Yesterday I had covered 20 km by 11.00 am. My body felt incredible. I was overjoyed by the fact that I felt as though my muscles were adapting to the 35 - 40 km a day that I would be walking and my emotional state reflected what I was feeling physically: alive and free.
Unfortunately, it was around that time that I begun to feel a dull ache in my left shin. I put it aside in my mind as a temporary pain that would sort itself out either in a few hours or overnight, but by the time I was a few km away from Kingston SE I was in real pain and my pace had dropped significantly. I recognised this type of pain from when I used to run regularly.
Speaking to Conrad McKee about he had dealt with similar issues didn't give me news I wanted: he'd had to take 10 days off to recuperate and order custom-made orthotics to help him on the rest of his journey. I didn't want to accept that I would have to change my schedule, but decided to see a professional in the morning.
So I did. This morning I saw a GP here in Kingston who diagnosed tearing of the muscles in my shin due to intense overuse, no doubt aggravated by constantly being on the hard road surface. It seems I went too hard a little too quickly.
She recommended taking two weeks of rest to recover.
In reality it's not a big deal. I was always planning on taking October 6 - 9 to attend Wollangarra's Open Day, so those days are able to be a part of that rest period. I'll keep to my predefined schedule and come back at the end of the journey to finish the missing segment: from here in Kingston SE (SA) to somewhere around Warrnamboool (VIC).
Better to look after myself in the short-term than risk further injury in the long-run, right?
My friends and Adam and Nick are very kindly coming to pick me up tomorrow night, so I'll have another night's rest here in Kingston SE before coming back to Adelaide.
In the meantime the staff at Bliss Cafe are ensuring I'm stocked on caffeine and sugar!
