Run,walk and curse

I started out on a run today. This was the first time for three weeks that I had attempted running. The cycling was not really keeping me fit so I thought I would give it a go. It took two and a half miles for me to realise it was a mistake. The two mile walk home gave me plenty of time to reflect on the decision to run. I guess I will be back on the bike for the foreseeable future.

Cycling! That's pants.

Another week gone and still not able to run. Cycled on Thursday, Friday and today Sunday. The new cycle shorts that I bought for today's run are padded but I still felt a lot of the bumps in the road. Just to compound matters I picked up a rear tyre puncture as we were nearing home. I should really go out and mend it but it is Sunday afternoon and the final of the French Open tennis is on TV so I will watch that instead. I watched some of the motorcycle racing from Portugal earlier, fantastic close racing, superb skill.

Bank Holiday at Blenheim Palace.

Cricket on the back lawn at Blenheim Palace.

Re enactment of the Civil War staged at Blenheim Palace on the May Bank Holiday.

Spinning wheels

Tuesday was the third day in succession on the bike. It’s not hard work or to be more accurate I don’t make it hard work. It is not a training session but a means of stretching my injured leg without putting any strain on the injury. Spinning the wheels for three quarters of an hour in a medium gear gets me out of the house and with the sun shining it is quite pleasant. The injury is still painful and I do not anticipate running again anytime soon. As it improves I will put a bit more effort into the cycle rides to get the fitness level back up. It would be nice to get up to twenty five or thirty miles; this would give a change of scenery. We may also incorporate cycling into our normal routine but the running must come first.

Spinning wheels

Monday we both went for a bicycle ride. We are blessed with countless paths and tracks for running but it is difficult to find suitable off road routes for cycling. The off road sections that we rode were made easier because of the dry weather we are enjoying. I do enjoy riding through mud but this was an injury enforced ride so it was just a case of spinning the wheels in a low gear to exercise the Achilles without putting any strain on it. The sun was shinning and flys battered my sunglasses. My saddle did not feel quite as hard as Sunday and I may be tempted to go out again today. It is not as tiring as running but I do get time to see a bit more of the countryside.

Down at Heel.

Achilles too painful to run so have been forced to rest it. Went for a short bicycle ride today, the first for over a year. I am going to try another tomorrow but I will probably need a cushion. The days this week has been occupied with building a workbench for the garage and gardening. Not as much fun as running but it had to be done.

Went to the Palace and saw the Civil War

Achilles tendon problem prevented any running for most of last week. To replace our long Sunday run we went to Blenheim Palace at Woodstock and did a lot of walking. It was a hot sunny day and there was a re-enactment of a battle from the English Civil War in progress. It made an interesting spectacle for us and the friends that went with us, particularly their four year old daughter. A cricket match was being played just behind the palace; we sat on the grass and watched while we ate our picnic. The front of the house is quite imposing. It looks over the bridge that straddles the lake and beyond to a monument on the hill opposite. Crossing the bridge we could see lots of water fowl on the lake and large carp swimming just below the surface. The climb up to the monument was rewarding; the view looking back towards the house was the stuff of picture postcards. I can remember visiting the Palace forty years ago and it hasn’t changed a bit. I can also remember playing in a football match in the grounds in the early sixties against a local village side. I cannot remember who the other side was but I do remember scoring a couple of goals and we won.

Monday was another sunny day and although my tendon is still painful I took our friends for a run. We did one of my favourite routes. Just over six miles, off road, uphill and downhill we all enjoyed it. My Achilles didn’t think much of the downhill sections over rough ground or when I tried to speed up a bit but overall it was Ok.