There it is. Chiselled in a granite headstone.
Hear the solemn knell of the funeral bell. See the mourners draped in black, their veils masking their tears. The elegy floats sweetly through the stagnant air and sweeps across heartstrings like a soft violin bow. A little girl steps defiantly from the crowd, her courage alone is enough to absorb the attention of the gathered masses. She clears her dainty throat and speaks forth, "Oi! Stop being so bloody dramatic, you prat!"
To which Paul bolts up in his chair, his spine straightened as if plugged into the mains. Offended, he whimpishly replies, "But muh knee still huuuurts".
The worst thing about this is that I haven't done anything. I've barely started. The soles of my trainers have barely worn, the only indication of usage being dog poo remnants (seen under a UV lamp...I imagine). I had dreams of circumnavigating the town with morning shoppers waving to me as I pass and kids running to the school gate screaming, "Look at him go" as I effortlessly glide across the K's. I was supposed to be running 10K in May, I had the desire, the enthusiasm, the heart, just not the knee.
I used to play football well into my 20's. I was out drinking Saturday night, rucked up Sunday morning, kitted up, warmed up by tying my boots, killed myself for 90 minutes, ached for 7 days and repeated. I completely forgot why I stopped; or more likely, time has been at my memory with a rose coloured emulsion, slapping it on like a drag queen's rouge. Now I remember...
...it was a knee, groin, knee, groin, hip, knee, groin combination like a prizefighter who's pinned his opponent to the turnbuckle.
Now I remember.
What's worrying me most is that I had no pain during running, or at the gym. Other than your odd ache here and there, there was no communication between legs and brain. No distress calls sent upstairs saying, "Whoa Nelly, this ain't like the old days". I went from being elated at breezing through my run, to later that night being in agony when my knee locked. Then the hip started (I'm guessing as a reaction injury), which feels like it's getting worse. I'm visibly limping and have a constant dull pain that's at its worse when I'm releasing pressure from my right leg and interspersed with a dagger through my left knee joint. After 4 days of complete rest it feels, if anything, like it's gotten worse.
I'm in more of a pickle than a jar of onions at Christmas.
I feel like I needed to write this down. I wanted a written log of my journey through this process, and if I'm to be honest with myself then it's got to include the lows as well as the highs. Maybe I can read this back and say pah! but at this point in time it feels like my legs have sent me a Dear John and have shacked up with the milkman.
Happy running everyone. If I don't see you out there, it's been a lot of fun but incredibly brief. Like a teenage romp. That's how I'll remember you all. *waves*
The pantomime season is definitely here!
Sad Day: ITBS :(
On the IC :(
Wk 3 run 1 - wish there weren't so many hills around here!!
Where oh where has my fitness gone?
