It’s been a while, but I am back!

Firstly I would like to start by saying, thanks for reading... and PLEASE follow my blog, a "Follow" button / Link is above to follow using facebook, or at the bottom of the page you can follow on email, I mention this as I have had several people who a regular readers say they don't know how to follow me :o) Anyway... let the blog commence!

Well today I got back to the gym after what can only be termed as an extended absence, having been away on holiday and thus not going to the gym, I returned home and continued my “Gym Holiday” for a further few days, I’m not really sure why I did this but at the time I didn’t think it would be an issue.

The following weekend I commenced operation clean up the garden for winter, nothing strenuous (or so I thought) just cutting the grass, tidying up and emptying the water feature and upturning it, easy right? WRONG… the water feature is solid granite so is a little heavy but this did not deter me and I lifted each of its bits one at a time myself then continued to bend over and clean it all out.

Monday morning loomed and with a twinge in my back I got up and headed to the gym, I thought to myself “I’ve done this before, bad back off to the gym anyway, usually loosens it up” and initially it did, my back eased and I completed my spin session, as I sat at my desk that day my legs and my back slowly stiffened more and more, until getting up from my desk for any reason was becoming really very painful.

The next morning I struggled out of bed, by this time getting in the car was bringing tears to my eyes, I just couldn’t bend in the right places to fit through the door, it became a game of get as far as the pain would allow, then just drop myself and scream  I struggled through Tuesday in agony, moving around was just too much, I was propping myself up on anything and everything, and not only was I not able to stand for long, I couldn’t sit for long either, so I was in a horrible sort of limbo. By this time, I felt like someone had moved the floor away well out of reach, if I dropped anything I was basically screwed!
The long and short is it got worse and I found myself unable to make it to work the rest of the week, with one morning in particular where it took me 1 ½ hours just to get out of bed and down the stairs, at one point I was trapped, if I moved a millimetre in any direction the back would just begin to spasm, I’m sure you have all experienced this as some point and can sympathise with how debilitating it can be!

A few days of film watching and keeping my back warm lying on the sofa, or sitting bolt upright, whatever made my back feel the most comfortable that day ensued, and by the following week I was really feeling like this should all be over now, but it wasn’t so off to the doctor. She did a few tests and wasn’t happy with my range of movement so signed me off for the rest of the week with some advice on pain control and light exercise.

So here we are, nearly 3 weeks from my last spin session, and nearly 5 weeks since my last full on week of training, It’s been a while, but I am back!

I arrived at the gym raring to go, ready for my spin session… I asked the instructor where we were and she said “Were mixing it up” when I left last time we were mixing it up ready for the new release, when I went back before my bad back they were on the new release, and now they are mixing it up again, so I have effectively managed to miss one whole spin release, this didn’t really make me feel good but I got my bike set up and began the spin session, all I can say is WOW, I don’t remember it being quite this hard. But I held my own and had a great session even though it felt really very tough, I consoled myself with the fact that I was one of VERY few people who were there on this cold winter morning… it seems since I have been away the numbers have dropped substantially, the instructor tried to tell me it was due to the cold weather, I corrected her and said it was clearly my absence and that people only come to see me… Somehow I don’t think she believed me!

So all in all it’s been a while, but I am back, and glad to be back, I think for tomorrow, I will take a day off so as not to stress the back, or even if I do go I will make sure it’s for something gentle like a swim, or a gentle weights session, either way it won’t be full on tomorrow.

Oh… and if anybody wants to know what to get me for Christmas, I will have a new gym bag please… Preferably this one… http://breaktheillusion.acmeprints.com/product/good-vibes-gym-bag tehe.

Anyway, onto a much more important note, sponsorship!

Several people have said to me since I have been off with a bad back that “I would just give it up” and “you ain’t gonna run that” you know what I say… I say PFFFFFTTTTTTT I am going to run this thing, or die trying, that was my mantra when I started this and it still stands, and if you lot don’t believe me sponsor me… if I don’t make it across the finish line I will PERSONALLY give you a full refund of anything you put in.
So, this is all in aid of Asthma UK… did you know An estimated 75% of hospital admissions for asthma are avoidable and as many as 90% of the deaths from asthma are preventable, on average 3 people per day die from Asthma, Asthma UK is the charity dedicated to improving the health and well-being of the 5.4 million people in the UK whose lives are affected by asthma, to find out more visit http://www.asthma.org.uk then pop along to my Virgin Money Giving page http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/JohnClitherow and sponsor me anything you can, why not sponsor me £1 per mile, and as I said if I don’t cross that finish line I’ll give it all back!!

Live Strong,
Jay (Red John).