It has been two weeks since the platelet injection and the hamstring tendon feels about 80% better then before. I have been patient and did not do too much to aggravate it: walking swimming, postural activation and eccentric loading exercises. Last Saturday I walked Bundeena to Marley and back, about 15km. It was glorious to revisit the Royal National Park but a bit sad not be running the Otford to Bundeena run, which the Hammer did in a blisterring 3:45. But I am still very pleased to be out and moving, enjoying this magnificent landscape.
Last Sunday I walked 20km to Church Point through Kurringai National Park - simply stunning. But walking is tough, I started getting blisters on the balls of my feet.
Today I walked 15 km to Long Reef, running 500m every 2km. The air was so muggy you could smell the seaweed on the breeze. Each breath was like a sip of dashi stock. Yum...
The legs feel fine - and I am keen to end my pedestrian ways and get back to running and feeling fit. I just have to get the go ahead from the doc. The postural activation work has changed the way my body moves and I feel like I will need to relearn how to run. Or it could just be the lack of fitness?
What to do? After 3 months off from regular running my hamstring is still painful - a pain in the bum. Not after a run but after sitting especially a day in the office followed by the drive home – crippling. But strangely, the doc advised NO RUNNING or any other weight bearing exercises due to hamstring tendinosis – degeneration of the hamstring tendon - which I have had for some time - but compounded by a tear in the hamstring tendon. I recon the tear was done in late July and I managed to run Trailwalker with it so why stop weight bearing exercises now? So I managed a sneak peak of the Great North Walk 100 mile race by pacing a runner. Sooo great to be back on the trail - running through the night, seeing the sunrise, mist on the water and the mighty Mooney Mooney bridge from another perspective. Magic...but not sure it was wise. Am I being foolish to ignore doctors’ advice? Part of me thinks yes and a part of me tells me to go by how I feel. 
Near the high voltage power lines we took a trail to the north easement road for an out and back 9km detour before rejoining the trail to Wild Dogs. This section was great for running. Sections of the road do not appear to get much traffic and were grassy and soft to run on. At the turnaround point we had a fabulous view out to Lake Burragorang.
We rejoined the route through Medlow Gap and found the turnoff to the Wild Dogs a few hundred metres on. It felt great to run but by lunchtime my glutes were tightening and I needed to stretch out. So The Hammer and I stopped for lunch on Blue Dog Ridge, while Rob ran a further 3 km to the junction of the Cox's River and Breakfast Creek to meet up with friends coming out from Kanangra.
We rejoined and turned around here and ran/walked back along Mt Debert back up Tarros ladder. My legs were still jelly ascending the ladder although going up was easier then coming down. I was feeling good to run again so we ran quite a bit of the flat sections of the return leg. For the last 10km from Tarros Ladder to the gate, where we were parked, it started to rain, it was getting dark and we had run out of water. So a shuffling run walk to the end and blessed relief to get to the car. The section from the observation tower to the car seemed to take forever - it was only 7km. 
Despite the late rain and the cold, I am in love with the landscape and the name – Wild Dog Mountains. It is an incredible time of the year to visit the mountains - the wildflowers are absolutely stunning. We only saw one other person in the 12 hours it took to do the trail. And the running body is feeling fine. Now I just need to commit to another running goal!
Starting at the back meant that we had to weave around hundreds of walkers with sticks. It was probably the most hazardous part of the run. We weaved through and made it through the walkers, to the back of the runners just as I looked up to see the path rise up towards the sky. A late change to the start of the course now included a 140m climb in the first kilometre – that was a surprising and quick heart starter. 
No particular training session just enjoyed being active and outdoors and a chance for quite contemplation. In the afternoon, I attended a final farewell to a family friend who died quite suddenly aged only 46 – a beautiful gentle man who will be sadly missed.
At Cowan we were joined by the fourth member of our Trailwalker team and we continued towards Mt Kurringai. We met at least four other teams enjoying the mornings perfect running conditions. We had a few stumbles and one major fall in our team but managed to get to the end at Mt Kurringai without leaving any skin on the trail. Great run - except for the falls.
I ran one loop of the course finishing 4km in 21.40. This is the first time I have pulled out of a race. I realised that I was foolish to have been talked into starting at all - not having done much in preparation and racing against serious cross country racers.
The run follows the waters edge through Pyrmont then deviates through the city to Rushcutters Bay then along the harbourside through the Botanical Gardens back to the Harbour Bridge. It is so nice to be back home, running and to see the familiar landmarks. It rained a bit through the run and it was a bit cold at the end. I ran comfortably at an easy pace until the last few kilometres where my lack of fitness really showed - finishing the 20km in exactly 2 hours. 
The wear and tear on my body from the 800km walk had healed, but it was less than 30 hours since I got off the plane home and almost no running for 2 months since the marathon. I thought I would run as far as I could and I knew I could easily walk if I could not run. But I forgot that Trailwaker is a team event and unlike other training runs where you could easily be left behind, members of the team on Monday insisted on staying with me while I crawled my way home to the finish. And I am not even on their team! 
Breathing in the cold air at the start of the run felt like swallowing razorblades. Once I adjusted to the temperature I felt fine running until the first check point - we had taken a wrong turn early on an added a few extra kilometres to the section - so after 17 km on trails, hitting the road to get to the checkpoint I felt like my legs were made of lead and were very hard to lift. I was feeling light headed and a bit spaced out. I was going to the get the bus from Cowan to Berowra but after drinking some water and eating half a gel I felt better and was convinced to carry on. On the way to Berowra Waters I took a tumble and fell forward onto a smooth rock which grazed my arm and left knee. Luckily not a bad fall and I kept going. After the next uphill section my legs started to cramp which reduced me to walking. This eased the cramps and I could run/walk. I took the rest of the gel at Berowra Waters and waves of nausea which I had since Cowan got more intense. I shuffled to the end in 5hrs45minutes thanks to the team for staying with me to the end.
I ran along the left bank, past the Musee d'Orsay and the Assembly National where the flags were flying at half mast to honour the passengers who died on the Air France plane crash. Passed a few other early morning runners - even collected a Bonjour - that put a smile on my face. Who said the French were rude. Ran back under the Eiffel Tower past the Ecole Militaire and the Invalides then along Rue de Babylon back to the hotel. The area under the Eiffel Tower was earily quite - the soldiers with machine guns and a few other joggers were the only people I saw. Such a contrast to what the area looked a like a few hours later. Still have to pinch myself - it all seems so unreal.
It is the first time I have seen the Garden empty, except for others runners. The light was so brilliant - I kept stopping to take pictures. 
There is a 10km race along the Paseo del Prado at the end of the month but sadly I will not be in Madrid then.
For me the walk is now finally over. 
Hope to go for a run soon. I will stop in Finsterra for a few days to rest and recover then back to Santiago to become "The Flaneur" again for the next few weeks.
Got my certificate of completion and went to the Pilgrims mass at lunch. 
Santiago de Compostela is a beautiful old city with lots of small streets meandering in all directions. The Cathedral was hard to find as it is not built on high ground, like in other cities. I kept getting lost as the Cathedral spires are not at all prominent. 
It added to a strange feeling of sadness, loss and dislocation that has come over me this afternoon. Feel that something is missing.
Had originally planned a shorter day walking but after turning off where I was supposed to be staying and not finding the Alburgue I decided to try going all the way to the entry to Santiago, leaving just a short stroll downtown in the morning to the Cathedral to finish. 
The morning walking was pretty much the same as yesterday, mainly small dairy farms. In the afternoon I walked a few hours with people I had met previously. The heat was almost too strong for walking after lunch. I am beginning to understand why the Spanish have the siesta. The last 15km I walked on my own untill reaching San Marcos at 7 pm. San Marcos is the last village before arriving in Santiago. The afternoon walking was quite surreal it was all mainly through dense Eucalypt forest. 
I felt like I was going home. I had to keep remind myself that I was still in Spain. The smell, the russle of the wind in the trees, the leaves underfoot were all so familar after weeks of flora that was so different. One section reminded me of the Six Foot Track - I though I was dreaming. 
Oh it would be so - so delicious to ditch the pack and go for a run but I think I need new legs and feet at the moment as well. My left knee is held together by sticky tape and Voltarin. But remarkably I found the walk not that hard, although towards the end I did start to think it was never ending.
The countryside I walked though today was very similar to yesterday. Many small dairy farming villages with cows stopping to give me stare as I passed. 
The other notable feature of the walk today was the appearance of Eucalyptus trees which I guess were introduce from Australia. 
Seemed strange after the last few weeks of walking to see familiar vegetation - made me more than a little homesick. After lunch the temperature was noticably higher then yesterday afternoon. It felt almost summery. 
I could walk in only 2 layers of clothing instead of the 4 or 5 I have been in up to now. But of course for the Europeans it was positively tropical. Arrived in Melida which was my destination for the day - a small town with lost of peole out and about enjoying the late afternoon spring sunshine.
Today I walked along quite country lanes passing through numerous small vilages, on a perfect spring day.
Cool in the morning and glorious sunshine through the rest of the day. Walking most of the way throughy villages supporting small family farms, mainly dairy. 
Cows and their by-product were everywhere. I imagined myself being able to live this country life but without the cows. Just as I was thinking this I walked through Montras which was just that. The most stylish village cafe I have seen on the Camino was also one of the few buildings in this village. Stopped for coffee and almost stayed for lunch. But instead stopped for lunch in Portomarin. 
The town was very tidy which is not surprising since it was rebuilt when the dam built in 1956 flooded the original town. Gonzar was as far as I made it today, had plans to go further. Gonzar is very very small and has a faint aroma of its main inhabitants - cows.
Even though it was raining, it was not cold at all and was quite pleasant walking. I chose the walk to Sarria through Samos partly to see the Benedictine monastery there and partly to avoid walking along the highway. The monastery is huge and quite well preserved and the town would be nice to visit by car. 
The walking today was almost entirely through lush green countryside. The wet climate is evident by the ferns growing all along the path. 
I got chased by a sheep dog who did not like me getting to close to his sheep and the baby goats. 
There is 112 km to to Santiago and this afternoon I was getting excited by the prospect of maybe another 3-4 days walking and I will be in finished. As I was heading out for a walk after dinner I slippped on the stairs and twisted my ankle. I could not believe that I could be so close and yet may not be able to finish. I got the ankle taped and took Voltaren and laughed at the absurdity of it all.