Missed my long midweek run again yesterday. It was M’s birthday, so we went out to a posh eatery called L’Ortolan near Reading. Disappointing. At least the cheese course was interesting.
Tonight I went out for 50 minutes or so. I’m struggling to find good routes I can run at night. Most of the roads around here have no pavements, which isn’t too safe in the dark. The canal is refreshingly traffic-free, but too dark without a torch. The A4 does have a narrow pavement but is horribly noisy and fast.
I ended up running around the local high-tech business park. This is another strange other-world. Vast modern glass warehouses and offices, brightly lit, and with barely a human in sight. Slightly eerie, like some sci-fi film set.
Again, not a great run; I’m still looking to rediscover the ‘bounce’ that I had a few weeks ago. It’s hard work and it feels a bit of a chore, frankly. Time is slipping away, but I need to keep searching for that vitality and enthusiasm. Without it in Chicago, it’s going to be very difficult.
Work is supressing my spirit at the moment. We’re under pressure, and it isn’t easy to get focussed on preparing for the marathon. It’s ironic really: training should be a release, a de-stressing treatment, but sometimes it just seems to wind up the tension and the pressure even more.
