There’s something of an unwritten rule among casual 5-a-side footballers that you don’t play on the eve of a holiday, because Murphy’s Law dictates that you will get injured.
And that’s exactly what happened. I had elected to play 7s the night before I flew out to Benidorm for my friend David’s stag do, and lo and behold, about half way through the game, the ball, the dry astroturf, friction, gravity and I got in a fankle, and I ended up banging my knee against the hard surface with some force.
I played on, stupidly enough, and I was still fit enough to make the flight to Spain. On my return to the UK however, I arranged to see my GP. He suspected that I’d sprained the knee, but it would heal itself given enough rest.
While I was relieved I hadn’t done any serious damage, I was still slightly concerned about the impact this would have/will have on my participation on the cycle ride to Edinburgh in September, and the 10k Road Race, two weeks’ earlier.
My fitness regime has already taken something of a kicking, with two colds (in April and June), a college assignment to complete, and a period of malaise following a misdiagnosed dental problem. I have played football once in six weeks (a perhaps ill-advised early comeback from the knee injury two weeks ago). I haven’t been to the gym, swam or cycled in months. I anticipate that’ll change in August, and it’ll have to if I’m going to do any sort of running in the 10k.
On the positive side, my weight’s remained pretty stable, even allowing for the fact I’m not using the meal diary any longer. I’ve bought two new suits and several new shirts to reflect my new body shape, and I’m feeling a lot more confident about myself, and that’s all I could have asked for this time last year.
