One Armed Adventures

I fell off my bike in May and broke my wrist in the process. That meant several weeks in a plaster cast. It was frustratingly restrictive but I was determined that I wouldn’t use it as an excuse.

I tried to find out exactly what I was and was not supposed to do whilst my wrist recovered and then work within that. The main restrictions were that I couldn’t get it wet and, obviously, that I had limited use of my dominant arm. Still, I managed the following:

1. A 50 mile run from my front door to the coast
2. Regular cycling in London. The doctor said it was OK and I could still control my bike so I kept riding.
3. Running between a day’s errands instead of cycling. I racked up 15 miles before tea time.
4. Walking the first half of the Ribble Way including bivvying out in foul weather
5. Swimming in the sea. I just kept my right arm aloft the whole time. It looked pretty stupid but you can’t beat an icy plunge for entertainment.
6. Four days’ walking along the Cornish coast, sleeping under the stars.
7. Continuing our Thames swimming project by running to the source

My point is not that I am a tough guy. I’m not. If something hurt then I stopped doing it.

It is also not that I ignored my doctor’s advice and did stuff anyway. I didn’t. I had no interest in short-term release in exchange for long-term complications.

The point is simply that whatever your circumstances, you will be able to find something adventurous to do.