2011 Streak Day 234 (Tuesday Aug 23rd): Decay

2011 Streak Day 234 (Tuesday Aug 23rd): Run - 1.75 miles, Time -  17min, Weather - nondescript

There is a reason for the flower picture - it shows decay.

Most of my other picture have shown plants developing and then coming into to bloom - at the height of their powers, if you will. But this one shows that things do not last, they wither and then are gone.

Just like my ability to run. I am not sure if it ever came into to full flower but now everything seems to have gone. All my powers have withered.

I ran for less than 2 miles but felt desperate all the time. "End it!  End it!" my brain was screaming. Part of my conscious mind was saying "No the schedule says 5 miles we must go on" but the other half was saying "Oh what is the point. What is the point!"

There was no point. Going 5 miles would not have achieved anything, The 1.75 miles I ran achieved nothing. I crawled home and felt whipped.

What had happened? where had all my strength gone?

The rest of the day was spent in a fog of unknowing.

2011 Streak Day 213/365 (Aug 1): Problems you might have on a run

2011 Streak Day 213/365 (Aug 1): Run - 2.34 miles, Time - 21min 34sec, Weather - hot

On some days running is easy and everything flows, and  you come home feeling refreshed with the world full of possibilities. On other days you struggle and and it feels uncomfortable or hard work (or both).

There can be all sorts of reasons for a bad day. The most frustrating are the mysterious ones where there is no obvious reason. You have not been overdoing it, you have not changed your patterns, you have had enough sleep, you have eaten well, you are otherwise feeling fit, you are not trying to do anything extra. It just happens. Your muscles feel watery and there is no power. All you can do is write them off and say they are ‘just one of those things’. But although you know that is what you should do there are always nagging questions about what went wrong.

Other days are more explicable. You might for example be ill. The feeling of inner weariness is quite distinct and you know what is happening but there are then complications in deciding how much to keep going. If it is a proper full-on illness like traditional flu then there is no debate - you are unable to do anything; but many viruses don’t knock you out, they just make you feel sub-optimal. The usually advice is that if it is not a chest infection you can keep going but how much you want to is a different question entirely. There is always the thought that allowing the body to rest will clear things up more quickly and it is better to have a short break rather than drag out a longer sequence of poor quality runs. There can be no general advice. It really does depend on how well (or bad) you feel.

Some days can be marred by twinges - the mysterious pains that can come and go without leaving a trace. The problem here is that you have to know the difference between a twinge and an injury and that is something I find really, really hard. I go through a couple of stages: the first is to carry on and some twinges just go away quickly. If it persists then I will stop, perhaps walk, perhaps stretch, perhaps do a few loosening exercises, depending on what it feel like and then carry on. If it goes - good. If it stays it is probably best to adapt the session by either carrying-on gently, or aborting as a precaution. 

The most uncomfortable days though are the ones when you get the ‘runners’ trots’, when everything is reduced to one simple question, that dominates the whole of your mind: ‘can I get back in time?’. Once the problem has been sorted, it is sorted and everything is fine but those moments before are pure agony.

I was thinking about this, this morning  on what should have been a 6 mile run. A couple of miles out I realised I would not last and the only thing to do was walk home (and a most unpleasant walk it was). 

It was a shame because wind and limbs were ok and it was a beautiful morning with the sun rising in a clear sky and the promise of a hot day ahead. It should have been one of those good days when everything felt easy.

But it was not.

Today’s picture is of bird damage.

The old buildings in the village are built in the traditional way with rubble walls covered with a lime render. For some reason birds seem to like to eat the render. Many a time we saw a flock of them perched on the stones, pecking away at the lime. 

The picture shows a small activity, repeated often enough, by many birds can have a dramatic effect. Quite a big chunk of the wall has been exposed and mortar removed. If allowed to continue, over the years it could become quite a problem.

The Problem was Mainly One of Timing

I wrote earlier that my runs tend to be temperate. Although they can be a bit better or a bit worse the variation from the mean is not that great. Yesterday however was horrible. So unpleasant that I started to wonder what on earth I was doing.

As is the as in all such stories It all started so well. The plan was for a longish run and I set out at an easy pace feeling relaxed, Although the sky was grey and damp the air was still and the temperature was pleasant. It was perfect weather for running and I started to think about the differences between good running weather and the general definition of good weather: cool is good as running in the heat is sapping; still is excellent as I hate battling the wind; damp is OK, as soft rain or drizzle can be quite refreshing.

Most of the run was unremarkable. I passed a number of fishermen and wondered what was good weather for fishing. In season they are always out. Even if it is raining hard they will continue to sit patiently by the banks, bundled up, under an umbrella. Nothing will stop a keen fisherman but when is it most enjoyable? This is another area of life of which I know nothing.

I reached my turn round point and it started to rain more heavily but not unpleasantly. The sky though was very, very dark. About 4 miles from home everything changed – a sheet of lightening, a rumble of thunder and an enormous downpour of heavy rain i.e. big droplets that stung when they hit you. I sheltered under a bridge hoping it would pass over but as I got colder and a bit shivery the rain showed no signs of stopping so I set off again.

This was not at all pleasant. Not only was I a bit stiff, I couldn't get a rhythm because I was dodging puddles, trying to find places to land my feet and all the time the rain was getting harder. The towpath eventually became completely covered with water and it was increasingly difficult to run. I had the bright idea thatt the road might be a better surface but this was a mistake. I had no idea how completely the drainage system had been overwhelmed. The roads and pavements were a mixture of fast flowing rivers and lakes with water up to or over the level of the kerbs. The manhole covers had popped up and were gushing water and every time a car passed it sent up an almighty whoosh of spray.

It was impossible to get any wetter - my clothes were stuck to my body and my trainers slurped every time they moved. After struggling along for a couple of miles I suddenly admitted to myself that I was not enjoying this at all and I lost all heart. I had no desire to go on and stopped running. All that was left was a long trudge home. The sky was still gunmetal grey, the rain was still hard, there was still thunder and lightening. My limbs felt heavy and my spirits felt even heavier.