Week 14: Still injured. Had a few races though, testing the water and that. Every run these days is a mental battle – will I make it back in one piece or will explorers find my body curled up in a glacier at the coming of the second Ice Age (it’s on its way!!) in 1000 years time? Stranger things have happened.

Anyway these races haven’t gone the best, I’m getting beaten by the people I used to beat and I’m not even close to those that I used to be up there mixing it with. After much thought I’ve deduced a couple of reasons why this might be; allow me to list them for you:

1. Injury. Kinda gets in the way of things.
2. Lack of training. Linked to the above. Training does lots of things mentally, physiologically etc but essentially, the more you do it, the better/faster you get. Like sex (?).
3. Other people have been both uninjured and training whilst I haven’t been quid pro quo they get faster/better as I get slower/more shit.
4. The humidity levels yesterday were 67%. I run best when it’s at 61%.
5. Wind was in my face. My eyes water going downhill when this is the case. Have you ever tried running downhill with your eyes shut?!
6. I couldn’t get enough oxygen to my muscles. Nice one muscles!!
7. I almost completed a crossword that morning. I had used up all my “good ju-ju” before the race. The writing was on the wall.
8. Scrambled eggs and tea before? Still not sure on this one.
9. Porridge and tea before? See above.
10. No tea before?……………definitely not that.
11. Just tea before?
12. Lacing system used on shoes. I opt for the ‘standard’ “left-right” lacing method. I’ve noticed others using the “lock” lacing style….I once even saw some “supernova” system going on. Mad!
13. I saw two magpies both facing left on the drive in but then one hooded crow perched on a birch tree and a water-vole going right to left in front of me. Nothing remiss here right? No, wrong. Had the hooded crow been on a silver-birch then yeah, fine, but when you put a hooded crow on a birch immediately followed by a water-vole right-to-lefting you all preceded by magpies facing left then you know something bad will happen. Now then, had it been one magpie facing right, the other facing left you’d maybe, maybe get away with it, for like an hour or so, two at a push but nah, nah, nah I should have just swing the whip around and gone back to bed.
14. I only ran so I could enjoy the scenery.
15. My shorts were too long. I’m toying with the idea of getting some ‘splits’ and have been for some time.
16. I may or may not have left the slide door on my van unlocked.
17. I really needed a piss.
18. Both laces came undone. See No.12.
19. I may have gone the wrong way.
20. I had breakfast too early….it was neither scrambled egg or porridge……though there was a cup of tea thrown in the mix.
21. When the sun comes out I feel happy. I forget that I want to win and so don’t try hard enough. When the sun goes behind a cloud I realise where I am and by then it’s too late. Lesson learnt: always race when it’s sunny and never any other time. Ever.
22. I get too hot when it’s sunny and can’t cool down enough.
23. It’s a lot easier to write about running than to actually run. I’ll probably just stick to that now.
24. Some Carnethy guy won. The race therefore was a metaphor for small, independent businesses taking on huge corporations a.k.a ‘The Man’. ‘The Man’ will beat you, crushing you into obscurity in the pursuit of capitalist endeavours……..this time.

A-boooo-a-hoooo

So yeah, that’s a couple of points that I need to work on and remember for next time.