Thursday, September 30, 2010

Acupuncture = pain

For the past week I have been performing the stretching programme I was given on a daily basis. My thigh is still extremely tight, despite my best efforts to stretch the injured muscles. Although painful, the stretching has seemed to help slightly. After stretching, I have been applying ice immediately afterwards which has helped to relieve the pain.
Today I had my second appointment with Ross at SPACE and he spent the first few minutes pressing hard on my injury sites. The pain was horrendous and made me feel quite sick - but I could see the point of it. Ross then decided to try some acupuncture, as he was finding it difficult to target the deeper injury site in my sartorious - and he said it would be less painful... but it wasn't!
The next 20 minutes or so was agony. After positioning several needles in my muscles, Ross began to 'tweak' each of them until it hurt. As he moved the needles further into the injury site, each movement was like someone holding a naked flame on your skin (only deep inside your leg) for a few seconds and then fading until the needle was tweaked again.
I'm not gonna lie: it was quite painful, but my leg is feeling much better and is certainly less tight this evening. After a hot bath, I noticed that I now had some bruising at the injury site on my sartorious in the middle of the front of my thigh.
Ross has given me some more stretches and has said that he wants me to start jogging lightly - getting there... slowly!

Wednesday, September 22, 2010

Thigh injury - 3 x grade II tears

Since injuring my right thigh on Monday, I have been treating it religiously with ice and plenty of regular Ibuprofen - it is still very painful.
This afternoon I visited SPACE for a full damage report on my injury. I was assessed by Ross Mayberry and he soon found the extent of my injuries after a rather painful assessment! He told me that the primary injury was to my sartorious but I had also badly injured my tensor fasciae latae and my psoas major muscles. He explained that all three muscles were damaged by the way I had kicked the ball: across my body with my right foot. He said that the injuries were quite bad and he estimated that each muscle had sustained a grade II strain (tear) so I was looking at 6-8 weeks recovery time at least.
My heart sank - that meant that I would be out for the first part of the winter season at least and it would probably be nearer December before I could attempt any winter climbs this year. Ross told me to continue to rest and he gave me some stretches to try and get some movement back in my leg, which was now very tight and stiff indeed.
All I can do is follow the good advice and try to get back as soon as possible... gutted!

Monday, September 20, 2010

Leg Fail

So... today I thought it would be a good idea to play 5-a-side football at lunch; how very wrong I was...
I took a shot at goal and immediately felt a burning pain in several places in my right thigh; I knew it was a bad one straight away. I'm struggling to weight it and walk on it and I've been icing it every hour this afternoon and this evening. It's quite painful so I've been hitting the pills quite hard.
I have an appointment at the physio on Wednesday so I'll get the full damage report then but it's not looking too good right now...

Sunday, September 19, 2010

D of E Bonze Practice Expedition - Boys Weekend

This weekend I was back in Glenisla training a group from GWC their Duke of Edinburgh Bronze expedition. This time it was a group of boys. Once again I collected them from Peffermill on Saturday morning and headed North towards Angus.
I dropped the lads at the side of the road at Holm of Needs and saw them safely onto the track leading around Craiglea Hill to the (now derelict) Fornethy Residential School. Someone had mentioned to me that there may be a few fallen trees in the school grounds that might block the tracks so I drove round and headed in to check it out. Sure enough, the trees were lying there like matchsticks across the track but could be safely negotiated by a short detour around the other side of the school.
The boys heading into Torrax Hill Wood, Glenisla
The boys heading into Torrax Hill Wood, Glenisla
The Gorse nightmare through Torrax Hill Wood, Glenisla
The Gorse nightmare through Torrax Hill Wood, Glenisla
The boys heading into Torrax Hill Wood, Glenisla
The boys heading into Torrax Hill Wood, Glenisla
After guiding the boys safely to the B954, I shadowed them as they headed East along the path into Torrax Wood. The boys found it tricky to find a way through so I helped them negotiate the large number of gorse bushes that were blocking the way, before heading around to meet them at the bridge over Melgam Water at Loch of Lintrathen.
Looking Southwest towards Loch of Lintrathen from Brankam Hill, Glenisla
Looking Southwest towards Loch of Lintrathen from Brankam Hill, Glenisla
Random boulder on the side of Brankam Hill, Glenisla
Random boulder on the side of Brankam Hill, Glenisla
I then drove down the road and left them to follow me over the hill to Hilton from Purgavie Cottages - and follow me they did... very very slowly! Eventually they met me at the bealach between Strone Hill and The Carrach. The sun was now beating down on us and we made good progress along the track through Gairlaw. I thought it best to walk with them and try to push them on bit, as they were way behind schedule. As we passed a couple of ruined farm buildings at Gairlaw, I looked up to the side of Mile Hill and saw that a white horse was galloping straight for us... and I also saw that there was no wall or gate between us! There wasn't time to think about what to do but even if there was, I'm not quite sure what action I would have taken! To my relief, the horse skidded to an abrupt halt right next to us and started nodding it's head and swishing it's tail in a very friendly manner; clearly the horse just wanted some friendly attention from us. It followed us along the track until we closed the gate behind us, much to our amusement.
The boys passing through Gairlaw, Glenisla
The boys passing through Gairlaw, Glenisla
A ruin at Gairlaw, Glenisla
A ruin at Gairlaw, Glenisla
Random horse in Gairlaw, Glenisla
Random horse in Gairlaw, Glenisla
Random horse in Gairlaw, Glenisla
Random horse in Gairlaw, Glenisla
I shadowed the boys East through Garlow Wood and I helped them cross the Quharity Burn to Auldallan before jogging back over the hill to the minibus. The lads eventually made it to their campsite at the bridge over the Quharity Burn just to the South of Westerton and Balintore. The boys had done ok but were extremely slow considering the fine weather. Tomorrow's forecast wasn't looking too inviting so they were going to have to pick up the pace to make the coach back to Edinburgh.
The boys heading down into Garlow Wood, Glenisla
The boys heading down into Garlow Wood, Glenisla
Today was a real dog of a day and the lads set off later than planned. I saw them onto the track heading North past Westerton and on into Glen Quharity; giving them clear instructions to take the path to the left just after the trees through Craig of Balloch.
A misty day at Backwater Reservoir, Glenisla
A misty day at Backwater Reservoir, Glenisla
I headed round to Backwater Reservoir where I parked up at the side of the road and headed up to the top of Little Ley to watch for them coming over. I waited and waited but there was no sign of them and the clouds were getting lower and the rain heavier. I knew they had most probably missed the left turn and continued on into Glen Quharity but with visibility so poor, there was no point in wandering off into the mist looking for them. I wasn't too concerned, but another hour passed and there was still no sign of them.
Dead deer, Glenisla
Dead deer, Glenisla
I drove up and down the road to Glenhead at the side of the reservoir. I then decided to head up through Harran Plantation and try to gain some higher ground. I headed through a break in the forest that was clearly used frequently by the deer. I made swift progress and was soon on the summit of Corwharn but I could still only see 50 metres in any direction. Giving up, I jogged back down towards Drumshade Plantation and then onto the track heading back down to Glenhead Farm.
Heading through the trees in Harran Plantation, Glenisla
Heading through the trees in Harran Plantation, Glenisla
When I reached the minibus, I found a note on the windscreen from Tam that said my group had been found wandering aimlessly at the side of the reservoir. Clearly they had gone badly off course at some point! Ah well, at least they were safe and sound - the debrief could wait for later in the week back at GWC - an eventful weekend!

Sunday, September 5, 2010

D of E Bonze Practice Expedition - Girls Weekend

This weekend I have been assisting with a group of GWC girls Duke of Edinburgh Bronze Practice expeditions based in Glenisla, Angus.
I collected my group from Peffermill playing fields on Saturday morning (after their Hockey match) and headed North to Glenisla. The group were already packed and I had met them briefly on Wednesday night at school to go through putting up tents and cooking with stoves.
The girls setting off along the road, Glenisla
The girls setting off along the road, Glenisla
The girls making their way up the difficult terrain from the Alrick Burn, Glenisla
The girls making their way up the difficult terrain from the Alrick Burn, Glenisla
I dropped the girls off on the minor road, just West of Brewlands Bridge, and I helped them navigate and negotiate their way over the Alrick Burn and pointed them up towards Meall Beag. Then I left them to head over the top of Cairn Gibbs, then onto Knockton before heading East to the minor road above Redlatches. I headed back to the minibus and drove around to the minor road and walked in to meet them at the top of Knockton - I had quite a long wait!
Looking North towards Brewlands Bridge and Mount Blair from Knockton, Glenisla
Looking North towards Brewlands Bridge and Mount Blair from Knockton, Glenisla
Looking East from Knockton, Glenisla
Looking East from Knockton, Glenisla
Once at the road, I sent them Northwest to the bridge over the River Isla. Again, I drove round to their campsite in Kirkton of Glenisla, just opposite the hotel. I crossed the bridge and expected to see the group somewhere on the hill above me but there was no sign of them. I found them a little way to the East wondering rather aimlessly and puzzled as to how they were going to get across the river to their campsite; they hadn't listened to what I had said.
Once at the campsite, the girls were very efficient at getting their tents up and the stoves going. It had been a good day - the weather had been good and the girls had done well - so I was happy.
Mount Blair from Knockton, Glenisla
Mount Blair from Knockton, Glenisla
The second day saw the girls heading along the easy forestry tracks around Crock and Craigie Law. After checking the condition that they had left their campsite, the girls passed me on the forestry track where I was having a little trouble with the minibus...(!)
The girls heading into the mist up the forestry track around Crock, Glenisla
The girls heading into the mist up the forestry track around Crock, Glenisla
They left the forest and headed over the South shoulder of Badandun Hill to the track leading West to Little Forter and past The Knaps. After sorting things out, I headed round to Meikle Forter to meet them at their finishing point.
Forter Castle, Meikle Forter, Glenisla
Forter Castle, Meikle Forter, Glenisla
Looking Southwest from the road through Folda, Glenisla
Looking Southwest from the road through Folda, Glenisla
The girls had been very lucky with the weather but had done well on their first expedition and I knew they would be fine on the real thing next year - well done!