What a way to double up on my pain. Saturday I had completed a 17km bushwalk, Sunday a 4km Kayak in Sydney Harbour. This Kayaking day was in aid of raising money for children with disabilities. What a great day, and to tell you the truth I didn't really feel the pain in my legs whilst I was rowing. The only thing that was getting to me was the burn in my arms and a blister I was getting on my right thumb and a bruise on my left knee - thanks to hitting it constantly with my paddle.
Paddling through middle harbour gave me such a sense of freedom. My mind wandered back to the days when I was younger and wanted to be a marine biologist. I wondered what was swimming underneath me and how beautiful it would be to be in the water scuba diving amongst it all. This was quickly replaced with looking around at the enormous mansions which lined the coast and the huge yachts that we paddled around. I didn't feel envious of their life rather I felt rich in my own way. I was out and enjoying life, living it to the fullest. This was better than any treasure I could find. I truly have the best life.
As we came to the end of our leg and ran to the finish line we were greeted with cheers and a bag of goodies. I had spent the day with an awesome group of people and lapped up the best of Australia's weather. But it was now that the lactic acid in my legs began to set in from yesterdays hike. My calves and quads began to tighten up and feel like they were on fire. So I quickly took myself off to the shore line and soaked my legs in the cool ocean water. A temporary remedy but effective nonetheless.
The car ride home had me nodding off every couple of minutes, thank goodness I was not driving. I could not keep my eyes open, no matter how hard I tried. I knew that getting out of the car would be a test, and boy was I right. As I exited the car my legs stayed in the bent position. To try and straighten them was near impossible and this was only the beginning. Days 2 and 3 are generally the worst and I was not looking forward to it.
Now that I have arrived at Day 2 heading onto Day 3 I can safely say that my legs feel like cement. I even think I may have torn my calf muscles as I am in such intense pain. Looking back to the bushwalk and analysing things as I always do, I spent a great deal of walking up those stairs on my toes. The stairs were so shallow I could not get my feet fully on each step, so it was inevitable that a lot of the strain was placed on my calves. This will heal but it may take a while. I shall continue to stretch in the hopes of preventing further injury. I will also take the remainder of the week off from exercise, apart from swimming or going to the sauna. This should help heaps.
I know I am in pain right now, but gees I had the best weekend.
As we came to the end of our leg and ran to the finish line we were greeted with cheers and a bag of goodies. I had spent the day with an awesome group of people and lapped up the best of Australia's weather. But it was now that the lactic acid in my legs began to set in from yesterdays hike. My calves and quads began to tighten up and feel like they were on fire. So I quickly took myself off to the shore line and soaked my legs in the cool ocean water. A temporary remedy but effective nonetheless.
The car ride home had me nodding off every couple of minutes, thank goodness I was not driving. I could not keep my eyes open, no matter how hard I tried. I knew that getting out of the car would be a test, and boy was I right. As I exited the car my legs stayed in the bent position. To try and straighten them was near impossible and this was only the beginning. Days 2 and 3 are generally the worst and I was not looking forward to it.
Now that I have arrived at Day 2 heading onto Day 3 I can safely say that my legs feel like cement. I even think I may have torn my calf muscles as I am in such intense pain. Looking back to the bushwalk and analysing things as I always do, I spent a great deal of walking up those stairs on my toes. The stairs were so shallow I could not get my feet fully on each step, so it was inevitable that a lot of the strain was placed on my calves. This will heal but it may take a while. I shall continue to stretch in the hopes of preventing further injury. I will also take the remainder of the week off from exercise, apart from swimming or going to the sauna. This should help heaps.
I know I am in pain right now, but gees I had the best weekend.