Saturday, August 9, 2008

Fri 25th - Tues 29th July

Fri 25th July
Walked 5 miles today. Legs are a bit sore today, especially my shins, after last night's race.

I got the UTI test results back today - no sign of infection.

Sat 26th July

D & I walked by the Castle today, going around the full 5 mile loop in approx. 81 min ~16:20 pace. It was good, but not as strong a walk as previous days. Probably no harm. I did have one or two very slight leaks during the walk, mainly due to "carelessness"

Sun 27th July
Went for 5 mile walk in the morning. Afterwards jogged in the back garden for approx. 7 minutes. No problems, but it was a slow(ish) jog (- garden isn't huge).

Mon 28th July
Walked 5.5 miles

Tues 29th July
Walked 5 miles. Had a one of my "Mega Sneeze" episodes today but stayed dry throughout, without the slightest tendency to leak throughout. I get these sneezing bouts periodically. I always dread getting them while driving!! This was the first set I've got since the op. It was good to find that I held tight during it - great for confidence!

Fri 18th - Thurs 24th July

Fri 18th/Sat 19th July
Feeling quite down as a result of yesterdays phone call, nevertheless walking away anyway.

Sun 20th July

Our first grandchild was christened today. We all had a great day but it was hectic all day, so I didn't get out for my walk.

Mon 21st July

Walked again today, but felt very, very down.

Tues 22nd July

Managed to put things in perspective and am feeling much better today. Went for my walk in the morning. In the evening I went to the track for a chat/walkaround with the Eagle AC club members.

Wed 23rd July - First Run Since Operation!

I went to "The Farm" this evening. Walked a "lap" in 38 min. On the second lap I repeatedly jogged for a minute and walked for two minutes. I did this 6 times. Before I finished the initial walking session, I went for a "leak" in the bushes and tended to leak after this, ending up quite wet during the jog. I'll need to do a lot of stomach exercises before I run again.

I drank two large glasses of "7 Up" - it's like "Sprite" at tea, shortly before going to the Farm - that wasn't very clever at all!!

Thurs 24th July - First "Race" Since Operation.

I went to Churchtown South this evening. If you follow the link, you'll find me a distant last on the result sheet, a full 47:25 behind my best time for the course. It was probably mad going, but I haven't missed this race since first running it in 1986.
I walked the entire course, taking photos en-route (it is a two two lap course). I felt good and had no bladder problems at all, in spite of the strong pace, mostly sub 15 minute miling. I took a lot of photos during the last mile (for everyone else - I was still in my second/third mile).


This was my view after approx half a mile - the "pack" disappearing the distance, approx. half a mile away. The camera is on maximum zoom!

Fri 11th - Thurs 17th July

Fri 11th July
Walked 5 miles. No problems,

Sat 11th July
Walked 5 miles in the morning. In thge afternoon we went to the Cork City Sports.
Normally I like to roam around the spectator areas around the arena, socialising and networking, however this year we stayed in the stand, enjoying the competition. I took some photos



Sunday 13th July

Went for my regular walk, but it started raining heavily, so I turned for home. By the time I got close to home, it had stopped, so I continued on and ended up with 4.5 miles.

Monday 14th July

Woke at 05:00 to go to the loo, but couldn't get back to sleep again. Got up at 07:30 and went for my 5 mile walk. I'm now walking at sub 16 min/mile.
For the first time, I've felt really, really good - feeling like "normal". I felt like I could have gone for a run.

Tuesday 15th July
Woke at 08:30. Didn't go to the loo until 09:30, after breakfast, so, last night, I went 10 hours without trouble. Following my urinary tract infection over two weeks ago, I'm submitting a mid-stream sample for analysis. This will be sent for tests.

I asked the doc about resuming running, stretching etc and got an emphatic "No! Not until after at least 12 weeks!" He doesn't even want me walking "Gentle walking is OK". I'm not happy with this, but my O.H. is still very concerned about me, so I'll keep everyone else happy. A few more weeks rest won't do any harm. I am certain, however, that, given my progress, the lack of specific exercise is now holding back my recovery.

Wednesday 16th July
Walked 5 miles at 16:15/mile.
For a while fter tea, tended to leak a lot.

Thursday 17th July
Went to town for a "bazzer" - Cork parlance for a haircut. We went by bus and had lunch in town. We went for a walk together after a light tea. i tended to leak slightly during the walk - more than I had been. I find that I do have a slight tendency to leak in the early evening.
I got some "unhelpful" news today - not a medical issue. This depressed me somewhat and I wasn't in great spirits over the next few days.