Swimming’s a poor substitute for running – apart from the sweet ache afterwards
IT’S COMING UP to a month now since my right knee flared up again, and stopped me from running.
And while the mashed ligaments are healing, my half-century-old cells are knitting together much slower than I’d like.
Which is a problem, as running is one of the major pillars that holds my life up.
I am not completely sure that I would be here – and I certainly wouldn’t be quite as intact as I am – if it hadn’t been for running.
Putting on my bright blue trainers two or three times a week and starting up the 300-metre slope at the end of my road has kept despair more or less at bay for about a dozen years now.
And in the really dark times, it saved me.
Even when I was spinning out of control, I knew that if I could just get out and run then I would – eventually – end up in a place where I liked myself again. Even if that place was a lot of miles away.
After my injury, I had to cope by taking long, slightly sore, walks for a couple of weeks. But then my Physiotherapist said I could try a bit of exercise that didn’t involve twisting my knee – like cycling, and swimming Front Crawl.
theshit50s 