Any More Sets

Back at home we do Parkrun at Clifton. I again run  with the Lad which is probably asking for trouble particularly as when warming up my knee was so painful I nearly didn’t start at all but it is better when I get going and we get round. 

Then it’s the match where Derby draw 1-1 with Portsmouth. Saturday night is spent at the Gym which leaves L dripping wet with sweat after a heavy cardio session. Nice. Meanwhile there’s me looking like a haggard old man doing a one legged weights session as my right knee proclaims that it did enough at parkrun this morning thank you very much.

On Sunday we’re back on the Colwick swim and walk but my walk is shorter than usual due to my dodgy knee. We skip the Daleside café and head home for coffee. I cut the lawn and then join L later at the gym where I do some upper body exercises as my legs have shot it. Monday morning’s walk is also a bit of a hobble.

The knee copes better with the cycling in the evening and the netball league is back on which is always good to watch when the actual cycling gets a bit boring.

My physio is on Tuesday this week and we do upper body because of my knee. Surprisingly I can still type afterwards considering he upped some of the weights.

L in is work but without any work, just keeping her boss company, still catching up on this blog, scrolling through Instagram and drinking lots of tea. 

Derby have a match in the totally pointless EFL Trophy formerly known as the Papa John’s Trophy aka the Pizza Cup but even they can’t be bothered to sponsor it any more. They play Exeter and win. Afterwards we go to the Silk Mill.

By Wednesday my knee is getting stiffer and it’s a tough morning walk. Later I do a light gym session, just half an hour of my greatest hits. The ones that aren’t too hard on the knee.

People do keep talking to me in the gym. Which is kind of scary, like I fit in. Although it’s mostly just everyone’s favourite catchphrase ‘you got any more sets’ or variations on that theme. This basically translates as ‘get off that piece of equipment, I want to use it’. When a girl with a foreign accent asks you about ‘sets’ it can sound like she’s asking you something else but no, she’s just after your leg press. Later it’s our first dog training session since the summer break.

Thursday is my Dad’s birthday and he freaks Daughter out by giving her a video call, an accidental one I assume. Most of us just got back what looked like a standard reply when we messaged him birthday wishes.

He was going to celebrate with a physio session but that has been cancelled. So rather than going around to see him in the afternoon to take him to that, I drop around in the evening with L. We take a cake with some candles on it but we don’t stay long as we’ve seen at lot him recently and I can’t face another evening finishing his chips for him.

We head to the gym and do a joint session although the new entry gates aren’t keen to let L in for a second visit of the day.

The Lad and I struggle to get in the park gates on Friday as there is chaos at the local Secondary School because their gates are locked and there is a massive tailback of kids with many climbing the fence to get in to school. They used to climb the gate to get out in my day.

The National Madison Championships, which was due to be at Derby Velodrome on Friday, are cancelled due to lack of entries after British Cycling refused to support their own event by providing some riders. It’s a shame as I was going to take my Dad.

L has drawn up a list of some possible tourist Parkruns listing those within an hour’s drive. Our first stop on the list is Belvoir Castle. I decide to watch and not run but have to boot the Lad while they start so that they call all hear the briefing. We then walk part of the course when everyone else has started. There’s a nice café for afterwards.

I then go to cut my Dad’s lawn even though he’s not there as he’s at a Classic Motorbike event at Cadwell park with my brother. Then I head home to listen to Derby win at Carlisle.

L returns home from her trip into Derby with her Mum with her usual headache. I take her to the gym to work out her frustration on the dumbbells. We had considered the cinema later but surmise that we both might fall asleep if we did. Instead we walk down to the Wollaton pub with the Lad. The beer is Lincoln Green’s Hood which is not too shabby and the Prosecco comes in smaller bite size portions from a large bottle. Although we have to send the first one back as it’s flat.

On Sunday we go watch the Robin Hood Half Marathon. I have my deferred entry but obviously attempting to run it wouldn’t be a great idea. I am very jealous of everyone while L is not jealous at all. We are slightly shocked how long the roads stay closed for some seriously slow walkers at the back. It’s one thing to walk it, it’s another thing to walk it that slowly.

In the afternoon I visit my Dad and take him to Notsa. Then in the evening my gym buddy and I are at the gym again. After months of trying to edge my barbell squat up to 20kg on each end I finally manage it. 60kg in total with the bar weight. 

(Sunday 24^th September)