No. Not a crime. Today's the day I'm committing to doing this challenge. It's three months to go and my training is going well. Various long distance hilly, slow and steady jaunts in the bag. The knee is holding up. Back-to-backs and triple back-to-backs planned. 190 miles ticked off in February. Quite frankly, up until now, there was always a grey doubt-cloud hanging over me with my knee. I can't believe how far I've come, both in distance and confidence, from only a few months ago. A few days in Scotland on the Applecross Peninsula. 18 miles over the pass in the rain, making new friends with the animals.... ...to be rewarded with a lovely view of Skye as the rain clears and the run ends. This is why I do it. Another 26 miles back near home, running down memory lane as I do a loop around the Washburn Valley, up and along the Chevin, down to Menston (where I grew up) along the moors to Ilkley, and back to Timble. Su...
And, with a squelch, we're off (again)! Back on a (cough) slightly delayed and amended plan.
The knee has been set free. The troublesome flap of torn meniscus has been successfully nibbled off. If only I'd had a crystal ball at the start... Three months standard conservative treatment (which turned into four) of allowing the tear to sort itself out didn't work. This conservative approach for tears like mine often results in what they call auto-amputation, meaning no need for surgery and all the complications that surgery can bring both in the short and long term. However, surgery has now worked. So far.
Yay 😊.
I walked out of the hospital following arthroscopy and partial meniscectomy that morning without needing to use the crutches they gave me, and managed a gentle half loop parkrun walk four days later, and a low resistence flat 40 minute cycle ride a further three days after that. Regular knee exercises pre- and post-surgery have helped.
So, with just over 10 months to go, it's rehab, building back base fitness, and increasing distance up to christmas, followed by event specific prep through to the end of May with plenty of back to back runs and some multi-day adventures. All with a heavy dose of patience and TOFU PASTA (see my last post). Hopefully the cycling and strength work I've been managing to do over the summer will hold me in good stead. I've been talking to various people in the know. We think it's still possible to make the start line for a succesful LEJOG during June 2025. It'll be tight but I'm going to give it a damn good go. Nothing ventured, nothing gained, and all that.
My promise: No more mention of knees. And plenty of mention of progress and milestones reached.
Oh, and the 'squelch'? No one told me that for two days after the surgery, every time I flexed my knee, it would squelch like one of those squidgy tomato sauce bottles.
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