After the best part of 18 months with no running and very little exercise at all really, I found a running buddy at work. We were both starting from a base of not very much, and as such our aims were similar - take it easy, build up slowly and see where we end up.
And so we started going running after work, a couple of times a week usually. We had a little challenge going between three of us that whoever got to a particular mileage first would have lunch bought for them by the person in third place. It seemed to be just the kick-start I needed, and I found myself going running even when my running buddy was injured, or couldn't make it. I was soon streaking ahead in the challenge, so we extended the mileage to give the others a chance to catch up. I had got the distance back up to 10k running laps around Green Park, and was just about to go off on two back-to-back ski holidays feeling very pleased with myself that I had built up a good lead in the challenge, and also would have a better time skiing due to the extra fitness I had gained.
The first ski trip was largely uneventful (well, plenty of skiing, drinking and partying, but uneventful from an injury point of view). Pete took a massive tumble that caused all skiers in the near vicinity to take a sharp intake of breath, but emerged unscathed. I fell over a few times, mainly when I was stationary (it's hard to stay still on blades on a ski slope!!) but on the last night we all went out partying in good spirits and completely injury free. Then I twisted awkwardly getting into bed and my right knee dislocated. Pete thought I had kicked the bed and stubbed my toe, but no, the sound he had heard was actually my knee dislocating and popping back into place. I'm glad I was a bit drunk to be honest, as it was agony and would only have been even more painful sober!!
Cue a trip to the emergency docs when I got back home, and a hefty dose of anti-inflammatory pain relief. I was due to head off skiing again in a matter of days, but the doctor assured me he thought it would be OK so long as I used a knee support.
The second ski trip started tentatively, but I soon realised my knee was going to be OK so long as I didn't push it too much. My ski buddy Sarah, incidentally the same person as running buddy Sarah (she does seem to get me into scrapes!) had lent me a very good knee support so I felt pretty good.
We had a great time until the very last day, where we started off on a horrible horrible icy bumpy run called "L'Office". We nicknamed it 'A bad day at L'Office' and resolved that the rest of the day could only get better than that. And it did, we had a great time! I video'd Sarah making her way expertly down a Black run, we stopped for a chocolat chaud and then we went up and down our favourite run (Souréou on Rocher De L'Aigle, or Eagle Rock) a few times. Then it was time for the long green run back down into resort to pack up the hire car and head to the airport. Because it was the last run, we said we would do our own thing and meet back at the chalet, rather than wait for each other. Despite this, we were mostly together on the way back down. The snow was turning really slushy and sticky in the early afternoon sunshine and I was finding the flatter bits really tough-going, and spent a lot of time skating to get up some speed. The next thing I knew, BANG. I was on the floor and my right wrist really rather hurt. I shouted to Sarah who I just saw skiing past, but to no avail. I looked at my wrist and thought, that looks like it might be dislocated, not good. I went to get up, but one of my blades had come off and I knew there was no way I was going to be able to get it back on, so I flagged down some passers-by who luckily included a piste rescue man. I won't bore you with all the details, I wrote about those in another blog, but suffice to say I extended the trip by two days which I spent in Briançon hospital having surgery to repair a nastily broken wrist.
Cue my first batch of Codeine, and the start of my third and rather protracted stint on the injury bench.
After the initial break I had several weeks in plaster before the pins were removed and then another couple of weeks after that. I then had physio and a wrist support for a month or so before being told I was OK to have a go at running, with the support on to avoid any jarring of the joint. So it was June before I was up to running again. I managed a handful of runs, but my knee was also sore, and to be honest I was feeling a bit down about the whole thing (sorry for myself!!). I still had a lot of pain in my wrist and so I stopped running. I continued with the physio, but an MRI revealed that the pain I was experiencing was due to an additional bone being broken that had thus far remained untreated, so I found out in August that I would need another operation to put in some permanent metalwork.
The op was scheduled for late September, but at the end of August I was dancing in a pub (after a few drinks, as you do) and once again my knee gave way. And I mean REALLY gave way. The next morning it was agony to move my leg, and it was swollen to at least twice the size of my other knee. I ended up in A&E who decided I hadn't broken anything (without an x-ray) and gave me pain relief and anti-inflammatories. Cue my second batch of Codeine.
By the time the wrist operation came around, my knee was looking a bit better and I was just about able to limp up the stairs to my room before the op. I then faced another six weeks in a full arm plaster, so I was one armed and limping. Cue my third batch of Codeine. Codeine really was my friend in 2011!
Whilst I was sat up at home recovering from the operation, I received some mail from the London Marathon. I had almost forgotten that I had entered, in fact I only did it to keep my '5 rejections and you get an automatic place' going, but there it was, clear as day, staring at me....
I was over the moon! And then I reviewed the situation I found myself in - one arm in plaster, and my knee still swollen and a struggle to walk up and down stairs. I had to laugh! And I also knew I would have to defer my place.
I saw a specialist for my knee in early 2012 (another round of X-rays and MRI's) who determined that the best approach for me was physio to strengthen the muscles on the inside of my leg, to better hold my very mobile (you could dislocate it with one finger) patella in place. I had noticed a lump on the outside of my knee, about the size of a large pea that moved around when you pushed it with your fingers but was obviously being held in place by something. The specialist felt my knee and said 'Oh yes so there is' before referring back to my scans. After about 30 seconds he just said 'I think you have chipped a bit of bone from your knee socket, but it doesn't feel like it is going anywhere so I think we will just leave it'. I was concerned that he hadn't picked this up from the scans but chose to say nothing. I asked him if he could remove it, he had another feel and said he would probably have to cut tendons so it would be a long recovery, and if it wasn't causing me pain it was best to leave it. And so I left him feeling a little uneasy, but trusting him that physio was all I needed. And that is how I find myself today - still a little uneasy but trying to keep the faith!
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