I have now not run for a month but the leg is now OK and next week I will start again. To be truthful I probably could have started a couple of weeks ago but didn't want to.
Now there is a terrible admission for a runner. Anybody who wants to live up to the name, and certainly anybody who writes a blog about running, should be chomping at the bit - mad with frustration. Yet I have been feeling remarkably content. It is a form of heresy.
The reasons are twofold. The first is that I am following a plan and so don't feel I am backsliding. As I want to training for a spring marathon I do not want the beginning compromised by worrying about a weakness. I therefore decided to wait until there was no discomfort (rather than just waiting until the pain was dull enough to bear). There is plenty of time and I am sure patience now will be rewarded later.
The second reason is that I have been enjoying cycling. It is a weird thing but the slightly different range of leg movement has left cycling unaffected: so I have been spending my time in the country roads, looking about and noticing how the autumn colours are getting ever more interesting.
Today's picture is nothing special - I could have stopped in any number of places and shown the mixture of reds, yellows, brown and greens. But it gives a good indication of how things look at the moment.
If you think the road looks small, rural and peaceful: you would be right. The strange thing is that it is only a short distance from the MI, full of thundering cars and lorries: the epitome of hustle. Also it is not that far from Watford and the edges of London, but that could all of that could be a million miles away. I like these contrasts. On a fairly easy ride you can slip between the agricultural, the wooded, the isolated village, the suburban, and the town centre.
Cycling has its distinct pleasures and I don't want to lose them when I start marathon training. So at least two sessions a week will be on the bike. Sorted.
I actually think this break has been beneficial.
2 comments:
That looks like a gorgeous place to run - away from everything and the ideal place to clear your mind and sharing your run with nature.
I think I'm going to take a leaf out of your book. I dragged the Brompton out again yesterday for my commute and the ride in was uneventful - even enjoyable. It wasn't until I attempted a run that my calf started screaming again. Maybe a month of cycling is called for.
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