So I stayed down in Eastbourne last night in order to be able to back-to-back my training without paying an absolute fortune to Southern Railway. I was really good and went to sleep nice and early ... only to be woken up about midnight. I couldn't get back to sleep for anything - my knee was hurting a fair bit (which was strange because it had been okay when I went to bed!) and I decided that my compression clothes were uncomfortable. I changed into normal PJs and immediately got straight back to sleep - phew!
However, when I woke up, my knee wasn't a lot better ... it was irritable, and it wasn't that keen on me bending it. It is the same pain that I feel when running downhill, so I figured I'd just annoyed it with all my downhills the day before, and that it would calm down after a bit. I carb'd up with a bit of Oatso Simple instant porridge with a few added raisins (so healthy, so nutritious ...! But it was my only option given that I was leaving at 07:00 and nothing was open). Since I was leaving so early, I didn't have much choice but to eat it pretty much immediately before I left, but I figured that was far less risky than having nothing at all - I am not going to bonk again if I can help it!
The morning was absolutely gorgeous! I started off by Eastbourne Pier just as the sun was rising behind it. There was almost no-one on the streets but, unlike London and even Brighton, it was clean as a whistle on the boardwalk; you would never have been able to tell that the SteamPunk festival had been going on. Reflecting on this, I headed out of town and back up to Beachy Head. Going up there, I was absolutely fine - I was so happy because I actually felt better than yesterday, despite my long day yesterday. Wooop woop! Howeverrrrrrr .... as soon as I hit the downhill a sharp pain shot through my knee. I hrmphed a little and thought about it and tried again. It was still painful, but lessened, so I thought I'd just keep going for a bit and see what happened.
I covered exactly the same route as yesterday - over Beachy Head, through Birling Gap, and over the Seven Sisters to Cuckmere Haven. Unlike yesterday, however, it was sooooo quiet! I was literally the only one on the route at that time (unsurprisingly, since it was 07:00 on a Sunday morning, but there were no dog-walkers or anything). It was absolutely stunning up there by myself; I really felt like I was lost in the run and in my music that I had playing. I was brought to myself sharply, however, as suddenly this super-catchy toon came on and, since I was all by myself, I started to sing along even though I wasn't sure what it was. Imagine my horror when the chorus came through and it was Midnight Memory by One Direction. The shame. The horror. I quickly checked that no-one had heard (no, but a couple of seagulls were giving me a very superior look) and kept on going.
I'd noticed that the tide was out and I was thinking when I got to Cuckmere that I might just wade across the stream if I could, and head up Cuckold Mere again. I really like that hill (coming eastwards anyway!) and I thought it would make a nice change. However, my knee was really beginning to hurt by this point, so I decided to abandon that plan and head back the way I'd come - not least because I had a bit of a fear that the tide would come in and I'd be stuck on the Cuckold Mere side! It was about then that it all started to go a bit wrong ....
I think that from favoring my right knee, I was running weirdly on my left foot. I've never had blisters before, but the most enormous set of them suddenly sprung up all across my left toes, making it really hard to run normally. I kept going - a blister is only a blister! - but my knee was getting worse and worse and I'm sure that partly it was that my stride was uneven because of the blisters. When I got back to Birling Gap I stopped to eat a wrap and had a look at it, and it was massively swollen - it looked like someone had inflated it! I really didn't know what to do ... I had no idea whether I should keep going and just ignore it or whether I should just get back to Eastbourne and stop there. I pondered on this over Beachy Head and in the end came to the conclusion that I should stop, because if I wreck it in the event, it's actually fine because it can just rest after it. However, if I wreck it now, I might not ever get to the event!! I was really disappointed because the day started off so well (let's not talk about One Direction. Although I did once sit next to Harry Styles at breakfast and he is HAWWWWWWT in person, even with his manbun and his skinny jeans, so let's just focus on that rather than that they are the chosen favorite band of eight-year-olds).
I ended up doing 26km overall anyway, and I really believe that if my knee hadn't gone I would've been absolutely fine to do the full 42km. Knee aside, I felt fine - my muscles weren't stiff and my joints were working fine, and I was even managing to enjoy it. So even though I cut it short I guess it was okay. Kinda.
I think I did make the right decision though because I took my trainers off on the train, and when I went to put them back on again my right foot had swollen up so much I couldn't get the trainer back on it! I've slathered the entire leg with Voltarol gel and it's gone down a fair amount now, so with a bit of luck and a fair wind behind it, it'll be fine for next weekend. All fingers and toes crossed pleaaaase ...
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