One would be climber, slightly used

My knee hurts this morning. A reminder that I don't have the infinite capacity to abuse my body that I appeared to have in younger times. In this case it's a reminder of when it got twisted through about 180 degrees during what one of the most brutal 5-a-side matches of all time (the game ended with 7 people left on the pitch but that's another story). At times like these I remember exactly what's put myself through (mostly self inflicted):

Twisted right knee
Dislocated back (3 times)
Slipped disc in back (once)
Broken ribs (forgot to block a kick)
Torn hamstrings (left leg from muscle memory of being able to kick really high, right leg playing football)
Tendonitis in eblow (badminton)
Crushed ribs/chest (car crash)
Twisted ankles (various though mostly from football)
Severed nerves in leg from big metal spike
Left shoulder clicks in and out (from surfing)
Broken toe (parachute jump)
- numerous minor strains and pulls from over exertion.
- stitches in head, legs, mouth (multiple times from a variety of blunt and sharp objects)
- misc concussions from blunt objects

Old age is coming and I'm going to be reminded of all of this as time goes on. I'm very lucky that nothing has been seriously mashed up but as I am increasingly aware of each of them as I progress towards. Today it's the knee, but it's a reminder of the past not a breakdown. And it's the result of being able to throw myself fully into bootcamp last night for the first time in what seems like ages. I may be a walking reminder of past exertions but I'm heading in the right direction albeit from a more chronologically advanced perspective. It's also a reminder that from now on I need to take better care of planet me.

Pleasant Surprises, Unpleasant Realities

My faith in humanity went up a little yesterday. Having not actually sent the link to my JustGiving page out to any friends or family or workmates I got a donation. Let the record state that Fee, Brynley and Rach were the first people to sponsor me and give me an extra reason to put myself through this. Now I've got people to not let down and feel less exposed than when I put the page up. Thank you guys. An honorable mention here also goes to Martyn who thinks my training is crazy. This is from a man who ran a sub 3h30 marathon so the feeling is mutual ;-)

Which all leads on to unpleasant realities. Part of my training is carrying my kettlebell up the 7 floors of stairs at work. Unpleasant is one way to describe this were one to indulge in typical British understatement. My legs currently feel like jelly and my heart did make a serious attempt to escape from my chest cavity. However, if I can get over the initial shock then I reckon this is perfect training. It's specific and will develop balance and leg strength that will be invaluable later on. Provided I survive it.

Charity

You would think that the choice of charity for this is straightforwards. After all my mum died of cancer when I was younger and my dad has cancer now which they can slow but not cure. I think that my mum would approve of me trying this. She always wanted her children to follow their dreams and experience as much of the world as possible. Yet, when it came to set up the JustGiving page it took effort on my part to choose Marie Curie as the nominated charity. That's when I realised just how deeply personal a thing it still was for me. Right about the point where I started crying as I was trying to fill in the page.

It's not that I don't want to remember my parents or help people who find themselves in the same situation. But the effort of sharing those feelings or even maybe just the events that they come from is an act which has left me feeling very alone and vulnerable. Now, the whole thing means so much more and I have to face up to my doubts about myself along with everything else. Maybe people should only raise money for good causes they aren't emotionally involved with.

Still - I guess it's a reason to go and slosh around in the mud at Boot Camp tonight.

Reboot

The running and random office push ups have made a difference so it's back to Boot Camp for yours truly. Twice a week plus the odd run and some hiking appears to be my best bet for general and specific fitness. Especially since it's time to face some harsh facts: namely I need to drop between 10-15kg of weight (more if possible) if I'm to have a realistic shot at Mera. If I have to carry the contents of the Google canteen up there then I don't fancy my chances.

So from now on - moderation at lunchtime. Training. More training and some more training.