exams, pain and injurial frustration

Ok this is going to be one of those horribly self-indulgent posts that no-one really enjoys reading, but sometimes just need to be written.

Last week I passed my Navigation exam with no real problems (YES!!!). Unfortunately that is about the only positive thing I have to write about.

I haven’t flown in what feels like an age – the weather has been conspiring against me, if it’s not too windy, the cloud is too low or the visibility is too poor, or there are thunderstorms on the way. Superb. Just as I really need to be packing in the hours, getting my QXC done and moving onto thinking seriously about the Skills Test, all I’ve managed to do is sit in the ops room and stare out of the window, or to liven things up, stand out on the apron and curse the sky. Great.

I’m trying to make the most of these periods of inactivity flying-wise though – now I’ve done the Nav exam I still have two more exams to do – Flight Planning and the dreaded Meteorology.

The plan to get the Met exam done this week has however failed, even though I’ve had oodles of time on my hands – I just hate this subject so much. It doesn’t stay in my head! Although today I’m managing to get some quality study done, for reasons I will elaborate on in a second…

So, what else is crap at the moment? Injuries, that’s what.

On Thursday, because the cloud was too low to fly solo, I decided to go for a proper long distance run (partly inspired by a shockingly poor display of fitness during a crag walk in up in the Lakes on Sunday). I got back after having run over 9 miles in an hour and a half feeling pretty pleased with myself. Ok so I ached and had some major blisters on my feet but I felt generally pretty good…

Unfortunately in the days after this first foray into distance running, my right ankle has decided that it’s actually rather badly damaged. I have no clue what I’ve done or how I did it – I can only assume this agony is a result of the run, and possibly a bouldering session on Friday evening, not that I can remember straining it or doing anything untoward at all…

My guess is that it’s a sprain – there’s a little swelling and its agony to walk on, but it doesn’t hurt to prod it or twist it or anything else. Most odd. Actually, as the days move on and the pain seems to get worse I’m becoming a little concerned that simply taking Ibuprofen and strapping it up may not be enough…hmm.