Riverside Parkrun 30 Jan 2016 Race No. 45

After a month off with injury I bit the bullet today and thought, why not? And so I travelled to Chester le Street for the Riverside Parkun.

Ten months into my 65 race challenge this is not what I had hoped for when I started . By this time I should have had at least fifty five, maybe even 60 races under my belt. Instead, after over two months out with an achilles injury, a niggling calf problem has cost me most of December 2015 and all of January 2016. So the score is a disappointing 45 races achieved.

On the bright side I had the calf problem identified as of neurogenic origin. This sounds serious, but simply means that it was not a soft tissue calf injury. Instead it is/was the nervous system reacting to the strain I was putting on the calf and simply shutting it down.

Now I must desensitise the calf area through exercises and stretches, lots and lots of them, endlessly repeated. I am only part of the way through this regime and today was the first test. Did I pass? Yes and no. Yes, I got around, albeit slowly. No, for there was discomfort and always the threat of pain if I was to increase my pace.

Anyway, on a very cold and windy day I did get around in what felt ( my Garmin Forerunner packed up at the start) like a very slow time. Looking at the results later, I found that the time was actually 24.54 which is reasonable for a jog. Now can I get back into running regularly? I hope so.

Statistics

Finished in 104th place
Time 24.54
2nd V65
229 ran.

Photobombed after the first race in my challenge - The Harlepool Marina 5 mile