Best Laid Plans
We had an adventure planned yesterday morning: to seek out the Bukit Brown Cemetery from the MacRitchie Nature Park carpark. I hadn’t even run 10 steps when the muscle in my left calf popped again: 3rd time in 2 weeks.
I was so pleased that my recovery was going well fuelled by the well-wishes from Loving BlogFriends.
Just a couple of days ago I was in the Rainforest of the Singapore Botanic Gardens celebrating Day 1 of the Ground Zero Run: where we will run 100km in 30 days to raise awareness & funds for Mercy Relief.
And then, this happened: Dismay. Disappointment. Exasperation. Hobbling back to the car (fortunately I didn’t have far to go), Loving Husband and I decided it’s time to pay our Magic Hands Physiotherapist a visit.
Meanwhile, it ‘s back to icing, resting, stretching, walking. Back to baby steps.
🍂 🍂 🍂
Notes:
- Feature photo is a quirky stool we pass as we enter the MacRitchie Nature Trails. It’s tiny and I’ve never seen anyone sitting on it. It’s been a couple of weeks since I’ve been able to run here and it looks like with this injury, it might be a while more before I am back on the trail.
- This post is my contribution to
- Past Squares hosted by Becky at Life of B
- Pull Up a Seat hosted by XingFuMama.
Touring My Backyard 
What a leaf!
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It is rather large and fabulous! Everytime I see one on the ground, I feel compelled to take a pic with it!
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Oh Ju-Lyn, you seem to be prone to this injury. Is it that it hasn’t fully healed? Or an underlying mechanical issue causing it? I do hope it is sorted as it is obvious how much you like running.
The leaf next to the feet – was it painted or a real leaf that size?
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You are right in all counts Amanda! This series of injuries stems from one; the others were just recurrences due to incomplete healing. And the root cause is my gait which resulted in an imbalance in my glute muscles. You must have experience in this area to hit the nail right on the head!
The leaf is for real. Really really big! My feet are normal sized – US 7 ladies
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Hmm. I used to be an assistant physiotherapist who dealt with gait issues, so I have some knowledge of the implications as we age. These mechanical imperfections are never a problem until we get older and that unbalance accumulates over time causing damage. I assume you have a strenthening exercise regime?
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Ah! How exciting! Something new about you, Amanda!
Yes, ageing, something we often forget is happening. Loving Husband has advocated strength work for years now, so I do have a regime of sorts. What happened after the initial injury was that compensation created an imbalance in my left glutes. So have been working hard to get that muscle back. And the corrected walking gait is magic – can’t believe that I’ve been walking wrong for more than 50 years! and I always wondered why I was such a poor walker.
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I’d be careful sitting on that little seat….that looks like an ants nest creeping up the side ! Ooh, I feel your pain…that happens to me too. Worst time was in London when I was rushing to catch a train….OUCH! and I was on my own
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Oh my goodness! and you were in a hurry too! How did you manage to get to your next appointment with your leg out of commission?
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I ended up sitting on a bus all day. It was a tour bus and I had my camera but the pain was excruciating…fortunately it hasn’t happened again
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The tour bus was a good idea – but I can’t imagine you were in pain all that time you were sight-seeing!!!!
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I was just trying to stay off my leg. It wasn’t easy getting off the bus at the end and I had to hobble/limp around.I actually had to have a steroid injection in my Achilles’ tendon yesterday as it is currently inflamed….same leg!!
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oh no how frustrating, although at least it happened as you were leaving as that seat would have been a bit too small to rest/recover on if it had happened on arrival!
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Exactly!!! Even if I can fit myself on it, I’m not sure how I would pick myself up after the rest!
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Oh, Ju-Lyn. How disappointing and frustrating. I wish you all the best on a sound and speedy recovery. I hope during your convalescence that your own blog posts give you an armchair view of all the places you love. Cheering you on!
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I feel very encouraged – thank you for your uplifting words & cheer! The new perspectives rehab have offered are invaluable and entertaining – suddenly, I notice many people are imbalanced in the way they move!
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I am sorry to hear you have injured the calf muscles again, Ju-Lyn. Get better soon!
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Thanks Lavinia – I guess my leg just wasn’t quite ready and needed the professional help. Much better recovery now that I’ve adjusted my gait.
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Take care and don’t rush things, Ju-Lyn
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Thanks Sue. No rush at all … taking it the rehab slowly and enjoying the process of recovering.
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Good girl!
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Poor you , do hope physio does her magic!
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Indeed she did! Can you imagine that I’ve been walking wrong for 54 years?!!!!
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More to see if you slow down, Ju-Lyn. Take care and get better.
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Thanks so much Tracy. Apparently there is a better way to walk than I’ve been doing. Go figure! After 50 years of thinking I am a bad walker (that’s what I tell people …. because if I walk to much, my hips ache … running is just fine, though).
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Well, that’s novel!
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I sure hope that you are better soon.
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Thanks so much for the good thoughts & well-wishes!
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Oh no. I’m sorry to hear that you are injured. I hope it heals quickly. That seat is cute and that leaf is super duper big. It looks like a maple leaf, but if it is, it’s the largest maple tree I’ve ever seen. Either that, or those are dolls feet beside of it. LOL
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Well, darn! Hope it gets better soon. Love the little seat, and that is some leaf you are standing next to.
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Isn’t the little seat just the cutest? I don’t think I could actually sit on it comfortably. And even if I can, I don’t know if it’d be easy getting up again.
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It does look like a maple leaf, doesn’t it? But it’s part of our rainforest in Singapore, so I’m thinking not. It really is that large though, because those are my feet, and I am a size US 7
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WOW. That is huge! Not your feet, but the leaf. 😆 I’m a size 10.
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🤣🤣🤣
They are extremely large leaves. I must try and find out what tree they are from – when I can track down a Ranger.
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I would love to know.
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Sounds so painful Ju-Lyn
Take it easy 😘
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Thanks Ali! Actually the pain is manageable, especially this time around. Just have to remember to slow it down to allow recovery.
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🙂
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Take care and wishing you a complete recovery. These injuries can frustrate the best laid plans, but with patience comes new adventures.
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Hear hear! Taking care so we can adventure on! Appreciate very much the well-wishes.
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Rest up and don’t push recovery. It will take time. My last glute tear took ages to recover.
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Thanks so much Brian. I think I did too much too soon. I will dial it back now and take it slower.
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If you can get a brace like contraption that I’ve seen footy players wear could help
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Thanks for the suggestion Brian – fortunately I didn’t have to wear a brace and was pain-free after the physio adjusted my walking gait. Just like that.
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Excellent 🙂
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