of running since I started my training plan.
This time last year, I was 61kg and I was still off work. As part of my rehabilitation I’d started swimming in a local pool. On my first visit I managed six lengths of a 20 metre kid’s pool, over a thirty minute period. When I got home I slept for three hours. I was that exhausted.
Since my last update, I’ve been on holiday in Portugal where I ran three times, including on Xmas day. I felt it was symbolic. And a bit stupid. I also made it to Austria for a week of snowboarding. Holiday’s are like buses it seems, none for a couple of years and then two at once. Snowboarding was great and my favourite bit was falling over really hard several times. It may sound odd to admit that but I’ve had in the back of my head that I’m physically fragile. So it was a very positive thing for me to take a couple of big hits without really being hurt by them.
Whilst in Austria, in the snow, at altitude, I managed an 8 mile run. Go me! :-) And then I followed that up with a 9 mile run when I was back home. Unfortunately that was when my knees cried surrender and I’ve been seeing a physio regularly since. We’re working to make my knees stronger. Back to Plan A – just to “get round”. Any thoughts of a respectable time are out of the window.
During that first long run in the snow, my heart rate monitor recorded an average heart rate of 147 bpm. Which is a big co-incidence. For the 48 hours immediately after my second surgery in November 2013, my resting heart rate was 145 bpm. What a difference a year makes.
I’ll update you again in February. In the meantime, have a look at the attached photos of me running on Xmas day to the lighthouse, through the snow in Austria and a literal barrier to my progress that I’d like to say I hurdled but actually I just scrabbled underneath on my hands and knees.
cheers
Brian
PS Thank you again for your support.
