June in tune ... soon

[Mid Life Crisis Marathon Man]

My promised weekend long run did not eventuate I'm sad to say. The usual suspect excuses have all been rounded up and a line ruled under the May running log. It was not quite as stunning a running month as I had planned, but it was respectable enough, and a good half marathon race thrown in there as well for good measure with another medal to hang on the man-cave wall.

June's first run was another of the 04:30 hill reps (that's 4:30 in the morning, not 4:30 pace I hasten to add!) - just 5km, but an honest workout, and really not a bad way to start the day. Some semblance of winter has finally hit, with cooler, wetter weather closing in. Conditions were not unpleasant for a jog though, and the rain held off long enough for me to complete my four reps of my two-hill circuit. These hills no longer seem particularly testing, and the rational part of my running brain says I should seek out some harder ones, while the humanitarian, and I think smarter part of the noggin says not to be such a fecking idiot.

Whatever the outcome of that intra-cranial battle, these are still worthwhile outings, and will need to continue through the winter.

But I really need to fire up the long weekend run again, too.

[Mid Life Crisis Marathon Man]

I've been having trouble getting back to a running routine, thanks mainly to a return bout of fairly debilitating insomnia which has required professional help. The good news is that I have finally slept well for the last four nights, and rather than run again, have taken the opportunity to sleep in luxuriously before getting up and rushing off to work.

The other good news is that I'm off to the mountains tomorrow for five days of reading, shuffling about without a care in the world and generally slobbing around. I will however take the opportunity to get some mountain air into my lungs with a small handful of easy(ish) runs.

From there, proper, full training should once again be just around the corner.

Here's hoping, anyhow.

[Charliecat5]

I will however take the opportunity to get some mountain air into my lungs with a small handful of easy(ish) runs.

I like the sound of some mountain air and a handful of easy(ish) runs. Must make plans for Cumbria this summer.

[suzieq]

Enjoy the mountain air and the freedom of having nothing to do for five whole days! Makes whatever you do so much more enjoyable.

[Mid Life Crisis Marathon Man]

Well five days in the mountains has done a lot to clear my head and recharge the batteries somewhat. However ... not a single step was run. In one sense this was deliberate although I did take my running gear with me. Mrs MLCMM even put me to shame somewhat by doing my runs for me ... truly! She trotted out a couple of nice 7km runs in sub-zero temperatures, which in my books makes her a serious runner, although she's still a long way from admitting as much.

Anyway, for me the freedom from pressures of the training schedule was helpful, albeit with that nagging little thought about a September marathon tucked away in the back of my mind next to Timeline Department containing the internal clock and alarm bells.

At this stage of proceedings however the priority is to get my sanity back to full bottle, all hands on deck, top-notch, fully-engaged mode. A dose of clean mountain air and little-to-no pressure to do anything other than keep the log fire stoked and to relax with a decent book has helped enormously.

Now I'm back to work and hopefully some semblance of a normal routine. Which will of course include a little light jogging.

And the first big bonus of the return to normality - I arrived at work today to find my boss, his boss and his boss as well (all three of which have conspired to make life miserable these past two years) all interstate for a few days and therefore off my radar. Bonus!

[Mid Life Crisis Marathon Man]

It has been a very messy last couple of weeks in terms of running, work and health, but today was a great opportunity to get things back on track so I headed out for a gentle plod and covered 8km in reasonable fashion. Hardly where I wanted to be at this stage in terms of marathon preparation, but life is like that sometimes.

The run itself was better than I feared, with leg strength still good, pace better than expected, and only my aerobic fitness somewhat down in the dumps, but that should pick up fairly quickly.

Hopefully more positive news will be forthcoming soon. Feeling very hopeful, or that might just be the endorphins. We'll see soon enough!

[Mid Life Crisis Marathon Man]

Update: not running much - just twice in two weeks. I'm still being used as a political football by two teams - one of managers from work who see me as nothing but trouble, and one of medicos assessing my current status and writing carefully-worded reports. It's enough to make you ... sick.

At least we have the World Cup, Wimbledon, Tour de France and Commonwealth Games to keep me sane.