Category: momentum

Wee Cough

So, first it was icy on the pavements. Then it was Christmas. And then I was ill. As a result, it’s now been eight days since I last went for a run. Plus, with the amount I’ve eaten, I’ve probably just about doubled my body weight in the last week…

Bleurgh.

So, is there any good news?

Well, yes. For a start, I’ve got this week off work, so I’ve got a lot of daylight hours I can use to get back into the swing of things. Plus, I finally bought some jogging bottoms today, so I can wear something warmer than my shorts when I finally get back out there!

I don’t know much about running when you’re ill. But I figure after a week off, and not feeling on top form, the best thing is to start off with something easy, to rebuild the momentum. So, I may go out and do a really short run tomorrow — maybe just three or four kilometres, nice and easy.

And that — apart from getting a good night’s sleep tonight, and laying out all my running gear ready for whenever I want to get out of the door — is as far as my cold-addled brain has got so far. More tomorrow. Hopefully.

Interlude

I’ve been at a wedding this weekend. The wedding was on Saturday, but I stayed overnight and came back yesterday. And did nothing, nothing whatsoever.

This wasn’t for the traditional reason, either — I don’t drink, so there was no crippling hangover. It’s because as well as being a guest, I was the wedding photographer. I’ve never done that before. It’s bloody hard work, and also a little stressful, especially if you’re the only one allowed to shoot the ceremony and the bride and groom are friends who’ll be wanting some good pictures.

So, Saturday was a very long day. Then add travel, overconsumption of food, and coffee — stupid boy, not only am I meant to avoid coffee because of a possible ulcer my doctor’s currently investigating, but because I’m avoiding it, it really screws up my sleep when I have it — and Sunday was pretty much a write-off.

And this is the bit where I get to running. According to my schedule, I should have gone out on Saturday. I was planning on running yesterday instead, and didn’t get to it.

I’m going to get out there this evening, but I don’t know how well I’ll do, as I seem to have hurt my leg somewhere along the line, maybe pulled a thigh muscle somehow. Jumping off a higher vantage point I’d climbed up to for a group photo, maybe, or crouching down to get to child’s eye-level.

I always knew there would be some break in the running routine, some unforeseen thing that might cause me a hiccup, though, and I’m prepared to deal with it. Although I was thinking more along the lines of swine flu than weddings and pulled muscles.

So, here’s the plan: put on running gear and get out into the street, prepared to run, every day until I can actually run. If the run turns into a walk around the block, so be it. And if it turns into a C25K run from the week before last, so be it. I’ll start from back there again. The important thing, I reckon, is to keep the momentum up, and give myself the opportunity to get going again, just by doing the easiest bare minimum — dressing up and getting out the front door!