Back on the road

One thing I didn't mention in my Friday blog entry was what happened next ... while cleaning the bath later that morning I hurt my back! Not agony, but enough pain that I couldn't physically stand up straight. This happened to me once before, a year or two ago, and took a week or so (if not more) before everything was back OK again.

This weekend's plan, originally for Saturday and Sunday, was to run two consecutive 2 hour runs. Straight away this was postponed to Sunday and Monday, but all depended on my back.

Saturday it was still giving me a little bit of trouble, but come Sunday (Easter Sunday) all seemed just about OK. I stocked up on painkillers morning and afternoon just in case, and after checking in with my trainer, decided on a 75 minute run today instead, hoping my back would hold and not relapse into pain.

I decided on two of the 3.5 mile laps round the ring road and Launton road, planning to total 7 miles. As it happens, there were no repercussions on my back at all, and the run passed without incident. I tried to keep to even pace, but ended up doing the laps in 38 and 40 minutes respectively, so doing the full run in approximate 11 minute mile pace. The only thing I had to fight was apathy, as I really felt like stopping after the first lap, but there was no physical reason for me to do that.

But the second lap felt easier than the first and this hurdle was successfully negotiated. As we start the taper, I notice a lot of fellow London runners are getting to the similar stage, nursing niggles and really now just waiting for the main day. And indeed, just two weeks from now, it will all be over. Gulp!