A week of two halves

The first few days of last week were overtaken with work and an insatiable appetite; the runger just took over post Ashby 20 and I had a horrible cold as well which didn't help. I had intended to run whilst away in Notts and even to run with a different running club on Tuesday but I just felt awful so I rested for most of the week. I was looking forward to getting a sports massage on Thursday but ended up not being able to get back from a conference on time. Work's been going well and is my priority right now but I couldn't help feeling frustrated that my training and the other important stuff like diet, massage and rest were taking a bit of a hit. I've written before about how much habit and consistency are key to fitness and health and it's so easy to lose a few days, which turns into a few weeks. It was the last week of Jantastic too and I knew I was going to have to play a joker; not the planned "finishing strong" I'd hoped for!

By Friday I started to feel a bit better and decided to have a little run on Friday evening to see how the legs were feeling before Saturday's Road Relays. Occasionally I am reminded of my love for running, pure and simple, and Friday was one such occasion. It was a slow four miles, with my knee feeling sore to begin with but soon relaxing, and I loved it...  My mood lifted and I slept better on Friday than I had all week and was looking forward to the relays on Saturday.

After a panicky realisation that because of missing so many runs in the week I hadn't washed my club vest (managed to get it through the express wash & dry cycle just in time!) I headed to Sutton Park on the train with my club-mates. We were somewhat depleted, with injuries, house moves and holidays reducing our numbers until we ended up with one full team and a B team (which I was in) of just five (instead of six) members. It was the usual slightly hideous running experience; I was glad to set off first leg and get it over with, but I always feel like my self-esteem takes a bit of a battering at these events. I half-joke that they make me feel old, fat and slow; but there's a hint of truth in it. Fortunately the team spirit, cheering other members of the team on and the cake afterwards more than make up for it. I was a bit disappointed with my time of 25:34 over approximately 5k; but it is a tough course and it was difficult, once we were all spread out, to get that race mindset. 

I'd got 17 miles down for my last long run of Jantastic, but decided to just do a 15 miler, being as I was still shaking off the cold and my knee was continuing to gripe a bit. The clocks changed on Sunday so we set out at 9 instead of the usual 8:30. I had a lot to do for the rest of the day so it was good to get it done and to enjoy a chat with everyone else who was out - I saw so many team mates out running along the canal... Everyone coming to the end of the serious training, ready to start their tapers. It was good to finish the week in better form than I had started it!