37. Recovery runs

Mile 35 – another quiet and very wet mile.

Recovery runs are built into the marathon training programme, after the harder sessions. The idea is to keep active, continue to work towards the mileage targets, but exercise at a far lower intensity. If you follow the detailed recommendations, which will specify a maximum heart rate, you may feel as if you are doing little more than a brisk walk, but that is the idea. Your body really does need to recover from the stresses that you put on it in those hard long runs. The difficult thing is to avoid the temptation to run faster: you can’t help feeling that you would contribute more to your fitness by trying harder.

I’m recovering, but slowly. Each day I’m becoming a little stronger, and some days I’ll demonstrate an improvement, for example, by walking an extra mile.

I had a telephone call from the physio during the week. She confirmed that it was normal, after lying in bed in hospital for two weeks, to lose your muscle mass, but reassured me that it would return. I shouldn’t expect too much at the moment. Most people take a few weeks longer to return to the full exercise programme provided by UCLH, while I have worked through it five times in the mornings this week. I’m a bit slow, the squats leave me out of puff and I’m choosing the easiest options throughout, but I’m sure it all helps.

The physio was able to see my blood results and said that my haemoglobin is back to normal, which explains why I can climb the stairs with no problem.

We had a call from my Clinical Nurse Specialist too, again looking at my blood test results. I’ve nothing to worry about in particular. My creatinine is still high, indicating that I need to drink more water, which I’m not finding easy, but I am managing about four pints a day now.

The medication from the hospital consists of two regular medicines: Aciclovir, to help protect me from viruses, and Adcal calcium tablets, with no end date for taking either of them. I’ve a call booked with the doctor in a couple of weeks when I’ll ask again about the calcium, since it seems my calcium levels are okay at the moment.

I’m still not putting on weight, so the nurse recommended a diet of chips and ice cream (quite the opposite to a friend I called later in the week, who had been told to leave those alone). I’m snacking on cheese and full fat milk as much as I can. I’ll call her again next Monday to report how I’m progressing, but so far I’ve only added 1kg.

You can’t lose all that weight, from 78 kg (12st 4lb) to 69kg (10st 12lb), i.e. about a stone and a half, without looking as if you have lost all that weight, as I realised when I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror as I stepped out of the shower. I said to Sue that I no longer look like Uncle Fester, more like Gollum, but she pointed out that Gollum had more hair.

The medical advice given in both of my calls was that naps are an important part of the recovery, which fits in with the family motto: “Early to rise, ready to nap”. Forty minutes is recommended, early in the afternoon. Who am I to argue?

I have been walking further, managing a couple of miles three times this week, although the weather looks rather wet today. Sue and I walked to a local children’s farm to sit outside for a tea and cake with our son Chris. He hasn’t been there for the best part of twenty-five years, and we didn’t pet the animals this time, but they do a nice Earl Grey with some great cakes, and it’s very quiet outside in the afternoons. We will be planning some more outdoor meet-ups before long.

—oOo—

This week, while I am housebound, I have been learning more about websites, looking to help the camera club with their IT. I’m trying to understand containers, custom post types and loop builders at the moment (which I suspect will be very specific to the WordPress editor I’m working on and not much use elsewhere). 

I entered the club’s monthly competition by submitting online my picture of the bluebell wood that I showed you way back in post 13, and in my absence it was given top marks by the judge (20/20). Just wait until I can go out and take photos!

Thanks for reading and take care.