Mt Fuji, The Conqueror Virtual Challenge, and Recovering from a Gastrocnemius Tear
Before Christmas, my sister and I signed up for The Conqueror Mt Fuji virtual challenge. Over the last few months, we slowly knocked out the 74km distance. I finished my challenge last week and I’m super chuffed about it for a few reasons.
Back in 2016 - only a few entries ago because I haven’t been using this Tumblr much - I tore my gastrocnemius muscle. The years in-between have been really tough on my fitness. Summer 2017 saw me completing a geology mapping project where I could walk as little as 5km in a day to as much as 25km, all on a barely healed leg and a newly-sprained foot. In subsequent years, I’d go snowshoeing or do something equally strenuous and I’d tear my muscle again, leaving me struggling to walk for weeks until it healed again. I tried running but a 20 minute interval run also tore my muscle and I had to dial it back to 10 minutes total. Honestly, I was in so much despair thinking I’d never be able to hike or run again.
I’ve got quite chubby over the years due to my work in mining. I couldn’t cook at all because everything is provided by the mining camps. Miners seem to like fatty fried foods so I’d gain weight in the month at camp and then lose 5-10lb in the two weeks at home. Working out was impossible because of luggage limits for helicopter flights preventing me from bringing equipment, working in -55C temperatures preventing outdoors exercise, and physically demanding 12+ hour shifts that left me drained. My good work during my two weeks at home was never enough and my weight slowly climbed. When I finished that job, I completed the first three weeks of Joe Wick’s 90 Day Plan but that was cut short with an international move back to the UK and a major life change.
This last year I was doing an MBA and was often out of the house between 7.15am to 9.30pm so a lot of the food was grabbed on the go. I tried so hard with meal prep on Sundays but the stress levels with long class hours, hours of readings and essays, and networking sessions with employers got too much. I actually managed to maintain my weight for a lot of the MBA but the situation with covid and being housebound saw a bit more weight gain.
So the challenge represented a huge effort to try to get back into fitness. My leg was agony for the first month during runs. My calf muscle would be a tight ball and it would pull on the shin muscles and I’d lose control of my foot. Eventually, and with some prolonged weeks off for injury recovery, it improved. My final run of the challenge was 8.2km of intervals with 2 minutes of running and 2 minutes of walking. I still have to be careful with my leg and not push too hard. It also really hates the smallest of uphill inclines and sideways cambers. But back in December, I wasn’t sure if I’d finish the challenge and now here I am looking back having succeeded.
And it feels good to finally succeed at a fitness-related goal, just like I used to.
Did I lose weight? No, which is weird. I’m going to be following up with my doctor in the next few weeks, covid allowing. My sister said I appear slimmer around my hips so perhaps I’m just recomping, though my clothes feel tighter than ever. I started Joe Wicks’ 90 Day Plan again today so we’ll see how the next three months go.
I thought the Old Me was dead but no, she’s in there somewhere trying to get out.
