Time Stand Still - Rush

'Moroccan Time Out'

Lyric:- 'I turn my back to the wind, to catch my breath, before I start off again - Peart

Song Choice:- It feels strange choosing a song that's nearly thirty years old to illustrate today's blog about time standing still but the feeling of rebirth and regeneration is so slow in my world, that it does feel like I'm standing still whilst the world around me speeds on past leaving me in its wake.

The shocking thing is that actually I'm speeding along nicely at 0.5mm a day which in neurological terms is the equivalent of racing at the speed of sound. Nearly three weeks into this episode back in hospital, I'm a functioning human being again. One of today' s milestones was being strong enough to press my deodorant with my finger to spray rather than the flat of my hand. It might sound like nothing to you but finger strength is something that I've lost along with, of course, my ability to walk...

Right now, I'm just like my son Jack was a few months ago standing - I can stand, holding on and wobbling before quickly sitting down to avoid a fall. Luckily for Jack, his motor-nerves work perfectly. Mine are still getting up to speed again and on my first time of standing, the head-rush of blood and vertigo of being 6ft tall again was most weird. It was a real ‘wooaaahh’ moment.

A week on and it's not weird anymore. I've moved on, well 3mm anyway to be exact and my major effort today has been put into trying to stop my hyper-elastic knees, hyper-extending when taking a few steps with a frame, ouch! They'd better soon co-operate, otherwise my cruciate ligaments are going to start squealing. I'm also rebuilding my quad and calf muscles by cycling which is now a daily routine… 

Watch out Sir Bradley!

In fact, there's now a lot of physical activity in my world again; this time in short sharp bursts followed by lots of rest and as much protein as I can absorb to help the recovery. I needed more than a good forty-winks after cycling six miles this morning!

There's a lot of mental activity too as I'm editing my book and reliving my early running adventures, which is great for the soul. If I apply myself to getting well again as I did in my early years of running, I'll get there eventually. I can't be more focused right now and my concentration is in full 'Coleman Overdrive'.

I'm lucky now to 'Stand Still' and in 'Time' will be making each sensation a little bit stronger just as Peart's lyrics say.

That's the beauty of a 'Time Out', even if you haven't chosen it for yourself. It makes you appreciate the things you take for granted, especially if it's just a simple aerosol squirt using your finger.

Is your 'Time Standing Still?'

Rory Coleman
976 Marathons, 241 Ultras, 13 Marathon des Sables, 9 Guinness World Records

PS - There's still no Baby yet :-)