Some progress perhaps....

I've not been updating my blog with dreary "still hurts" messages as I'm sure no one wants to hear that so I've been waiting for some improvement.

The improvement may be transitory but it's cheered me up. ;-)

Last week I ceremoniously washed all those bits of running gear that were "half worn", you know, those things that don't quite make your eyes water when you put them on. Working on the principle that I wouldn't be needing them again for some time.

I hit a new low last Thursday when my wife & I went out for a brisk 4 mile walk in the evening and the ball of my foot went numb. Suddenly my "life line" fall back plan to walk the WHW was looking in jeopardy and I was not a happy bunny. After a weekend brooding about it, I went back to the doctor to see about x-rays, hospital referral etc. I've had a heap off blood tests & I'm getting an x-ray next week.

In all probability, these will show nothing useful but they have to be done before a hospital referral.

On Wednesday I decided that if walking was going to make my foot go numb I might as well jigger myself with running as it didn't seem to be making things worse so it was on with the clean running gear and out for a slow 2.5 mile jog. It wasn't a great success. Indeed, it was just the same as any run I've tried this year with pain at every step and I ended up walking parts.

Despite this the foot seemed to be improving slowly although my 2nd toe is still feeling a bit "fuzzy".

On Friday Muriel was very keen to get out for a run so I thought I'd give it another bash. Right from the outset things felt different and I could jog comfortably with minimal or no pain. We did about 4 miles and I enjoyed the whole run. Woo hoo! I even pushed hard up a couple of hills just for the thrill of getting out of breath and feeling my muscles working. Perhaps not sensible but it's been so long since I felt that thrill I just couldn't resist.

Fortunately those pushes don't seem to have aggravated anything and I do think that the pain has lessened. Fingers crossed big time that this is the start of a real recovery.

I'm still happy that I'm not doing the WHW race this year but who knows, I might make the Fling at a leisurely pace.