Comebacks and setbacks

2011 has been a frustrating year so far. I have actually trained quite well, it is just that 90% of that training has been on the spinning bike. I started running again after my foot impalation about 2 weeks ago, slowly building up to running a little each day. On Saturday I decided to test if I could run fast, so I entered the local weekly 5km park run. It felt so good, that after I ran 5 times 3 minutes fast as well. So it was my longest and fastest run since the injury, and it felt good. However, the next day I woke up and I could hardly walk for pain in my other foot!

It seems that I have some sort of compensation injury in my previously good foot, and I have stiffness in my plantar fascia and an inflamed tendon. Basically that means I am back on the spinning bike, and unless there is rapid improvement, Portugal this weekend is looking unlikely.

First steps

This morning I ran for the first time in 1 month. I did some intervals. 3 times 30 seconds easy jogging with 1 minute recovery. My foot feels very strange, and doesn't really work like it should at the moment. I hope over the next few weeks I will see some improvement so I can get back to training normally. In the meantime I am still getting 2 hours every day (almost) on the spinning bike.

My new home

For the last few weeks I have been living here

Due to the fact that I can't run because of this

Which happened because of this

Running through the dunes in Barbate, this sharpened root was sticking out of the ground, and went straight through the sole of my shoe and 2cm into my foot (it would have gone through almost any shoe, it certainly was not the fault of the X-talon!).

Trips to hospital every day to get treated and dressed, and it was very difficult to walk at first with the bruising and the BIG HOLE in my foot. Almost 3 weeks on I have still a lot of soreness and bruising, the would is healing nicely, but there is no chance of running yet, and weight training seems to be quite painful still, so I am training a lot of hours on the spinning bike. I have also lost some sensation in the side of my foot and my big toe - apparently I might have damaged the nerves which could take up to a year to grow back - it is very strange not to have any feeling in part of your foot!

My season has had to be reassessed, as obviously I won't be running for a while, and certainly won't be racing for a few months yet. No cross-country this year.

Anyway, apart from that, Spain was lovely - good weather, good training, good company. Here are some pictures.

Read more about my 'accident' in my training log here

Recently discovered footage of orienteering from 1973

England regain the crown from Scotland in the Senior Home International

After several years of Scottish dominance, it was finally time for England to take back the bragging rights in this annual competition. Saturday was the relay competition, and although Scotland took the win in the men's class, England were 2nd and 3rd and the girls 1st and 2nd to give England the overnight lead. I had a good run on 2nd leg, going out about 3 minutes behind in 4th place and coming back in with a 25 second lead.

Sunday was the individual race, down in the New Forest, combined with the November Classic. The men had 17.2km, my longest race since WOC 2009! I won in 80:58, 30 seconds ahead on Matt Crane (nice 4.30 per km pace!). England had another good day to take the overall victory.

Results here

Routegadget here (something funny going on with the course at the moment but I am sure it will be fixed)