This week’s recovery has gone up and down; some days I’ve been able to work out in the gym on an exercise bike or a cross trainer surprisingly well, up to 40 minutes, and on some days the knee has been very painful and one day I couldn’t even make it to the gym. I’m aware it’s not necessary to do so much weight training as I’ve done this week but I want to somehow compensate that I can’t do much of aerobic training. But I’m dying to see the orthopedist who operated the knee next Monday. I have so many questions for him! A few days ago I had forgotten to take my painkillers and I was optimistic thinking that maybe I don’t need them any longer. I was wrong. Yesterday my knee and inner thigh were aching so much that I just wanted to cry. So I’m back on my daily doses of 3x800mg burana Slow.

I’ve been out a few times without the crutches and it’s so scary. I’m not only terrified of slipping and falling but also someone pushing me (I’m walking very slowly). Today I went grocery shopping and an idiot drunken guy pushed me with his trolley. Not badly, but anyway. He was drunk and wasn’t at all concerned if he hurt me but instead, he said ‘Oops, that lady has such a wide bum’. I was so worried of him hurting me that I couldn’t think of anything to say to him. I don’t care what anyone thinks about my bum but I was left wondering what gives obviously a stupid, drunken, ugly Finnish guy the authority to comment on my bum in a supermarket? I mean, I don’t blurt ‘Oops, that guy has a such a beer belly’ or ‘Ooops, what a fat person on my way’ if I bump into someone with my trolley. I was just speechless.

Johanna

This week the recovery has been very depressing, emotional and frustrating. I am making progress and that is great but it’s very slow and frustrating and annoying. Today I was out for the second time without the crutches. Yesterday I went to the super market without crutches (and bought hair pins!) and today went first for a walk and then to town. The walk was quite amazing as the day was really beautiful and sunny and not cold at all. So it was great to be out in the sun! But I had to walk very carefully to make sure I don’t slip and fall. Also the nerves in the knee don’t function very well yet so I felt I had this strange leg attached to me which didn’t obey the commands of my brain. A very weird feeling. I walked 3.5 kilometres which took 1 hour 10 minutes…!

In town I bumped into Jaana & Jaap Klevering. What a surprise! It was great to see them and have a coffee. I wanted to buy ‘What I talk about when I talk about running’ book by Haruki Marakami but of course I didn’t find it here. At the moment I feel so envious of people who can just go out and run! They don’t know how lucky they are.

Johanna