Things are getting worse. I set out on my 20 mile run yesterday morning, but decided to stop after less than a mile after an ache appeared in my right calf. It wasn’t a pull, just the start of a pain that I guessed would get worse. Instead of my long run, I pottered in the garden before going to the pub to get drunk and watch Arsenal beat Tottenham to take the Premiership.
What to do? It’s another long run missed, and with three weeks to the big day, I’m now feeling chronically undertrained. I’ve got to stay calm and calculate my best option. It’s out of the question to pull out of the marathon. I stopped yesterday as a precaution – I didn’t want it to become an injury.
A two week taper (rather than the usual three) is called for. But what am I tapering from? I don’t feel I’ve reached any crescendo of effort from which to wind down. My best hope is to have a great training week this week. That will work wonders for my morale. This means runs of 5, 10 and 5 miles midweek, and the missed 20 miler at the weekend.
Today I’ve rested. Early tomorrow, I start again.
