Isolation things to do and done

I know a lot of people swear by hydrotherapy/exercise, reduced impact but better resistance.

I hated running all my life, despite having to tolerate it in TA/Marines. From ages 25-45 I ran perhaps 2 times a year on average, hating it each time and barely being able to walk for days.

First I was diagnosed with Asthma about 4 years ago, after getting wheezy the day after hard cycles. That helped as I realised I had always had it, and the horrible sensation in my throat/lungs after a mile or so of runnning was gone. I was doing a bit more running anyway in the summer after my marriage ended, and a lot of tennis, on top of the 2-3 MTB rides a week I had done always when I met my current partner., who likes endurance running (itself an escape for her I think when her ex husband did something similar to her as happened to me). Then in autumn 2018 I signed up for a marathon April 2019 and finally ran enough to actually enjoy it. Now I love it, the marathon experience was amazing, I love the odd 10k race, it's a lovely easy thing to do compared to the faff of cycling.

I crocked myself from suddenly running loads from nowhere (though long walks and especially the rapid direction changes of tennis and squash are as bad for me) but I think running can be sustainably good for you even at marathon training levels, as long as you are sensible to prepare. This year my feet don't blister nearly as badly and ironically (given the injury keeps me to 20k a week or so) I feel like a "proper runner". My VO2 max is way higher than its ever been, cycling at the duration/intensity/frequency I did before is just nothing like as hard. Most of the issues come from too much too soon or an imbalance of core and other muscles.

I'm not sold on the barefoot things, having read many studies on them. Yes we evolved barefoot, but then someone invented asphalt.....

I prefer cycling, but I slipped on the scraping yard a few weeks ago, fell hard had have done something to my median cruciate ligament and find walking difficult and painful at the moment.

I would have preferred falling arse over tit into the pile of slurry I had just scraped without injuring my knee. It hurts like a bastard at times. I've looked up some physio exercises as that's all the doctors would suggest at the moment.

I can’t really run either. I mean I can if needs must. But jogging or sports running gives me appalling cramps in my calves. Always has done. I have to go and find a high kerb to bounce the balls of my feet on in order to stretch my calves.

I managed the NHS 5k with my wife, but only with a series of pauses to stretch.

This past week I've fitted a sliding door to the family room. Putting the door up was easy: the removing the architrave and making good wasn't!

Currently have decorators in to do hallway and landing. Thus far they've been here a couple of hours and already stripped the lot! Our house is approaching 100 years old and a large element of plaster has come away so that'll hold things up while they replaster and await a dry.

Next week we're having understairs storage fitted (pull out units and a small cupboard) then I (yes me!) am fitting new balustrades and walnut cladding to the treads and risers to the stairs. I might call Geoff my tame carpenter at some point......

Ah, drain rods. An essential piece of kit for houses with septic tanks. We had trouble some years ago, but now we're better at controlling what gets put down it (it's an odd conversation to have with visitors who come to see us about what can go down the toilets!) and get it emptied out every 18 months, we've not had any issues. Right I've probably cursed that now.