Another lesson learned

OK, I have spent the last week anticipating the arrival of something horrible that would make me look as awful as Mr Motivator has been looking of late, on Friday I thought it had arrived and gave myself the day off training.  On Saturday I assumed the worst was over and prepared for my 10 miles on Sunday.

We had a stroke of luck when Michelle offered us Malcolm's bike for Andrew to use, not only do the gears and brakes work, the tyres have air in them and the seat is considerably more comfortable!.  It's also quite nice that Malcolm is kind of involved now, helping!. The only problem was that the old bike required so much effort to get moving that he vastly underestimated the clothing required to ride this hugely superior machine. It wasn't until we were almost home and I glanced across at him and saw he was grey and shivering that I realised the sacrifice he had made for me.

I have to say that 10 miles is an incredibly long way, it's more than 1/3rd of the way but still there is so far to go.  I ran up roads I have never seen before and up and down gradients I had no idea existed in Norfolk.  There was a feeling as I ran that having already done 8 miles the only miles that would really count were the last 2.  They were also the most agony.  It was no longer about breathing or about 'will', it was only about pain. You see the constant pounding of your foot on the road begins to send shock waves up your legs every time your foot hits the floor, it shoots through your heal, into your ankle and then explodes around your knee and then continues up into your hip each time you land.  I tried to bounce less but take longer strides, I tried to bend more in an effort to absorb the shock, in the end I looked like Michael McIntyre in his 'getting off the bus with pins and needles' sketch.  I was searching the road ahead of me for the flat bits, free of stones or twigs.

Eventually and miraculously we made it home, we'de been gone nearly 2 and a quarter hours, the same time it would have taken Paula Radcliffe to run a complete marathon.  It was then that I made a dreadful mistake - I got into a very hot bath, lovely at the time but boy, did I regret it later.  I felt so sick and had to spend the rest of the day horizontal on the sofa any thoughts of  tackling the ironing or cooking dinner forgotten, poor Mr Motivator, who did in the end thaw out, had to do dinner, light the fire and bring me water which for a long time was the only thing I could keep down.

I have managed today to do a very difficult 2 miles at lunch time and I've gone back to the bag to the frozen peas and ibuprofen in an effort to get ready for a half marathon next Sunday - that will be what? 13 miles and a few yards??.  The next weekend we have our first 'race' although I'm not racing anyone, I'm only going to get used to the gun!.