It’s been just over a week since my epic misjudgement of the height of a drain cover leading to a heavy fall on outstretched arms and a minor face plant of the pavement. One trip to a and e, multiple x rays and a lot of sprains and bruises later, I’m doing ok. The wrists and elbows are still pretty sore but things that were totally impossible have become just a bit painful. That means putting shoes, gloves and a coat on unaided are back on the cards and with that, getting out of the house. Such a game changer.
I’ve had a couple of short walks over the past couple of days and those have gone well. I’m itching to start running again but I am determined to listen to my own advice not to run in pain. Plus, getting a sports bra on with two sprained wrists and elbows is totally impossible at the moment! I think that will stop me doing anything too active too soon. This morning l decided to try a slightly longer walk and see how it went. The route was planned to avoid ice and uneven terrain, plus the option to cut short if needed. I put on a LOT of layers! Happy to report that the knee remained pain free for the whole time and the only arm pain came when I needed to remove my gloves to take photos. It was just lovely out there today. Crunchy underfoot. Busy with birds flitting around. Some particularly fine looking sheep (see pic!). I warmed up in a lovely country pub with an open fire and a very satisfying hot chocolate. 7k covered over all which I’m super pleased with.
I think it’ll be at least another week or two before I’m going to be seriously thinking about a run. I found an interesting article in Women’s Running on five things to work on to improve your running which aren’t running. These are: sleep, nutrition, running form drills, cross training (anything that’s not running) and strength training. I’m doing very well with sleep! My eating is a bit limited by what I can physically cook or open but I definitely could think more carefully about this. Hopefully I’ll be able to pick up a bit of cross/strength/form training on the uninjured bits of me without risking setting back the bits of me that are hurt. It’s something positive I can think about and is a good excuse to browse the strength and flex forums and also to pick my PT friend’s brains (over coffee and cake!!). Stay safe out there everyone, especially on the ice. Here’s the article for anyone interested…
Oh, no, MissUnderstanding , that sounds awful! And like you're trying to make the best out of a frustrating situation! Even those sheep seem to be looking toward you with admiration 😉 I wish you a quick recovery!!!
I've badly sprained my ankle getting off a bus once - also misjudging the height (and, okay, the driver hadn't properly pulled up to the curb...). I ended up doing a lot of upper body exercises... I hope you'll find some cross-training that'll work for you!
(Could you fix the link to the article in your post? It doesn't seem to be a link...)
Thanks for the lovely reply. Those sheep seemed to be amused that anyone was batty enough to be out when it was so cold! I was just passing rather than going through their field but they seemed friendly. Sorry about your ankle-that sort of sprain is so easily done and horribly painful.
Sorry about the link! I accidentally posted on couch25k first and it must not have not copied when I reposted it. I’ve edited it now. It happened to pop up on my twitter feed when I was on the sofa earlier this week-it seemed timely! Even though I think it’s official aim is to help get faster, I think all those things are good for any running and not given enough thought by me!
Thanks-I couldn’t believe it. One minute I was happily going along and then I was on the floor. Had enough time to stagger a few steps and get my hands out so my face wasn’t too badly hurt. At least I was with a group who were just wonderful in getting me home. I almost always run alone so if it was going to happen, it was in the best circumstances.
Oldfloss always knows what she’s talking about! Thanks, it’s so nice to not be confined to the house. That’s made a massive difference. The next big thing will be driving. I’m desperately missing my car! Living semi rurally has its downsides when something like this happens.
I feel your pain - especially the getting on and off of clothes and shoes. it's so frustrating, and not being able to run compounds the feeling doesn't it?
Glad you are out and about a bit again though.
The others have said it all - the runs are waiting for you when you are ready. In the meantime just do what you can, listen to your body, and most definitely don't do anything that causes you pain.
Thanks for understanding. Everything is such an effort at the moment. I’ve totally taken being able to move without pain and look after myself independently for granted. It’s given me a lot more sympathy for those who have to deal with mobility and pain issues permanently.
Running is usually my way of dealing with feeling a bit frustrated but when not being able to run is part of the frustration? Not the easiest! Now I can walk, that will really help.
Sorry to hear you’ve been through this too-it must have been even worse with actual breaks. I’ve always loved a walk-lockdown one walking every day was the main thing that kept me going. That’s set me up with lots of nice routes that I know well. It’s an excellent run alternative.
Things are definitely going in the right direction now. Hopefully this wrist pain will be the next thing to go.
I love podcasts! Always pleased to get recommendations. Yesterday it was a second listen to “The Great Post Office Trial” on BBC Sounds. I think English language is a must for me, sadly!
- All things Pilates with Darien Gold (interviews with Pilates teachers, including second generation ones)
- From Slate: Amicus (about the Supreme Court) and What Next (U.S. political analyses)
- In the Thick from Futuro Media (political analyses from journalists of color in the U.S.)
- Explaining Ukraine from UkraineWorld (they're giving a lot of background info on Ukraine, too, including history...)
- If Books Could Kill (debunked books one can buy at airports...)
- Intersectionality Matters (by Kimberlé Crenshaw, the legal scholar who coined the term "intersectionality")
- Maintenance Phase (about various body size and diet related myths and fads)
- Scene on Radio (they've had several excellent series, including Seeing White, something on masculinity, the history of democracy in the U.S., as well as climate change)
Okay! There are more! And I am happy to give you more details if my little teaser didn't give enough and/or find the links if you can't find the podcasts...
You are making great progress and continuing to support everyone here whilst you recover ! That location looks wonderful... winter sheep are amazing... I love their thick coats...and standing framed against a blue sky.. .wonderful!
You are doing so well to take your own advice... not always easy. but we are our own best friends.
So good to see you out there, and having an after walk treat too x
We have a lot of sheep in the fields round here but these were in a class of their own! Usually they’re a bit scratty and wild looking. This lot could have come straight from a petting zoo!
It was so nice to be out. Put me in a great mood for the afternoon…until I crashed for two hours sleep on the sofa!!! Stamina might have also taken a bit of a hit!!!
Oh no! Poor you. That sounds so painful. Glad it wasn’t any worse and you’re on the mend. Great job getting out for that 7km walk. Good for both mental and physical health. Wishing you a speedy recovery
Thanks! It was such a shock-I’ve never fallen (or even had a near miss) running before and suddenly I couldn’t drive myself home and I was on the phone to 111 sending me to A and E. Luckily I didn’t rip my leggings despite some great looking bruises and grazes on both knees. I’d have been gutted to have to replace them!
It’s so nice to see some improvement. That’s helped a lot with keeping positive, and on a beautiful day like today, who could fail to be cheered up by a walk?
Glad both you and your leggings survived the close encounter with the pavement. Funny how sometimes we’re more worried about our favourite apparel than our very important limbs 😆. But I know exactly what you mean.
I’m a total klutz so I’ve had a few near misses, especially when I’m cruising in the zone and not looking where I’m going. No actual falls, thank goodness.
Wishing you many more lovely walks - and the return of the runs when you’re ready.
And I commiserate with you and sending lots of patience over. We need a big stash of it for every one of our injury couch stint. So snack on that patience box rather than on bad food?
It still sounds so painful, but it also sounds like you are pretty determined to make the best of this. Awesome!
For your walks, I have a reading recommendation that was a brilliant walking inspiration for me:
Annabelle Streets, “52 ways to walk: The surprising science of walking for wellness and joy, one week at a time”. (Bloomsbury)
It has 52 chapters, one for each week of the year, exploring one different way to get out there and walk. Each chapter is a mini-essay that includes some science and facts and then has a sub-chapter for tips on applying these in one’s walking. A chapter might be about night walks or walking backward, or treadmills, or walking with others. And I love the quote on the book jacket:
“Walking had become, once again the great adventure of my life. But this time, science could explain the how and why.”
So it might be a good stocking filler as you recover? I always feel I’m still in the process of learning to love walking again, after having completely fallen to the spell of running, rowing and yoga. I can’t say I’m quite there yet, but I can say I’m enjoying the journey of discovering different aspects of walking, and this book really helped with that.
So it might just help that tiny little bit of making you feel better about resorting to walking again.
That book looks exactly the sort of thing that I really enjoy reading. I’ll pass the details on to Father Christmas. Thanks for the recommendation.
At the moment, it’s so nice to just be out and off the sofa that I’m loving the walks. I suspect, knowing myself as I do, that will change quite quickly! I think soon I’ll try heading for the cafe in the next village with a book so it feels like there’s a bit of a purpose for the walk, and even better if there’s good reading material in my bag for when I get there!
Oh, that books looks intriguing! I walk a lot since I've started to avoid public transit with the pandemic and now just got used to it (and biking in Cologne is really dangerous...). I gotta check it out! Thanks for the reco, CBDB !
Don’t forget we also have a walking forum and I’m starting a monthly walk-photo challenge over there in the new year. I haven’t announced it yet, so pssst 🤫
Sorry to hear you are on the IC MissU it sounds like you’ve had a lot of pain. But at least you don’t have to go out running in the cold. Wrap up warm and walk to keep you going when it’s safe enough.
The sports bra! I didn’t feel my shoulder was better until I could do up my shockabsorber without assistance.
I can imagine a sports bra and shoulder injury combo not being fun at all! That’s a good marker of healing though-the NHS should advise women that that’s a good way to see if they’re recovered! I’ve ordered a new sports bra in the sale so I’m going to have to try and put it on to see if I’m keeping it or not. The post is so slow at the moment that it might be a good way to see if the wrists and elbows are fine!
o dear. That sounds like an horrendous fall MU. At least you are being sensible and taking your own advice 🤣🤣. Take it slowly the runs will still be there waiting for you. In the meantime have a merry Christmas 🎄 and see you in the new year.
Thanks! It was a bit of a bigger one than I’d expected. It happens and I thought I was just going to walk back to the car and drive home. Then I realised I couldn’t move my arms properly! I think the new year is a realistic aim.
I wish you a speedy recovery MissUnderstanding . That sounds like a horrendous fall. You poor thing. I hope you are not in too much pain anymore. Be careful on those walks in icy conditions. If your arms and wrists are injured you may not be able to prevent yourself from slipping on the ice with them and you wouldn't want to injure yourself further. I'm on the IC too at the moment and can't even do a decent length walk. I know what you mean by not taking being pain free for granted when others experience it on a permanent basis.🤗
Thanks for the good wishes! I’m much better than I was. Knees essentially normal now. Wrists and elbows are still pretty sore in certain movements. I’m definitely not risking falling and making anything worse while it’s still icy. Frustrating but it could have been worse.
Glad you’re feeling a little better already. I facepalmed when on my 60 minute run the first time around…tripped over a kerb 🤦🏻♀️
The worst damage was to my glasses, I had scrapes and bruises…but luckily no sprains or worse. Also lucky that it was during a lockdown and it was Xmas morning, so no one was around to see me…😬
I’m still leery about running on pavements…
Rest up, look after yourself, maybe some gentle walks…you’ll soon be back out there! 💕💐
Oh my goodness, I’ve just been reading your post and that was a horrible fall for you too! I’m really short sighted and would be totally lost without my glasses! Glad you’re recovered now.
This afternoon I’ve been out for a walk with MrU. It was lovely out-slightly warmed than it has been and much less frosty. We stuck to the paths that were most likely to be clear of ice. That ruled out some of the prettiest views but it was still great to be walking.
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3K in the sunshine ☀️
My sabbatical, running and handstands 😺
Running gloves on!
Advice - Running Less 
