Hello friends old and new
Thank you AnneDroid and McFitty for dropping me wee notes/nudges over the past few months. I had actually been going to post what had happened to me in March, and you will see why I didn't, because of the title of the draft post I had written. Read on......
On Feb 8-10th me and Mr Sofargoner were in London for a short break with Offspring No2. On leaving Elephant and Castle tube station en route to the Imperial War Museum I felt a sharp pain in my left hip and hobbled up the stairs there. I couldn't walk along the road so we jumped a bus and I hoped it was cramp and would go away. By the time I got to the museum I could hardly walk and to cut a long story short after a little bit of time in a wheelchair (that was an adventure in itself) and it was a case of getting to hospital as soon as possible as I was crying in agony.
So I got to experience the delights of the English NHS at St Thomas and Guys hospital in Westminster, crying in pain while my son marvelled: 'ooooh this is the hospital from 28 Days Later movie'
After a four hour wait (NHS in Scotland, how I love thee) I was seen and diagnosed with sciatica. The painkillers didn't touch it and a low moment was stumbling in tears along a long hospital corridor to the pharmacy with no-one with me, (had long sent son and husband away) and no-one sympathising or offering to help me. At the pharmacy I begged for some water to take the tablets with but they said they couldn't and I was in so much pain I could not get to anywhere that sold water.
Thank God for Uber drivers and the foresight to install the app before coming down to London. Managed to crawl to the hospital entrance and got taxi'd back to the studio flat. Around 9pm at night, with tears running down my face as I could hardly stand in the hot shower I was in to try to lessen the pain, something seemed to 'switch' and I felt an ease begin to come, still sore but no longer screaming in pain at every move. Plus the opiates were digging in to my system!
Back in Bonnie, (after an uncomfortable train journey, feeling sick with the Naproxen) I made an appointment to see a private physio and for the last couple of months I have been doing back exercises and gradually the pins and needles subsided. I was limping for a few weeks though as the left side felt weak and numb.
The reason why I went so quiet on here was that I wrote a big long post called 'MY TERRIBLE TIME IN LONDON' and as I was actually about to post it the news came through about the Westminster Bridge attacks/murders and it felt that my difficulties in London and the pain of sciatica were nothing in comparison to what people were going through in London at that moment in time. I was feeling really down about my lack of running/having had pain (was it my fault; I'm too chubby etc; I have lost all my mojo to run; I'll never be able to do the 5K I've entered for in May) so it was easier just not to post any updates as I was feeling miserable about it all.
But I have made progress and I thought that I would post again just before trying the Race for Life end-May (tomorrow!)
About 6 weeks ago I gradually re-started my running, under the private physio's supervision, worried that I had lost all my fitness as all-in-all I couldn't run for five to six weeks. I am glad to report that it was not too difficult to get back - the worst was the first run, 1 minute run, 1 minute walk and so on!!! Typical!
I then progressed to 5 mins // 1 min // 5 mins etc then decided to rejoin C25K podcast at Week 5. Then I jumped across to the Cancer Research Race for Life 5K training plan and this week I did the 20 min // 30 min // 20 min runs.
SO MY NEWS IS THAT I *AM* TRYING a 5K tomorrow! Even at my graduation I had only got to 3.75 to 4K (including warm up walk) so I am pretty sure that I will have to walk part, but the main thing is I am back in! I do feel I am not quite where I would like to be though therefore can anyone advise:
- should I run for 30 mins without stopping then walk?
- should I do 15 mins // 2 mins walk // 15 mins run // 2mins walk etc
- should I just keep on for as long as I can? ** this is the one where I am afraid about injury/getting that horrendous pain again.
I have never had sciatica before and the physio explained that pain meant 'change'. I ran just before my injury when I felt flu-ey and I went far further than I had ever gone before, I think 37 mins without stopping, and felt very sore afterwards, then in London four days later - PING - severe pain.
So I want to do tomorrow without injury yet I want to stretch myself a little too. Over to you - at a mass 5K what tactic should I take?
thanks for reading
X
Two things I never thought I'd do!
I never thought I'd do that!!! 🎉🎉🎉🎉Completed and 1st 5k!
Unbelievable - never thought I'd be able to do it
W9R3 done! Like finishing a good book (thrilled, and sad to see it go)! Never imagined I could do this.
