brAMYacs - Blowing Raspberries to Cavernomas

I know, it's been a while. I'd like to say it's because I've been busy training but it's definitely not that unfortunately. To be honest, I've had very little to report on any front.  I'll start with Amy. Amy's progress has definitely slowed which I suppose was inevitable at some stage. The initial fabulous change from day to day hasn't continued and now I suppose it will be occasionally lurching forward and then a rest for a while before the next lurch. At least, that's what I hope will happen, as, of course, does Amy. She remains, as ever, as upbeat as she can manage which at times isn't easy and I'm glad to say we have found a weekend for her to come up and visit here, which will be hopefully a lovely rest for her. As for training. I have lost my momentum! My heel seems to be healed which is the good news and the other day I forced myself to walk over 11 miles on the treadmill. I actually set the treadmill to do 20km which I did but th...

  Yesterday I had surgery.  Ok, so it wasn't brain surgery but other than the stitches I had on my chin when I was young for falling off seesaws, not once, but twice (don't even go there) having my wisdom teeth out at the age of 13 and the inevitable sewing up after childbirth, I have never had surgery. I admit, it didn't take 6 hours, it took 20 minutes though like Amy I was awake for the whole procedure. I'm so brave ;). Yep, I had a 'mucus cyst' removed from my finger. It was a very ugly lump, and I won't be posting a pic, simply because it wasn't very nice, but I'd had it a few years so it had become part of the furniture, so to speak. However, it was time for the little bugger to go, so I went to the doctor who referred me to a hand surgeon who took it off yesterday.  Now, those of you who know me of old, know that I am not a fan of private hospitals. So to discover that the surgery would be done in a private hospital, albeit through the NHS, wa...

I will not panic I will not panic I will not panic..etc ad inifinitum! Ok, let's start at the beginning.  After the excitement of buying new trainers I tried them out on the treadmill... Ok, that's not the beginning, I'll start again. After my mega walk last week I was really thrilled at the distance, not so much the time but times can be worked on. A couple of days later (I'm old, forgive me for forgetting which day it was) but not long after the walk I started getting a slight pain in my heel. Weirdly it only hurt when I wore shoes, not when I was in bare feet. After the excitement of buying new trainers (see, I've caught up now) I tried them out on the treadmill. They are comfortable, no doubt about it. And my heel hurt less in my new trainers than anything else I'd put on my feet.  However, there was still a niggling pain so today I decided to do a very short walk, maybe just ten miles or so, to get a walk in, get my steps in (10,000 a day goal at the moment...

After my walk on Saturday, I decided to rethink shoes. My shoes, which I love and adore, are quite obviously not fit for purpose. They're wonderful on fields and footpaths, but show them tarmac and they suck big time! So, in the early hours of the morning (which is really when I do most of my best thinking) I decided to get new footwear. Obviously by the time I'd made the decision I was wide awake so started googling local sports shops. I often buy my trainers and boots online but this time there was no room for error so I needed somewhere that does foot checking, where they check the way you walk, which way your feet lean, gait and such. Hmm, maybe that is 'gait', yep, probably! Anyway, I googled local sports shops and found there was one in a village just a 25 minute drive away. Bonus.  With other things already on the agenda for this week and especially today, I tried to shuffle things around so that I could go shoe shopping. I was meant to be doing my friend Jan...

  Ouch! The last time I did a training walk was 12 February. And I'm wondering why I ache so much, duh! I had planned to go tomorrow but tomorrow is a busy day, what with setting up the Village Hall for the Race Night, and then compering, not to mention drinkies and grub before everything kicks off and I have a potato salad to make! So I changed my plans, as I do, and followed Dan's advice to do it today instead.  The forecast was good. That is to say it wasn't meant to rain though it was going to be chilly but I knew once I got going I'd warm up. Because I had the whole day I wasn't in a rush to get going. I prepared my rucksack yesterday (how very unusually organised of me) and had my trainers, spare socks and a towel, a raincoat and munchies, as well as a battery charger for my phone. I wasn't sure how much I'd need but they say you should carry with you what you'll be carrying on the day (or two days in this case) and I'm so obedient, so that...

Amy had her stitches out yesterday :). Now she can wash her hair properly and feel human again. Happy days. Not only that, but while Amy and Issy were at the hospital, George Samandouras, Amy's consultant, popped up to see them. He went through the details of the operation, as neither of them knew the ins and outs and then he told Amy how surprised and pleased he was that she had progressed so well. He was impressed by her levels of speech! We are so grateful to George and his team. They are the most wonderful, calm and professional yet the most warm and reassuring people you could have the pleasure to know and if anyone reading this ever needs brain surgery, you couldn't find better than George and his team! Saturday morning I will be up bright and early. Don't ask me how, I haven't done a 'bright and early' for so long I can't remember how but I'm going to aim for a 25 mile walk. I hope then to be slightly ahead of the training schedule which will give...