Tired Legs and Wet Kippers

Ok, I’m not going to beat around the bush but this week has been pretty lousy. I knew getting back into serious training after a fair chunk of ‘play miles’ wasn’t going to be a walk in the park but boy am I tired. Since returning from Nepal at the end of November I have been running everyday but with no real aim, just to get from A to B and a few times a week Ive been doing some fartlek just to pick the old knees up.

I have also returned to doing my old favourite Body Pump classes twice a week. I can be quite lazy and unmotivated to train in the gym so being locked in a studio for an hour gives me no other choice but to lift weights. The classes take place during the lunch hour so it also means I can run in the evening which suits me perfectly.

One of my new years resolutions (not really a fan of resolutions but some things need to change and jan 1st is always a good time to start!) is to get up earlier and get my run done instead of coming down stairs, putting the kettle on and switching on the laptop. I then get sidetracked by work emails and my run slips into the morning/lunchtime. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t lie in bed all morning but I could do with getting a run done before being trapped by the laptop.

So the alarm goes off on Monday morning. Oh lord, its pitch black and the duvet is so warm and snuggly……no I am going to do this. Quick cup of tea and the hound and I are out into the dark trudging the muddy canal path (dog is not impressed…..). I don’t see a single soul apart from the odd snoozing duck. I get in feeling quite pleased with myself, put the coffee pot on and some toast. The day merges into one big stream of emails and firefighting until the hound nudges me again for run time. I look out the window……I realise that I will be running in the muddy dark again. This I know is going to be the running theme for the next few months.

Tues comes and its session time. The coach has set me some hill repeats followed by some tempo. Everything would have gone ok if it hadn’t been for my upset stomach. I wasn’t expecting fireworks for my first proper session but I didn’t expect constant toilet stops. Yes, Bradford on Avon canal path has been throughly composted!

Wednesday was back to my usual easy day of 2 x 1 hour runs. Again dodgy tummy and creaky legs.

Yesterday was particularly rubbish. I had a 90 min progressive run, basically increasing the HR every 30 mins. This would have been pretty straight forward if I had not been running into a gail force wind and driving rain. My legs also felt like they had been swapped in the night with my 94 year old grandma. I really should have done the session in the evening as the weather actually improved but I knew I had too much work to do and wanted to get it out of the way.

I am sure I am not the only one out there struggling to get the training in and stay motivated when its dark and the weather is crappy. I am also sick of being smothered in mud the whole time, my shower is looking more like a rugby team changing room. This time will pass and as the days get longer so will my runs, but for now I shall just give my legs a good talking too and slap myself around the face with a wet kipper!