Tikka

To/from the physio. Excruciatingly painful during and now, but hopefully it will help ease out some of the tightness. 🤞

I got absolutely soaked on the walk home.

Pilates class. Really hard, or I found it so.

A pre breakfast walk in case this morning’s pilates class makes my painful sciatic nerve even worse.

What a day; where to start? 😢 I was emotionally broken by the time I got home so I got myself out the door, but I had no energy and my heart wasn't in it. 🙁

The forecast rain never materialised but the wind was brutal.

Pilates class.

Tailwalking at parkrun with M. (The course is accurately measured at 3.15, I just don’t record the small change numbers for my walks.)

There's a photo of M looking as lovely as usual and me looking like a chunky monkey. 🙁

Coffee afterwards with the team.

To/from parkrun.

Raining now as well as cold and windy.

To/from, plus course check and tailwalking, at Junior parkrun. Total chaos, tears and tantrums, but the kids are cute.

Coffee afterwards with M.

Same horrible conditions as this morning - torrential rain, blowing a gale, and bitterly cold. My toes are shredded with blistered chilblains from frozen feet and waterlogged shoes and socks. Every step was agony. 🙁

Pilates clsss.

First thing was my only opportunity to fit in a walk this morning so I had no choice but to head out in heavy rain, a strong wind and absolutely baltic conditions. Grim.

All I had time for tonight, which is a shame as today is the first and last day of the good weather, plus I'm travelling tomorrow so won't get much done.

A lovely sunny, mild, calm day 😮 (for now, anyway).

I'm exhausted today. I was still awake when I last looked at the clock at 0330, then had to get up at 0600, so that'll be why.

That plus spending the day helping dad and his fellow residents paint ceramic flower pots, ❤️ followed by two hours at the hairdressers.

All I had time or energy for by the time I eventually got home.

To/from library. My toes are shredded with chilblains. 🙁

Wet, windy and bitterly cold.

Pilates class.

Another day, another early start and long drive. I was shattered by the time I got out for this at 5pm, and no lunch didn't help.

I was too hot by the end of this, 😮 but I was wearing several winter layers.

Pilates class.

To/from parkrun to marshal. A gorgeous, sunny, not cold, perfect temperature in the right clothing (winter kit) morning.

Coffee afterwards with the team.

Sunny and very warm, bordering on too hot. 😮 Not great with 10 blistered toes. 🫤

To/from, plus course check and tailwalking, at Junior parkrun.

Coffee afterwards with A, A and S.

Here we go again, groundhog day, almost exactly a year to the date last time: 🫤

Jog Belfast, week 1, session 1

R1 / W1 x 8

My blistered chilblains were agony, but they are when I'm walking too.

A short walk prior to the dreaded Jog Belfast. 🫤

[I only signed up for Jog Belfast because E didn't want to go on her own, but at lunch today she said: "You're going to hate me but...". She's decided to wait until September to start. 🫤 I wouldn't have joined if it hadn't been for her wanting the company, but I've paid for the course so I'm going to give it a go. In a way it takes the pressure off me - I won't be letting her down if my blistered toes can't hack it or if it doesn't reignite my running mojo and I decide to bail.]

Pilates class. Very hard today.

Pre breakfast walk as E wants to meet for lunch so I can't go after pilates. Cold and breezy again.

A walk after a day's driving. My toes are shredded with blistered chilblains so enjoyable it was not. No amount of mind over matter could distract from the pain. A depressing day, every which way. 😢

A nice walk marred by very painful toes.

To/from Caffè Nero to meet J.

A painful pre-breakfast walk on shredded toes.

Jog Belfast, week 1, day 2:

R1 / W1 x 8

I couldn't enjoy it, my blistered toes were agony. 🙁

Pilates class.

A pre-breakfast walk in the cold and drizzle. My blistered, swollen toes were so painful I felt physically sick. 🙁

A short excruciatingly painful walk on very blistered toes after spending the day with dad.

To/from R's house to drop off the knee compression support I'm lending her. My blistered toes were too sore to want to extend the route any further.

Pilates class.

To/from parkrun to marshal. Cold and wet, including hailstones.

Coffee afterwards with the team.

My chilblains and blisters were far too sore to contemplate incorporating my Jog Belfast homework so I don't think I'll be able to continue with the programme. 🙁

To/from Junior parkrun, plus course check and tailwalker. My blistered toes were really painful from the word go.

Pouring rain and bitterly cold, which did nothing to help my blistered feet.

I couldn't sleep last night, my toes were so raw and painful, to the point of bleeding, but I've managed to get a doctor's appointment for later so I'm pinning my hopes on a miracle.

I emailed G and backed out of Jog Belfast. Walking is painful enough, running is unthinkable.

[Dr update: the worst case of chilblains he has seen in his 30 years as a GP - not an accolade I want. There's some indication of infection in two or three toes, so a course of Flucloxacillin for that; a course of Nifedipine to help with my very poor circulation; and a series of blood tests tomorrow morning to rule out any issues with cholesterol and blood pressure, or conditions such as diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis and lupus.]

Pilates class.

Horribly wet, horribly painful.

Wet, wet, wet. Feeling nauseous and lightheaded from the Flucloxicillin and Nifedipine, and weak from the phobia of having bloods taken this morning. 🤢 Toes very painful. 🙁

A lovely day for a walk, but not with shredded toes. 🙁

The joys of a Flucloxicillin/Nfedipine combo - nausea, stomach ache, hot flushes, dizziness, headache. And all for no improvement in my blistered toes. 🙁

Aborted walk. My blistered toes were too painful to continue. 😢

Pilates class.

Blistered chilblains too sore to go any further, but in any case the Flucloxicillan is making me really queasy and the Nfedipine is making me really woozy, lightheaded and weak; it can lower blood pressure, and mine was low to start with.

The drowsiness means I can't risk the long drive to see dad, 😢 and the 8 mile marathon walk on Sunday is looking increasingly impossible. 🙁

To/from the green grocer.

There's no way my raw, blistered toes are going to get round 8 miles tomorrow, this short walk was painful enough, so I've kissed goodbye to my £40. 🙁 Plus the Nfedipine is making me feel really lightheaded and woozy.

Pilates class.

(Online pre-record purchase as the studio is closed for BH weekend.)

To/from parkrun to marshal.

Coffee afterwards with the team.

To/from A's house to hear all about her marathon.

It was a walk too far for my blistered toes. Back to resting them tomorrow. 🙁

Spectating at the marathon with R. Unfortunately patience and concentration aren't R's strong points so I was busy trying to convince her to “stay for 5 more minutes" even before the race started. Consequently, when V'Rap went past I almost missed her, only just managing a fleeting glimpse as she glided into the distance.

So glad I didn't attempt the walk - my toes would never have survived, they're really painful now.

Just far enough to get some fresh air. I'm not sure which is worse today, the pain from my shredded toes, or the side effects of the medication.

Pilates class.

(Pre-recorded online class as the studio is closed for BH weekend.)

Pilates class.

(Another one from the pre-recorded bundle I purchased.)

I needed to stretch my legs and get some fresh air after a day of sitting, but in reality this was too far for my blistered chilblains.