Calso Cooks On The Run- Days 3, 4 & 5

Days 3,4&5

Day 3: Day 3 started early in Sligo in the Radisson Blue Hotel and Spa, we got breakfast sent up to the room. My left shin was in agony but got Ciara to give it yet another rub before I got ready for the road. I set off again from the hotel in the dark. the first 4 mile was cruel, my shin was in bits and was worse if i stopped at all, but by the time I got well out of the town I had to get Ciara to rub it again on the side of the road. We discussed going to hospital but agreed it would waste too much time as I assumed it was just bad shin splints. so the only other option was to walk the rest of the day. Walking was very painful too but at least I wasnt pounding the road but then the other shin got sore and swollen too. to the finish of the 13.1 was horrible!

feeling dejected 

Run/walk 7

Ciara working her magic

'Can you hear me now???'

We then moved onto Rosscommon town. The walk I done there was literally up hill the whole way to the direction of Athlone, Half way through Ciara had drove on a bit and pulled in to a church to light a candle, me not knowing this also hobbled into the church to light one too when Ciara told me she had already done so... now I'm not overly religious but within a half a mile the left shin numbed up bigtime and the right was bearable and I was walking quicker and stronger without stopping. Finally still up hill I was finished the leg. and it was time to move onto meet a fellow blogger Alison Delaney in Athlone. 

With Alison Delaney

Because I was only walking/hobbling these legs where taking well over 3 hours, I had told Alison this and fair play to her she wanted to do it anyway to keep me going... even though she was missing Strictly Come Dancing!!! Alison was great company, we walked out the Moate road half the distance, turned and came back... the pain really only kicked in with a few mile left and my 2 shins where at me again bigtime. But we got finished and the conversation had flowed from start to finish which really helped, we have a lot in common which is great. Alison's blog is Nibbling On Nature. Then we headed on to stay the night at Ciara's cousin Andrews house in Ballymahon, Where he had made me a big feed of Spag bol and garlic bread!!!

With Andrew Behan

Day 4: Andrew was coming along with me on the Longford run as he himself has gotten into running this year too. We started off from his house and I gave Ciara the morning off, god love her being stuck in the car all day every day!! I'd say a few hundred yards down the road and my shins were yet again in bits... hobbled on and off for 2 .7 miles which took an hour... rotten!! then I decided to just run through it, which I did in short bursts but all the time in horrible pain. It was a lovely road to run on, great scenery and good company but by god we were both highly glad to get back to his house. I knew by then for sure that this wasnt just shin splints. After a shower and a feed, we left Andrew, Caitriona and their 2 wee ones Amy and Eoin behind and was heading for the 2nd run in Leitrim. however we then made the decision to postpone this one to the next day, head straight to the hotel and get a longer recovery time in to sort the shins... a very wise decision as by the time I was getting out of the car at the Westville hotel in Enniskillen I couldn't put my left foot to ground and the right wasn't far behind it. So we checked in, took an ice bath and ordered a taxi to the hospital. 2 Xrays and an ultra-sound later I got told that I have ruptured the tendons in my left shin and the ones in the right are not too far behind... no running for 6 weeks says he!!! DISASTER!!

Day 5: Got no sleep last night between pain and thinking what to do, had gotten so many lovely messages through Facebook and Twitter consoling me but there is still life in me yet,,, so the only sensible option is to motor on... do however many miles I can do on crutches. 

In leitrim I managed 2 miles to start with... very tough going. We moved onto Fermanagh where I managed 3 miles, people still showing support by beeping at me but I can't wave back at them obviously. Hands are starting to hurt and blister, lats, shoulders and arms are hurting because I obviously didn't train for this!! Then Finished off the day in Donegal with another 3 miles taking well over an hour!!! These 3 would have been class runs as the scenery in all 3 were gorgeous and good roads.

Crutching it in Leitrim

Crutching it in Fermanagh

Crutching it in Donegal

This is not how I saw this going at all and I assumed any injuries picked up would be the type I could run through with the aid of painkillers and strapping but unfortunately I can only do my best and that is exactly what I am doing!!