Woe is me, I am so slow!

It seems to me that I am stuck in a bit of a cycle.  I train, get a bit faster, up my mileage so that I can run a decent distance, fell happy and confident at that distance.  And then I get a bug.  I cut back on the miles, have some time off, get depressed about the fact that when I do run I can only do so slowly and everything hurts.  This is where I am at the moment.  And I'm fed up!

I went back to school on Monday, feeling as though I needed at least another week off to really get better.  I've been taking it relatively easily, as far as one can in a school situation.  I've been minimising the amount of talking I do, and so trying to promote independent learning.  Even so, at the end of day three my voice is beginning to creak again!  The independent learning thing should keep OfSTED happy when they decide to visit, and I am busy thinking of ways that I can provide evidence that my pupils are progressing.  An impending visit from OfSTED seems to throw most schools into a frenzy.  I am somewhat concerned as our department's results were not wonderful last summer, which means we will be scrutinised to within an inch of our lives.

I had a lovely experience today at school.  While trying to bolt my lunch in the science staff room I heard a little voice at the door; "Is MrsBridgewater there please?"  I was tempted to say no, as I'd already had a couple of interruptions (on both occasions pupils had come up to apologise for poor behaviour, which is nice), but I didn't.  A couple of pupils wanted me to explain something to them.  Nothing out of the ordinary in that is there?  But when they showed me the work it was something they were doing with their other teacher.  They wanted me to help them because apparently I explain things much better!!  I'm filing that moment away for later in the week when I feel like bashing my head against a brick wall!

After Sunday's awful run, I took a couple of days off.  Last night I had a sports massage and followed that with a visit to Pizza Express  - I don't think you can get more of a rest day than that.  It seems to me that when I am not running I see hundreds of runners out an about.  It is almost as if they are taunting me.  With a race imminent, I decided I could rest no more, and set out for a 4 mile run this evening.  My rationale being that if I can run four miles today I should be able to manage 6.2 miles on Sunday.  I am finding it really heavy going.  I don't seem to be able to get enough oxygen to power my legs, and everything is more difficult than it should be!  I did manage 4 miles.  But I suspect that this 10k will be my slowest ever!  The Runners' World reviews suggest that this race does not have good PB potential - so it could be a very slow time for me!  On tonight's performance I would be lucky to finish in under an hour.

Just as well this is part of a cycle.  That means there will be a period soon that sees me running faster and happier!