Week 14

[Antonio247]

Saturday 24th January 2004. Unfortunately, on Thursday I didn´t go for a run because I didn´t feel well. I had a general discomfort with a little cold and a sore throat. I thought it could be worse if I went out to train. However, I went to my physiotherapist to have a discharge muscle for Almería half marathon next Sunday. I went to Paco Rueda, who was a pupil of mine several years ago and who is also a triathlete. I felt all right after the massage. He advised me to go for a soft run that day and on Saturday I could do 20-25 minutes and a few progressive strides followed by some stretching.
Although I still don´t feel well, I went for s short run this morning. I went to Avenida del Mediterráneo where the half marathon starts to get some fruit and vegetables at a street market that is there every Saturday and then I went for a slow run along a ground path where I met some dogs that were barking but as the Spanish proverb says “Perro ladrador, poco mordedor”, which could be translated freely into English as “ A dog that barks a lot, doesn´t bite at all”, I went on that “cortijo” ( Andalusian farm ) and went into a nearly empty road, then I followed another ground path I´d never been to and went back to the place where I had left my car. In all, I did 30 minutes and around 4 kilometres. Then, I did some stretching.

This afternoon. I´ll go to the runners´ fair at the university to collect my race number. I´ll go with Manuel, a friend of mine who is from Almería but lives in Barcelona. Later, we´ll go to the pasta dinner to get enough starch for tomorrow´s half. Yesterday I met Manuel in Almería where we had a drink. In the street, we saw a young man from Berlin who is travelling around Europe and Morocco on bicycle with a sort of windsurf board to carry luggage. Actually, he had just arrived by ferry from Nador, Morocco. I greeted to him because I also used to go on bicycle trips in Spain, Portugal, France, UK and Ireland. He was looking for the youth hostel and he had to repair the towing gadget. We told him the way to the youth hostel and went with him only part of the way because Manuel had to go home to have dinner with his family and I had to take him in my car to his village which is 12 km away from Almería. He told us he started his trip in August and he wants to get to Greece for the Olympic games. My friend told him that he had run Berlin marathon and he said that he had run Athens marathon which Manuel also did four years ago. What a coincidence! I wish I could spend only ten days travelling on bicycle again. It´s so wonderful.