Too Much (but never enough.)

I’ve been doing what the physio said while at work. Cycling in on flat pedals, short runs, rubbing my foot for 10 minutes per day (to stimulate blood flow and hasten healing) putting on that funny tape, and a surprise winner, putting on a foot brace. It was suggested on a site for dealing with peronious tertius. It is, as someone said on the product review, just a glorified bandage but it’s the best bit of kit I’ve ever bought.

It’s got an elastic loop you put over your foot, then wrap the brace under your foot and around your ankle and secure with velcro. It’s so simple but it’s genius. It is thin enough to wear inside a shoe or boot, you can position it where you like, and it supports you and restricts you from excessive movement. I’ve had quite a few runs where I’ve felt sore afterwards. I put this on and I’m good to go again in the morning. The only thing is it chafes on bare skin so I wear it over my sock. No big deal. Fantastic bit of kit.

I say I was doing as the physio said while at work. But then I booked a spur of the moment week off. Obviously this means the temperature dropped 10 degrees and it started raining. Lousy weather to do anything else, but fine for running.

Someone on Twitter recently posted a 100 mile run week. I’m very easily lead. Can you tell where this is going?

I thought, seeing as my foot was holding up so well, and I had a week off, I might as well give it a go. Which is how I know the ankle brace is such brilliant kit.

Too be honest it was too much. They say never increase your distance per run or per week by more than 10%. That was 384%. Possibly overdid it. All I’ve done is run for 2 hours or so every day then been fit to drop for the rest of the day. A couple of times my foot was so sore after the run I thought I was going to fail, then the next day, start slow, but good to go.

Tuesday was my first day off, so I did 15 miles, same Wednesday, felt rough Thursday so just did 13, Then 15. While I was out on Saturday I had a bad thought, if I was to allow myself the week, as is the challenge, it would finish with a run tomorrow (Monday) which my data recorder apps would consider a new week. I did an extra mile (16) to set myself up for today.

After doing 74 miles in 5 consecutive days, if I wanted my apps to recognise my achievement, I had to run a marathon today. I just didn’t think my legs had it in them. I said about it on Twitter and everyone was so supportive (and impressed) that I determined to give it my best shot.

I set off to keep it under 9 m/m, and though it was mentally quite tough, and I had a few niggles, I did it! Go me!

To be honest, apart from the mental aspect, it wasn’t too bad. I thought it was going to be terrible. My last one, a few weeks ago, was, and that was on fresh legs. 4 hours 10 and it was pure misery. That was the run that ruined my foot enough that I decided enough was enough. I’m sat here today, after a really heavy week, brace on, in perfect comfort. Go, as the Americans would have it, figure.

If I can do all that and still have an operable hoof, I am really optimistic that when I return to work and resume my physio regime I will quickly heal.

To that end I’ve invested in some new tyres for my pushbike. I’ve had two front tyre punctures in two weeks, so it’s time for a new front at least. Then I discovered these.

The ones on my bike are big, chunky, grabby ones. Tons of tread for macho riding up muddy mountains or whatever. Which is all good and well, but then there is so much traction on the road bits it’s hard work and slows you down. And to be honest, it’s a ride along gravel for 5 miles, then 3 on the road to get to work, the tread is overkill. I didn’t know a tyre like the new one existed, but as soon as I saw it I got two. The idea is the centre is mostly road tyre, ok for gravel, while the outside provides grip if you start sinking in mud. They arrived after I started my holiday so I’ve not tried them yet, but I am hoping for some new PBs on the commute.

Wendy and I have had birthdays. She got me a Yoda Baby birthday card (she’s mad for he. It is, as the name implies, a baby of Yoda’s species from the TV series the Mandalorian.)

To return the compliment I got her this

There was *some* thought put into it. As I said in the card, another timeless 1961 beauty. (Triumph Bonneville, obviously.)

She also found a painting of Baby Yoda that she liked when she was searching for my card. I ordered it for her, but fell foul of the metric system. 60 x 90cm sound quite medium-ish. Had I have stopped to think about it, it’s 3 feet!

Now I have Baby Yoda eyes following me around the room.

My weight is remaining stubbornly in the “own gravitational field” end of ten stone, but at least my gut is shrinking down to human proportions now. Wendy has managed to lose nearly a stone, but can’t run a marathon, so swings and roundabouts.

And another thing, I’ve just tonight heard. I’ve been killing myself to try to get fast. Just before I broke myself at Chester marathon last year I was doing a 7.09 m/m pace half marathon. Some guy who a runner on Twitter knows, runs (admittedly twice a day, 100 miles a week) but apart from one speed run, does it all at 12 m/m, then did a half marathon at 5.38 m/m pace! HOW? THAT MAKES NO SENSE!

I’m going to be looking in to it. But if I’ve been killing myself on every run and making myself less fast, I’m going to be miffed. He didn’t seem to be joking or winding me up, he put screenshots of the guy’s running app up. I don’t think I have ever “run” a 12m/m. Ever.

Oh, and I got some new, cheapo glasses (scratched mine) from online.

Which brings me to Twitter.

There was a lot of anger about Dominic Cummings breaking all the rules and laws he’d had Bozo impose on us plebs. His story was he took his wife and kid in the car for 30 miles, to a castle beauty spot, to test his eyesight to see if he was fit to drive. Then drove 260 miles to visit his grandparents. Because.

2020 in a single picture

Some satirical whimsy

A clever account that inverts sexism

This one pretends to be the news service of the despotic DPRK to rip America and such.

And everyone was enraged by the racist murder of a black man and Trumps reaction.

This being the prime example. Assault rifle bearing white supremacists storm a government building vs black people protesting police murder. (Trump was sued in the ‘70s for refusing to rent to black tenants.)

Covid 19 whimsy in Mexico.

UK whimsy

And my fave new (to me) account. In this time of virtual meeting and Skype TV interviews everyone has taken to positioning themselves in front of bookcases to add gravitas to their image. This account rates them.