Planning again

The trip to the podiatrists on Friday went very well. He was very pleased with my progress and put a dome pad onto my orthotics with the view that any big improvements during the week would be a major factor in the probability of fitting a permanent dome,and a new orthotic to be made for normal day shoes. I asked did he think I was OK to book everything for Bangalore and he said yes. He thought running was "Not as far away from being able to do as I may think!

So, on Saturday, after a lot of faffing around at the travel agents, we booked 6 nights in Dubai, 6 nights in Bangalore and a final night in Dubai on the return leg of the journey. It's fantastic as we get to go straight from Newcastle, so there will be no need for extra hotel rooms/nights away to travel to airports/parking fees. My mam and dad said they would take us and pick us up from Newcastle, so it's all arranged. I'm now going to email the general manager at the Taj West End and ask if I can definitely have a room with a bath and ask if we can sort something out for breakfast (as we couldn't pay for breakfast with the travel agents for some reason).

Walking this week has got better and better. I find that my "pain factor" on walking has gone from a "10" a few weeks ago, to a "1" in the last two days. It's great news, but it still hadn't spurred me on to start training again. Motivation has been at an all time low, and despite taking all of my gear to work yesterday so I could go deep water running on the way home after work, I spent most of the day trying to think up excuses why I shouldn't/couldn't go. It was only when a client came to see me at 3pm and asked me how my race had gone in India (which was the last time he'd seen me), it made me think that the next time I see him again, the 2012 race in India would be done and dusted. I decided that the 6 months training had to begin somewhere... and that beginning was today!

I didn't make the mistake of taking it easy this time though. After 30 minutes last week of easy DWR I left the pool feeling like I hadn't done anything (and maybe shouldn't have bothered anyway). This time I did my scheduled 45 minutes and I did it at a tempo pace which left me fairly knackered. I bought soya chocolate milk and put my hemp protein powder in it for recovery, and I think even the act of doing that made training feel better, as I felt like I was back to normal having a normal recovery shake and not trying to substitute it with bananas and nuts (which definitely don't work as well).

So, today I'm feeling good and glad I have started up again. Tonight is "sauna" night and then I will be back at the pool on Friday to do DWR intervals.

One of the owners of the cafe next door asked me did I think I would ever go back to just vegetarian instead of vegan, as she personally knows loads of vegetarians who found being vegan too hard. I had to admit to her that being vegan is one of the most difficult things I've ever done. I think you have to be made of determined stuff to keep it up because it really is very tough! Yesterday was a tough day for me as I wanted something hot for lunch and ended up with beans and chips because I couldn't have anything else and then when I got home we ordered an indian takeaway. I was gutted when Graeme ordered a naan bread as it's something I really miss, so watching him eat it was torture! As tough as it is though, I can't go back. Do I miss going out with my receptionist for a cappuccino and a cream cake? Of course I do... but it's a sacrifice I've had to take!