Training setback but Puerto Rico excitement!
I was very proud of myself last week–I managed to run about 8 miles and do a little bit of elliptical training and soccer in between all that. Unfortunately, I think I’ve hit the trails a little too hard, after being a little out-of-shape and out-of-practice for quite a while. My ankles started throbbing midway through my run on Thursday; I thought it would go away, but unfortunately, it only got worse when I finished the run. By Friday afternoon they were feeling alright, but the soccer game I played on Saturday just made them hurt again. As of Monday evening, I can still feel them, although not nearly as much as I originally did on Thursday.
I don’t think it is tendonitis pain, since it is in both ankles; they are probably just inflamed from running after only doing low-impact elliptical infrequently for so long. At least, this is what I hope. I tried to do the elliptical yesterday, and only made it through 10 minutes, and I’ve decided it might be a good idea to take today off, especially since I am going to Puerto Rico on Sunday and do not want to jeopardize everything we plan on doing there. I also invested in some slip-on ankle braces to give a little extra support during the workouts.
Fundraising for the Three Peaks is chugging along. My fundraising site is located here (you know, in case you’d like to donate and help out the Meningitis Trust, a great charity that helps out survivors of meningitis and their families). So far, I’ve raised £125. I have to raise £140 more by the middle of April, and £110 more than that by the middle of June.
Speaking of fundraising, I was especially touched when I got a message from Jay, who writes the blog at mysontom.com. Tom was 20 months old when he contracted meningitis, which put him into a coma for 5 days. When he woke up, he was profoundly deaf. He now has cochlear implants in both ears and is doing incredibly well–I definitely recommend reading his father’s blog, because it is incredibly touching and emotional. Plus, Tom is adorable–I especially recommend the “Tom gets a racecar bed” video. The Meningitis Trust has helped out their family immensely, and it was great to hear a personal story about the charity that I am doing my best to help as much as possible.
And finally, I’m going to Puerto Rico on Saturday! Since it’s our senior year (even though I’m not graduating until December), 11 friends and I are spending a week there. One of my friends’ parents (who are awesome) are taking us around the island and showing us as much as possible. We’re planning on visiting Old San Juan, Ponce, Vieques (which is an island off of Puerto Rico and has a wonderful bioluminescent bay that we’ll be snorkeling/kayaking in), El Yunque rainforest and the Camuy caves, to name a few. In between all that, we’ll be lying on the beach, drinking piña coladas, and generally soaking in the tropical goodness. Plus, we’ve never been on a big group trip before, so that’ll be fun, and possibly interesting. Hopefully we won’t kill each other by the end of the week!
I hope that I’ll be able to update this every night as we go along, but I’m certain that we won’t have internet for at least two nights, and I’m not sure about the other nights. So, chances are, there will be a whole lot of updates from my handwritten journals starting about March 11.
Tags: Ben Nevis, England, fundraising, Puerto Rico, Scafell Pike, Snowdon, Three Peaks Challenge, Tag Index