Go Hard or Go Home!

Another day, another doctors appointment, but this time it’s not for me! Now, that makes a change! This time, David’s up with his nasty knee. There’s always a plus side to any situation, however unsavoury, and this morning, the flip side is that the appointment allows us a leisurely half hour lie in, which isn’t much, but it sure is better than a poke in the eye with a sharp stick!

Today we trot off to the  Sports Medicine Clinic at the Mater, a luxurious private hospital just up the road. The doctor is running almost on time and after a quick hi, he says bye,  and passes us over to his “fellow” who turns out to be a lovely chap from India.  He’s studying orthopedics here for six months, before heading over to Canada to freeze his bits off for twelve months after. He’s very professional and gives David and his knee the once over before telling us that he’d wait for the good doctor to give us the verdict as, after all,  that’s who we’d paid to see. Exactly my sentiments, but I’m pleased he was the one to say it and not I. Wouldn’t have wanted to dent his feelings! Anyway the consultant is a laugh a minute and super chilled out. He contorts David’s knee into a variety of positions, none of which look comfortable, before deciding that an MRI is the order of the day and depending on the results, some keyhole surgery. Between the David and I, we’re going for the Surgery Trilogy! David’s doctor knows the Prof and we both agree that the man is da bomb! He tells me that the Prof’s as straight as a die, and I have to agree, he’s certainly a straight cutter! Once again, I feel really proud and extremely lucky that he’s my surgeon.

Still no time to niggle about the knee, we have jobs to go to! We catch a bus into the city and after a quick coffee go to work for more fun and frolics. It’s a super  busy day. The Feeder Programme is in top gear as I share the Pumpkin and Ginger Tea Bread  around the staffroom with wild abandon. We all enjoy it with a bit of butter and it’s super yum. I hoover up the crumbs, working on the premise that crumbs are so small, they surely can’t have calories!

Later after I’ve worked my fingers to the bone in the office, I’m off to Nike Running Club. I’m totally pumped today and am determined to beat last week’s 7km time. We have a two season run, one minute it’s pouring with rain, the next it’s seriously sunny! I’m in my element, the pace is perfect and the scenery is stunning. I know I’m biased but there can’t be many places in the world to run that are more beautiful than this! I manage to stay at the front of the pack for most of the race effortlessly, and could even run a bit faster but it’s bad form to overtake your leader! However, the four flight of stairs get me at Darling Harbour and I lose my star spot. Stairs are my nemesis, and they’re right up there with burpies and moutain drives, my other most hated exercises! I’m stoked when we get to the store,  I smash my personal best running in at under 41 minutes which is about a  5 minute 40 second kilometre! I’m on fire! I’m also super sweaty. No one’s invading my personal space tonight on my  train ride home and you don’t have to be a rocket scientist to work out why. I almost stick to the seat!

I’m a bit sad that it’s my last running club but I’m really looking forward to picking up where I leave off on my return. While I run I think to myself “Go Hard or Go Home!”  I may be without Running Club for a month, but I still have my legs, running shoes and plenty left in the tank so… I can go hard and go home to the mother country! And when I come back, I can run harder and faster than ever! I’m a machine!

We’re both tired and hungry when we get home. Lucky for us, dinner is quick to prepare as we feast on the Spaghetti Bolognaise I made yesterday. I’m carbing up and loving it! After dinner, I indulge in a little apres-exercise retail therapy online at my favourite UK store Dorothy Perkins. I’m shopper-in-training when I get back to Blighty I’m going to shop til I drop!