The recovery continues. The other day, inspired by my brother Chris and physio Zelah - who both performed admirably in the Endurance Life Coastal Trail Series marathon and half-marathon respectively - I went for a run. I hadn't planned on running, but was walking the dogs and had a sudden impulse to run. It went pretty well, too. I managed about three quarters of a mile before stopping - not bad for someone who hadn't run at all for six months.
Then I went and overdid it. In the evening, emboldened by imagining that I was now fully fit again, I went for a walk and decided to do the same run. This time I ran for about a mile before disaster struck. Well, I say "disaster" but after neck surgery it wasn't all that bad - I pulled the muscle in my left calf. No surprise, really - even a couple of miles' running after six months of inactivity is a bit of a stretch.
However, the incident must have played on my subsconscious, for today I woke up with an awful dream. I was swimming, perhaps in a pool, or maybe the sea, but wherever it was the water was crystal clear. I dived underneath and was swimming about six or seven feet beneath the surface. Then, rather than being the swimmer, I became a pair of eyes watching me, the swimmer. I watched as I went to kick my legs to the surface, but in the act of doing so somehow jarred my neck so badly that the nerves were severed. That one kick was my last - but would it be enough to propel me to the surface? And once I got there, what would I do? I was paralysed. I'd pushed myself too far, too soon. Even if I got to the light and air there'd be nothing I could do.
Then I woke up. And I resolved, damn it, that I am going to complete the annual Brisons to Priest's Cove swim again. Meanwhile, as I reflect on life with ice on my calf, I will take it easy on the next run.
(But isn't it great? - To write in terms of 'the next run'. A few months ago my left leg was spastic and I couldn't have run anywhere to save my life. I owe a lot to the neurosurgery dept at Derriford. Maybe if I complete the Brisons swim I could raise some cash for them? Now there's a thought...)