'Muscle and blood' - Two weeks of recovery

The following blog post was written over a two week period, so forgive me going backwards and forwards in time like Dr. Who! No T.A.R.D.I.S. here.

So today (August 14th), it's just over a full two weeks since I was launched off my board and onto my knees on the asphalt of Blackpool Promenade. Ouch! Still hurts just thinking about it. I've been on a rotation of arnica, deep heat, and ibuprofen gels to take down the swelling and ease the pain. Tonight was the first time in the two weeks I've done any kind of distance on a board since the fall. Just a quick mile or so, just to see how my left (pushing) leg got on really, but it was fine. Still got a scab on my left knee, but the muscle/cartlidge and the knee cap itself are feeling much improved on what they were just a few days ago. Enough for me to feel like doing a 4 mile circuit around the Marine Lake after work one night before the end of this week, weather permitting, because the storms have come back again.  As long as that goes well, I'll aim to build up to 8 miles on Monday or Tuesday and then build my distance up again over the next 3 and a half weeks, up to my scheduled Long Push 2012 days, 8th and 9th September. Despite not really being on a board, loads has hapened over the last couple of weeks. I'll work backwards through the last two weeks to try and remember it all...

 

Southport Sea Wall at sunset. Photo by Trev Wells

Today, those lovely people at Motion Boardshop in Seattle have put up an interview with me about The Long Push on their blog page! Tori e mailed me out of the blue a few weeks ago with some interview questions. It's taken me a while to get them back to her ,but I did a few days ago, along with some photos and...it's come out really well I think. Huge thanks to Tori and all at Motion Boardshop for their interest and support of The Long Push.  Go have a read at the links below:


Part 1: http://blog.motionboardshop.com/uncategorized/186521-chris-ward-longboarding-for-a-cause-part-i/

Part 2:  http://blog.motionboardshop.com/uncategorized/186632-chris-ward-longboarding-for-a-cause-part-ii/

Yesterday, (Monday 13th August) Rachael and myself spent my day off work together, doing one last 'map' of The Long Push route in the car, from home to Fleetwood and back again, clocking the mileage at given points along the way and making sure the final total came to 100 miles. We drove along the full Day 1 route and stopped at BIG WOODY'S SKATE SHOP in Blackpool to see Dre, drop off some 'AUTISM AWARENESS' silicone wristbands. (See seperate post) and for me to feed my skate shoe addiction and BUY MORE SHOES...that I really didn't need! But of course...I DID! :o) By the time we stopped on the promenade at Fleetwood the trip meter was SCARILY accurate, just creeping onto 50 miles as we stopped. So the journey back held no surprises, apart from after we landed back home when there was a HUGE thunder and lightning storm, with some of the heaviest rain I've ever seen! Love the lightning though :o)

Some of you may have seen this next news, because I posted it on the Facebook page of The A.Skate Foundation

I've already posted about being contacted a while ago here in England by skater and artist/photographer Thom Bleasdale of Thom Bleasdale Art. Thom offered to sell one of the decks in the photo above and donate the proceeds to The Long Push 2012 - Longboarding for Autism Awareness. He did, and contributed a fantastic £120 to The Long Push charity fund. How awesome?

What I DIDN'T Know was that, Rachael was in touch with Thom, and she bought a copy of the middle deck (with the photo taken from the full pipe at Ramp City in Blackpool, that I ride myself) as a surprise for me! The £120 from the sale of that deck has also gone to support autism by being donated to The A.skate Foundation!! The work Crys Worley and all at A.Skate Foundation do is just amazing. We are connected guys, connected by skateboarding and autism across the Atlantic.

Really, I'm just blown away by the support shown to The Long Push 2012. A massive thanks to the ever awesome Rachael and of course to Thom. Please go check out his other work at ThomBleasdale.com 

Continuing back in time (if that's possible?), in the first week after the fall, I couldn't skate hardly at all. It was hard enough staying on my feet at work all day. But, a positive emerged, despite the odds. For ages my friend Trev who's a great photographer and myself have been hoping for our schedules to match and the the sunset to be great, for us to do photo shoot down at Southport seafront. Well, on Tuesday 7nd August all fell into place, so I met Trev and his girlfriend Abi (also a trained photographer) down near Marine Way Bridge. Trev and Abi took some fantastic photos. Here are just 4 of Trevs. The sunset one above here is from the same session.

Part of my Marine Lake training circuit. Photo by Trev Wells

Southport sea wall. Photo: Trev Wells

Orangatangs in the sunset. Photo: Trev Wells

 

 

 

 

Under the boardwalk. Photo: Trev Wells

To view more go and check the gallery on Facebook here. The Long Push 2012 - Southport Seafront Photo Shoot

Abi's photos are going to be getting their own gallery there soon too. Massive thanks to both of them for taking some fantastic photos. Trev may now be joining me on The Long Push on bike support/documentary photographer/filming duty. More about this as plans develop.

Finally, I have to thanks Ms. Eva Bolshaw and the SOUTHPORT LIONS CLUB, who made a very generous donation of £100 to The Long Push charity fund at the beginning of August. The Southport Lions Club are men and women who volunteer their time to try to make life better for others. The Lions have no religious, political or social affiliation. The only qualifications for membership are a willingness to do whatever they can, and a desire to live up to the Lions motto "We Serve."

Thank you so much Ms. Bolshaw to you and all your members. Find out more about Southport Lions Club here.

OK, time is getting tight to get stuff done. Tomorrow (Wednesday 22nd August) we have another Long Push 2012 fundraiser, and I'm still getting a presentation board finished at 10.50pm. Best crack on.

Chris