Tortoise then hare

It goes from one extreme to the other.  Last week a 20 mile long slow run, this week a 10k race.  Not sure how this is going to work out because I feel that I've got quite used to the plod and I'm not sure how it will feel to ramp the speed up again.  Er yes I do know how it will feel - bloomin' terrible at the end, it always does! Hah! Anyway, shallow individual that I am, I am only interested in the goodies at the Finish line.  No towel this week I don't suppose.

So the week has been kind of strange.  On Monday I was surprisingly well considering the day before.  Off I trotted to my swimming lesson without a care in the world.  Oh oh! For once our old teacher had stepped in to cover and he decided that the best thing to do was to get us to swim flat out for set periods of time.  400m in our best time, then 2 x 200m holding the pace, then 4 x 100m holding the pace etc. etc. I didn't sign up for that!!! My poor old bod. 20 miles the day before and then expected to whip itself into a frenzy in the pool?  But what could I do?  You'd feel such a fool trying to make excuses "Please Sir may I be excused from the fast stuff - I've got sore legs..." As if.  So basically I just did it.

Cue Tuesday morning and I wake up with a tap for a nose.  Non stop.  Plus headache plus feeling ropey.  Great.  Just what I needed.  My youngest is feeling poorly too.  Quick mental check and I put it down to us both at the cinema on Sat night and catching it from some inconsiderate sneezer.  I drag myself to work but by mid-afternoon I know I'm going downhill fast.  So no Zumba that night.  And I love Zumba! No run either.  Wednesday I decide to laze about in the hope of fending it off.  Youngest is off school with it so we take medicine in tandem and bask around watching TV.  No run again obviously.

But hooray on Thursday.  Feeling a bit better and off for a run with my friend in the sunshine and we manage a magnificent just-short-of ten miles! Which is brilliant and was also really lovely to be out and about in the fresh air.  Plus we tried out the new Shot Bloks with caffeine which worked really well.  So all in all a real feel good day.

And so I'm looking ahead to tomorrow to the Gainsborough 10k.  It feels very strange to realise that if I tacked this run on to the 20 mile last Sunday then that is the marathon distance.  In fact I think I will try and really take note of everything during this race because then when I'm in Paris I will have something to visualise when the going gets tough.

No Union Jack leggings tomorrow though.  I think it's going to be warm so shorts all the way! See if I can get another stripe on my legs.  Already got the watchstrap mark and the vest marks.