The year could be summed up in a single sentence. Injured and did not run much. End of review. But that’s not particularly positive, is it? So, here is a reasonably light hearted look at my year of not running. 2023 in short: Lots of physio. So much physio! Lots of rehab which all became a bit Groundhog Day. Zero races: see above. One 60k Diamond Odyssey challenge completed, which was a bit of a miracle and which surprised the hell out of my surgeon. 1,832 miles of combined running, walking, cycling: not bad all things considered. One surgery: my first rodeo as one of the nurses put it. And f ..read more

The first steps towards running again. Muscle memory: a good thing, or is it? Two days after seeing the physio, and exactly six weeks after my surgery I dug out some kit and pulled on a pair of running shoes; selecting the shoe equivalent of wrapping myself in cotton wool. My road shoes: with their plush cushioning and rocker. Bouncy, bouncy, float along light as a feather. Would it feel bouncy, bouncy light as a feather? I felt quite nervous as I set out at a brisk walk until I had warmed up. It was time to find my big girl pants and I cautiously increased the pace for a few strides. Ooh, tha ..read more

Weeks 3 – 6 The second instalment of my rehab diary covers the period between from my three-week physio check-in to my post-op check with the surgeon. Week 3 Physio Check-in I drove to my three-week physio appointment which was my first time driving post-surgery. My knee was fine but was at its limit of tolerance as I arrived home. It did not enjoy the twisting and clutch work involved with reversing into and parking in our narrow cul-de-sac street. (Maybe, I should just learn to trust sensors and camera). Anyway, I decided to hold back with the driving for another week or so. The physio was p ..read more

Weeks 1- 3. At the start of August 2022 whilst out on a short recovery run, I pulled up with a sudden and sharp pain in my left knee. In January 2023 a complex tear to my left medial meniscus was confirmed. At that stage the surgeon advised that no intervention was required as there had been a degree of recovery. with rehabilitation I was returning to a reasonable and increasing level of activity. Things progressed well and at the start of June I was just fit enough to complete a 60k ultra run. My knee was rock solid during the run. It was strong and there was no hint of pain. Sadly, a week la ..read more

‘Beaver Fever’. What the hell is that? Was I going to be aggressively attacked by fevered beavers? I did think Briony was on a wind up when she told me that I must not fill my water bottles from streams and rivers as I habitually do at home. Surely the water is really pure and clean coming off the mountains? No. It is full of nasty little Giardia parasites that come from beavers; hence ‘beaver fever’. Fever inducing beavers aside, animal encounters were a possibility and I had to know how to avoid them and what to do if they occurred. I checked with the park authority on the likelihood on my p ..read more

I know where I ‘m going: a 1945 Powell and Pressburger film is probably my favourite movie. I love the characters, the setting, the atmosphere and the sheer whimsy. The wonderful Wendy Hiller plays, Joan, a young, ambitious, independently spirited woman who is confident that she knows where she is going. She has mapped out her life and sets out to pursue that path with single-minded almost reckless determination. That is, until she finds herself in less certain territory; her plans in disarray. As she attempts to get back on track, she sees there are other routes and begins to question her ..read more

Another year comes to a conclusion and time, once again, to reflect on the last twelve months. On the surface 2022 has been a quiet year that climaxed in the middle but what a highpoint that was! A year that exemplified less is more. A synopsis of 2022: One ultra-marathon waddled along the Moray Coastal path doing my best Jemima Puddleduck impression. One brutal ultra-marathon challenge thrashed out on the arctic tundra. A conspicuously quiet blog with the exception of the indulgence that was three posts covering the final stage of the Global Odyssey 100: the above tundra experience. Thanks t ..read more

Previous Greenland Odyssey posts : Link to Part 1 Link to Part 2 Day of attrition – the remains of the day MFU and pull up your big girl pants What had happened to me? Had I gone soft over the last two years? Where was my strength, my determination? Why was I so frustrated and angry? I realised it was a sly misplaced sense of guilt. The negative voice in my head making me feel like a fraud because there was so little running. But there was no dishonour in that. I was moving across the terrain as fast as I could, as fast as nature would permit; nature was not allowing easy passage today, she wa ..read more

Link back to Part 1 post. Falling apart at the seams What now; a good cry for starters. Poor Alasdair tested positive for covid as did one other member of group. Oh, crap! Thankfully, everyone else including Jenny, Ken and I were all negative; at least for the time being. What now? As the sick went into isolation and I hastily shipped out of our room yet another re-plan got underway. The barometer had fallen and everyone’s spirits followed to match the grey wet weather. There was going to be limited involvement with the nation day activities to ensure we limited contact with the community. The ..read more

Greenland. Noted for its vast tundra and immense glaciers. A remote and wild wilderness that invites superlatives. It is raw and extreme. Majestic in its barrenness. It takes no prisoners. If nature chooses to allow you to pass it will be at a price. Was I prepared for it? Physically, yes; mentally, no. Did I fail to manage my expectations? Absolutely. I went out to Greenland with an unrealistic dream of how the Global Odyssey would end. A romantic vision of gliding along trail paths with a backdrop of fiords, icebergs, mountains and glaciers. All followed by rapturous and celebratory welcome ..read more