Day 16 - Zola Budd

The alarm goes off, I open my eyes, fumble for the off button as quickly as I can (so as not to disturb Her Majesty) and I roll towards the edge of the bed. This is the norm, the first few seconds of my every day; today was no different, it was what happened next that led me to this point.

I went to stand up, and for a split second forgot that I was sporting a dickey hamstring. Up we go; back down we come with an “ooh, ya bastard!”. Slide back under the covers with a promise to exercise later.

A look at the schedule and later will have to be lunchtime. I’d packed all my kit with me so a quick dash to the gym shouldn’t be too much of a problem.  Didn’t bring my shoes though, did I?  So it was a barefooted PCP Day 16 workout.  I got a few strange looks, but I was too busy sweating, grimacing and heaving to really care; and why should I anyway?

All went prett-eh, prett-eh well.  Skipped so precisely that the rope was sometimes brushing the balls of my feet on the way past, such was the tiny nature of my jumps. I was doing this to minimise hamstring movement but also to decrease shock absorption (because I was conscious of being barefoot and have noted the ankle/shin pains of my fellow PCPers), but I think this really should be the preferred method going forward.  I will jump as low as possible from tmw onwards.  

After that, did have to omit the right-leg-in-front lunges. Did my hamstring stretches on that leg instead, but was able to do the left-leg-in-front ones okay, although my balance was worse than in the past – injury/barefoot combo I expect?

I paid particular attention to not slackening at the end of the movements and also optimising band length. During the difficult shoulder raises, the devil on my shoulder tempted me by suggesting a lesser band strength.  I banished him with a final set of slow, determined motions, this was accompanied by some disturbingly primal noises which I eventually realised were coming from within!

I shall be trudging through a shopping mall this evening, killing time whilst I wait for the car to be serviced. I have an errand or two to run, so that combined with my book shall kill the time easily enough, the worry is food intake.  I brought my lunch from home but not dinner.

PCP compliant mall-food, I WILL FIND YOU