The Loss

I loved writing a training diary, but I forgot. I loved writing it, but my regret was not capturing what I missed. The last entry on the paper diary I have is Tuesday 9th March 2020. That run didn’t go well. Shortly after that, and I remember it vividly, I was doing a 20 mile run after work on Friday when I got an email from the Manchester Marathon organizers to say that it had been cancelled.

Covid-19.

Then on the Saturday I ran in a cross country race at Lampton estate. I ran ok, not great, but OK. But then I got a bad cold, which went to my chest, and there it stuck. Waited two weeks, doctors, I was told to wait two weeks, booked an appointment two weeks ahead, dcotors, antibiotics. A week later it was gone, not all gone, but gone. And along with it any fitness I had. Starting again was like starting from the beginning. Slow and steady.

But now is a new start:

Monday 19th October – Rest.

Tuesday 20th October – Harriers 2 x 4 x 200m with 200m walk rest. Reps at mile pace, so the program said. Warm up was 4 laps, then A skips, flutter kicks, fast feet, high knees, 8 squats. Session went well, and I finished thinking I could have done more, which is good.

Wednesday 21st October – 5k easy. Hamstrings and calves (calfs?) sore from yesterdays session.

Thursday 22nd October 12k easy. Pace was OK, but I felt a bit flat. I ran along a muddy lane near home and it was suitably muddy. Roll on winter. Intriguingly someone in a car stopped and asked me ‘if I was a local’, following confirmation I had a discussion about drainage in a field he was thinking of renting. #rural

Friday 23rd October – 15k with 3 x 2 miles. Since lockdown began, I’ve been doing virtual challenges with Greener Miles Running. Each one was a team challenge with a different theme each week; most ascent, furthest, longest and so on. This weeks one was supposed to be virtual cross country. The actual cross country races aren’t on, so this was supposed to be 6 miles, comprised of 3 laps off road. Our course was in Slaley forest. After a warm up, I did my three reps as laps with a rest in between. Pace was 4:29/km, 4:36/km, 4:39/km. The forest was lovely, I was less so. I felt heavy and slow. Calf muscles were complaining too.

Saturday 24th October- Rest

Sunday 25th October – Away on holiday so squeezed in 5k in the pitch dark.