Cautiously optimistic...

The weather today is beautiful! Crisp, blue skies, with no breeze. Yes, it is a tad chilly outside, but nothing a thick sweater or a bit of gentle exercise can't deal with. The looming Great South Run has been preying on my mind. I am still coughing like mad, and was about to defer my entry (for the first time ever using a bit of common sense) when a envelope of cash was pressed into my hands at school pick up. This was the charity share proceeds of the Year 4 cake sale, 50% of the takings go to the PTFA and 50% to a charity of the year group's choice. So now I felt I had to run and raise money for CLIC Sargent who do great work with children suffering from cancer.

Just one little snag..... I haven't been well enough to run properly since Paris and, let's be totally honest about it, I wasn't really well enough to run then! I can't believe how long I've had this chesty problem for, but it is getting rather boring now! Either side of Paris I had a week off running - not so much as a gym visit, gentle jog or run for the bus, and since then I have just been going out for short runs and taking it easy. I haven't been further than 5 miles since Paris. I was beginning to worry about whether I could physically cope with a long run.

Today I decided to put myself to the test. I ran 8.5 miles (over part of the hilly Alton 10mile course) in a fairly respectable time of 1hr 16minutes. The weather was beautiful, the scenery beautifully autumnal, and I had the lovely Stephen Fry in my ears for the first 4 miles, followed by the delicious David Tennant, so the miles passed pleasantly. I only stopped to cough a few times on route, which seemed to alarm passing cyclists somewhat, and was toying with the idea of running the extra mile and a half to make up the full 10 miles (a flat stretch, past my house, through the village and back again) when I saw my children waving madly at me as they walked back from the swings. Never mind, I know I could have done the extra distance.

Now I intend to take it easy for the next few days. Some short runs on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, then nothing until the big day. I am a bit miffed that my plans for training sensibly and effectively (lots of speed and hill work, cross training etc.) have been neglected as I struggle to do the bare minimum, but at least I don't feel totally unprepared.