The Road Back · Post 8
Mr. Stork, Back on the Tarmac
Five weeks after Day Zero, I got to return a favour. On 16 September I got Lee Stork, Mr. Stork, back out on the tarmac for his first run back.
We ran 5.46 miles from Bridport down to West Bay and back, at 11:35 a mile. It was a steady, talking pace, which was exactly the point. The miles were only half of it. We had a proper good chat the whole way round.
Well done mate. Great first one back.
A month ago other people were getting me out of the door. Now I’m the one doing the knocking. That’s what Thinking Out Loud is about, and it’s a big part of why this challenge matters to me. Running is better with company, and so is getting back on your feet.
Even at a chatting pace, Strava threw up a couple of surprises: second-best times on both the South Walk Climb and the Hump to Fire Station segments. Not bad for two blokes on a comeback.
And the best bit? Lee is going to run a leg of The Long Road Back with us. Mr. Stork is officially on the team.
There’s news on the rattle too. After four weeks of shifting fluid, my consultant suggested cutting the Furosemide from two a day to one. He told me about a weaning plan one of his patients followed, which he now uses as the standard for relapses like mine. So that’s one tablet down. Fourteen a day becomes thirteen, and the scales say 94kg. That’s 13kg gone since Day Zero.
The Road Back — Stats
Weight
94kg
Down from 95 on 6 Sep
Lost so far
13kg
From 107kg start
Today’s run
5.46mi
11:35/mi · 1:03:15 · with Lee
Longest run
7.75mi
With Andy · 6 Sep
Road Back day
35
Five weeks
To Paris
350+mi
April 2028
Tablets a day
13
Down from 14 · 8 of them steroids
Treatment — the daily rattle
- Prednisolone — 8 × 5mg a day (40mg) · steroid, repairing the immediate kidney issue
- Furosemide — now 1 × 40mg a day · to release the water · cut from 2 after four weeks, on my consultant’s advice
- Ramipril — 1 × 2.5mg · blood pressure
- Atorvastatin — 1 × 40mg · cholesterol
- Famotidine — 1 × 20mg · protects the stomach while on steroids
- Adcal-D3 — 1 × 750mg · calcium & vitamin D, protects the bones while on steroids
- Rituximab — IV infusions · the long-term repair · infusions complete (final one 4 Sep 2026)
The combination stays until everything heals. The steroids get weaned off, one tablet at a time, once the urine test sticks come back clear.
Every figure is real and dated. Early weight loss is fluid shifted with medication — the rest is earned on the road.
One back on the road. Plenty more to go.
— James