Challenging times

 Got a problem? Deal with it.

Injured? There's no place for the sulks in sport. Being miserable and falling into depression will only delay recovery.

The first week after I cracked my ribs I took painkillers and used an elasticated strapping as support.

That was that.

The second week I dispensed with the strapping and reduced the painkillers. I gently applied various anti-inflamatory ointments and rubs.

The third week I knocked off the painkillers but stuck with the anti-inflamatory massage.

I now ventured out with my Nordic walking sticks. I found the straight up and down movement of my arms was not doing any damage and I upped the distance and, importantly, the time on my feet.

Now into the fourth week I decided to tackle a small hill. I went with the tram, or Bim, to Rodaun and then walked to Perchtoldsdorf and from there up the hill known as the Kammerstein.

The total distance walked was roughly 10 kms (6 miles) with 300 mtrs (1,000 ft) of ascent and I was pleased to manage it without any problems.

The winding hillside path took me through mixed woodland and over a carpet of wild garlic; its powerful scent playing on the ever shifting breeze.

I saw a kestrel flying away with a small animal in its talons.

I saw two women with two severely handicapped children in wheelchairs a short way up the path.

I later saw a man, who appeared to have had a stroke or a serious accident affecting one side of his body making his way up in determined fashion.

And I thought how fortunate I am with only a cracked rib or two.

At the summit there was a refreshment hut and it was open. There I found a place in the sun and out of the wind and rested with a refreshing pint of shandy.

A stranger took my photograph and complemented me on my mastery of German. I thought how kind people can be. And also how courageous they can be.

This morning I walked 8 laps around the jogging course in my local park. That's 12 kms (7.5 miles).

I think I may be running again in 2 or 3 weeks. Time, as they say, will tell.

New goals now required

Two posts below I reported on my last race. Here, from that event, are the latest action photographs of the Bard on the Run.

As well as our finisher-medals and jpgs we also 'received' official certificates to download and print but with the price of printer ink being prohibitive I declined the offer.

My current injury, for the record, is not a running injury. I foolishly tried to 'help' a neighbour catch her cat. Before I knew it I'd slipped on a polished floor, sandals with no grip, and fallen heavily cracking my ribs on the corner of a wooden box. The cat, it goes without saying, escaped my clutches!

That was two weeks ago. Now I'm more than pleased to be walking, if not yet running, with the aid of occasional pain killers and a pair of Nordic walking sticks; slow and steady progress being the order of the day.

Meanwhile I'm rereading my trail and mountain running magazines; especially with regard to fixture lists. I will obviously have to revise my plans. New goals and a fresh training schedule will soon be required for the rearranged season ahead. All this is also part of the fun, as well as a challenge.

The road to the hill 

Approaching the summit

The finishing straight  

PASSING THE TORCH

There's a short film (just over 4 mins) which I can recommend on my TRAIL RUNNING TV link. It's dated Nov 30. It shows Pablo Vigil and Kilian Jornet running in the Colorado wilderness. There's no product placement or advertising. It's just two men running. One young. One older.

Pablo is much the nearest in age to me. And so I identify with Pablo. And also with what he says. He says running is not about winning this race and that race. It's about 'inspiration'. It's about 'passion'. It's about 'passing the torch to the next generation'. And so it is.

When I first came to live where I now live there was not another runner on the block. Now, 15 years later, there is a runner in every second or third house. When I first ran the trails in the local woods I never saw another runner. But then they started to appear. First two or three. Then more. And now many.

Like Pablo and Kilian I've also run right up to the so-called wild animals and they haven't batted an eyelid; foxes, deer, chamois, and even mountain goats I include. Sometimes I've stood so close to them that I could almost reach out and touch them.

Like Pablo and Killian and their meeting with the elks I have felt no fear. And the animals I have met have felt no fear. It was and is as Pablo says "as if we were brothers". And it really is so. Or it can be if you are lucky. It starts with the right attitude to life and the right way of being a runner.

Currently I'm injured (it's not running related) and cannot run. When I'm injured, which is rarely, I am greatly inspired by films like the one I've just seen and I can't wait to get back on the trails.

The runner's task says Pablo (as I have already mentioned) is to pass the torch to the next generation of runners.

I willingly do that also, but I must add the proviso that when I speak about running I am not speaking about pounding the pavements or the tarmac. I am speaking about running in the fresh air and the wide spaces far away from the factories and the cars.

Take the train or the bus or the bicycle or simply walk. Find a beach or a hill or a forest or a river, or a canal or a lake or any place with an out-of-town trail. And run.

Lace-up and go for it. It's basically what I do. And I recommend it to younger people. It's the best thing you can do with your life. It took me 40 years to discover it. My words can save you much time and trouble. I've now been doing it for more than 25 years. It's life. It's pure life.

And it costs almost nothing. There's no need for any fancy gear. The socks, shorts, anorak, emergency whistle, and t-shirt you already own. So it's a basically a small investment; a pair of trail shoes, €40 should do it, and you're on your way.

Enjoy it.