Month: March 2003

Yesterday I put my calf to the test with an early morning three miler. It failed. The first mile I felt nothing, and was beginning to feel smug. But then mile two exposed a twinge, and mile three turned the twinge into an ache. It was bad enough to make my 300 yard warm-down walk quite a painful affair. It’s a little depressing, but I have to be glad that I’ve no races coming up.… READ MORE.... …

This barren running period continues, but I feel OK about it. The strained calf means an unscheduled rest, that’s all, and I’ll be better and stronger for it. I’ve been miraculously lucky with injuries considering how fat and old I am, especially as I never do any stretching and eat all the wrong foods and spend a lot of time in the pub.… READ MORE.... …

I decided to give my calf another day of rest even though I’ve not felt a twinge for a couple of days now. Tomorrow I really must give it a test. Resting is good, but there’s always the fear that a rest might turn into an extended lay-off. It’s still uncertain what the next race will be. I’ll be doing nothing this weekend, but there are a couple of 10Ks on the following two Sundays that appeal.… READ MORE.... …

No run today, but does anyone really care at the moment? Certainly I don’t. Instead, I sat watching our slide into World War Three. Oh Tony. What a wasted talent you became. Such a nice boy, until you started hanging around with Idiot George, the bully from the other side of the lake. That Bush family are a bad lot. Too late, too late.… READ MORE.... …

When I left the house for a brisk 3 miler this morning, I wasn’t sure if I’d be going to Bath tomorrow. By the time I returned I’d decided not to run. I did get through the three miles without hobbling, but towards the end I could feel my right calf tightening and beginning to panic. I wouldn’t make it through thirteen miles.… READ MORE.... …

The calf is still whining a little, so no run again today. I’d say I’m fifty-fifty for Bath in two days time. I suspect I could run two or three miles with no problem, but thirteen? I don’t know. Tomorrow I’ll have a brief plod, and see how it feels. If it’s worse, I’m out of the race. … READ MORE.... …

Hurrah! Something great has happened! I’ve got an injury at last! I’ve often thought that I should have more injuries. I’m overweight, I never stretch or have massages or do warm-ups or warm-downs. I’ve run two marathons and 5 half marathons without training properly. And yet I never get injured. I’ve been feeling quite inadequate. Equally, a few weeks ago I had a bad cold, much to my relief.… READ MORE.... …

Running a race is an emotional experience. After finishing Reading and collecting my medal, I tottered into the sports hall and found a line of deep, soft sofas. I sank, almost orgasmically, into one of these things, and glugged a bottle of water. I was in some kind of a trance. I remember, vividly, the sensation of floating through the air, above a rather drab looking town.… READ MORE.... …

A bittersweet sort of a day. I drove into Reading, and parked on a Caversham sidestreet, 12 minutes and 33 seconds walk from the start line. This is the sort of statistic that comes easily to the chap who wears a stopwatch. Unlike last year, there was not a massive, stressed-out crowd of people trying to deposit their bags simultaneously. They got it right this year.… READ MORE.... …

24 hours to the Reading Half. This week, I’ve deliberately reduced training to just 2 short runs, in the hope of conserving some energy. No doubt some of this excess energy will be seeping away in the garden today. It’s windy, and the rain is about to fall. The turf-cutter has just arrived, and I have a long day of garden reconfiguration ahead.… READ MORE.... …