Ventured out this evening for 44 minutes encouraging minutes. After my patchy late summer/autumn, a fourth run in 4 days was always going to be testing, and yes, it was a struggle towards the end. I even walked briefly once or twice. But overall, I was happy: for the first half of the run, I could feel some strength returning.
Have I ever talked about “bounce”? It’s something I’m often aware of when I’m out. When things are going badly, it’s like driving with a flat tyre, or running in very old, worn shoes. It’s a drag; it’s a grind. When the going is good, you have an extra element to help you along. You seem to be bouncing, the way you feel when you’re wearing brand new shoes, or running on springy moorland turf. No, this isn’t what I felt this evening — far from it. But I was conscious of the faintest of stirrings. A few more runs and I should be feeling it more clearly.
Talking of bounce, this battle has many fronts. Speed, strength, distance, injury worry… and weight. Weight is the keystone in all this. As I mentioned a few weeks ago, I’m not planning on getting weight-obsessed, and I’ve reduced my weighings to once a week at most, but I also know that it’s the quickest short cut to running better and feeling good about it all again. This evening I could feel that great blubbery, yuk-filled balloon bouncing up and down in front of me as I plodded ever onwards. If I were to suddenly stop, I thought this evening, my belly would probably continue its forward course for about 5 feet, before snapping back to propel me backwards into a puddle or soggy hedge. It could be dangerous. I need to talk to check my household insurance and see if I’m protected from such a calamity.
Another pressing need is to make decisions about the new year and spring. Almeria Half? Paris, Zurich Marathons? The Thames Meander? Compton Challenge? Ridgeway 40? Dartmoor 32? All these events have winked at me at some point over the past few weeks. Some continue to do so. Now that we’re in FLM-rejection season, races like Paris start to fill up, so I can’t delay a decision much longer.
