Injury Time

So the official photos from the Thames Path Half-Marathon came back and I thought I should share this one with you. I said photos? I meant photo. The only moment the photographers managed to capture of me was the precise moment my calf muscle tore and I pulled up in agony. Well done, guys.
I think this was actually the fourth time it popped, in the final straight, when I was trying to hobble/sprint to the line. I love the complete lack of concern from anyone in the crowd - I can only presume that because by this time I wasn't actually shouting with the pain, just grimacing and gulping and rather over-dramatically throwing my arms in the air, they hadn't noticed the poor bloke in the orange shirt crippling himself but bravely refusing to give up. Either that or they're a bunch of heartless bastards in Walton-on-Thames..
I hate being injured. So does everyone, I suppose, but I know there are runners who look on it as a chance to take a break, rest whatever niggles they've incurred through running, work on their fitness levels in other ways, and come back stronger. I've never managed to make that work for me.
This is what happens when I have an injury break:
1/ After telling myself that, while I'm not running, I will be working on stretching muscles and building up my core, I instead spend the time watching TV with my feet up (Rest! Elevation! It's what the doctor ordered - or would have ordered if I'd been to the doctor) and comfort eating chocolate biscuits. 
2/ When I do get back to running, I'm slow and can't go very far
3/ I put on about 3lbs (see chocolate biscuits)
I returned to my running about 10 days after the injury this time, partly because it felt as if it had healed and partly because I was bored. It's always a cause for concern after a muscle injury because it's very difficult for you to work out whether it's fully mended. Even professional athletes, with expert medical attention and x-rays and all, can never be entirely certain what will happen after a muscle tear. Put it under too much pressure too quickly and it'll snap again and set you back a few more weeks. It's why you often so footballers playing a bit slowly and gingerly in their first few games back from, say, a hamstring injury. There's an unspoken circumspection about pushing yourself to the limit because you don't know what will happen.
My first run was a rather timid 5k at a pace that it would be flattering to call gentle. I was a bit sore afterwards but my calf stayed in one piece, so I've returned to my normal schedule of a run every two days. I upped the distance to 10k this week (though I was knackered at the end - I've got my work cut out trying to rebuild my stamina levels to what they were last month). I've even managed to go to a couple of Wednesday night training classes at the park, where the coach Maggie interval-trains us to exhaustion. 
Good news is my calf muscle appears to be fine. Bad news is I appear to be getting slower each time. I'm going to blame the biscuits.