7/3/16 – Take it Easy

For the first time since our training started in earnest, our weekly long run mileage plan dropped down: from 15 miles to just 6 miles (or 10k). This seemed a little bit too much of backward step to me.

With a jump back to 18 miles next Sunday and with the excesses of my birthday still lingering, I had a plan to keep the intensity of midweek training sessions high following Tuesday’s rest day. There wouldn’t be much chance to train at the weekend, due to another trip, so I was keen to put a shift in. Like most of my best laid plans, it didn’t quite work out as planned.

We got back from the frozen Norf at 4am on Wednesday, but I still hoped to get out for a gym and swim session. However during the trip up on Tuesday afternoon, I began to experience some weird sharp pain inside my left abdomen, like a twinge in the kidney. I thought it was maybe indigestion or wind: a side effect of a weekend of rich food and an unaccustomed amount of booze.

Using my tried and trusted method of ‘ignore it and it’ll go away’, I was pretty sure it  would go off eventually and for a while it did, but throughout the evening it would return intermittently. Compared to the massive pain in the arse that Sunderland’s late equaliser proved to be, it was small beer and I thought it would disappear after a night’s, err, morning’s sleep.

It didn’t. As Wesnesday wore on, the pain kept coming and going. I began to feel worse, nauseous and liverish: GSF (General Sh**ty Feeling) as we used to call it at work.  I decided, on balance, not to risk a exercise session.

On Thursday morning, the pain was still grumbling away as I woke, so I got an emergency Doctor’s appointment and began to imagine the worst about my Marathon place. I decided to walk to the Surgery, to get some exercise at least. However by the time I got there, I was feeling truly dreadful: sweaty and aching. That said, the kidney pain stopped the second the appointment was booked (and as I type hasn’t returned) – bloody typical.

Blood pressure and temperature appeared to be in the normal range and the Doctor felt it was most likely just an small infection. Blood tests were done and I was told that if it showed there was any likelihood of kidney stones, they’d whip me in straight away.  I’m typing this from home, thus no call ever came. I was also sent for an urgent Ultrasound, but that request came with a roll of the eyes from the Receptionist and promise to call if they had a cancellation. A letter turned up a couple of days later with an appointment of 7th April. Sadly, I guess that what passes as urgent in the NHS these days, but I digress…

Other than the mile walk, Thursday was another exercise washout, I couldn’t even bring myself to swing my home weights around. After a sweaty, troubled night sleep I woke on Friday, feeling a bit better. By lunchtime, I decided to accompany Sue on an easy 5K run. It was just what the doctor didn’t order, but a steady trundle round the classic course in 36:00 was just what I needed.

On Saturday, I headed out to Germany with Rob. Not ideal given my health circumstances, but this was a real ‘can’t miss’ game. Thanks to Marc, I was lucky enough to get tickets to Der Klassiker: Borussia Dortmund v Bayern Munich. As well as being my Marathon Guru and one of my best buddies, Marc is a Senior TV Marketeer, who promotes the Bundesliga worldwide. As much as I intended to take it a bit easy, the usual German excesses took place involving a lot of beers and distinctly unhealthy snackage, all compressed into a 24 hour trip as we had to dash back for Palace v Liverpool on Sunday Lunchtime… well, at least the Dortmund game was a wonderful experience.

And so to the 10K run today. After a good night’s rest I was feeling well up for it. It was good to run without gels or a water bottle again and I even dragged on the headphones for a rare outing. After a false start, due to needing a warmer top, I set off at a much brisker pace than recent runs. It was a pace I was largely able to up for the entire route.

My legs and lungs seemed to working efficiently, if curiously independently of each other. When I decided to put on a little spurt – crossing roads and small inclines – my lungs continued their steady unlaboured breathing as my legs moved up a gear. Oh, why can’t running always feel this effortless?

I ran without needing to look at my watch, so was delighted when I clocked in at 1:04:30 for 10K – my fastest non-race time at that distance. However, then Sue went out a couple of hours later on the same course and did her best ever time for a 10K (1:11:21). That’s two PB’s at 5 & 10k in a fortnight for her. As pleased as I was for her, it rather took the gloss off my own strong run.

Looks like I’m going to have to get used to being eclipsed by the missus.