I’m writing this with a radiator at my back and with a tennis ball being rolled around by the soles of my feet. It’s cold out there.
Last week was a bit up and down in terms of emotions and energy. I started it off well, feeling really adrenalinised (is that a word?) by the fact that I’d managed a full 15 miles on Saturday and recovered quite quickly. But by midweek I was kind of feeling a bit flat. I may have had a few too many chocolates or something. I don’t know what it was. Plus I had to work on Saturday so I was off balance and I decided to take Friday afternoon off and do my long run a day early. Because then, I thought, I’d have the whole of that night to chill and I’d be able to have a few drinks at a friend’s birthday meal on Saturday evening and it would feel almost like a normal weekend and that would be great!
Two and a half miles in and I was back at home with Epic Fail written all over my brain. My calf was so tight I felt like I was dragging my leg along the ground and my feet felt so hot underneath. I would probably have loosened up and warmed up if I’d carried on going but my head suddenly went ‘Nah’ and I just stopped.
Part of me thinks I was right to knock it on the head and part of me is wondering if I can maintain the self discipline to keep these CBA moments to a minimum. It’s hard to say how it will be but I did redeem myself slightly by getting another 15 miles in on Sunday. I was hoping to try for 17 this week but having had my wobbler I just decided to go and at least get a Half in and see what happened after that. My calf did start off tight again although not quite as bad as before as I’d been massaging it all weekend (- I’m now using the dumbbell which was gathering dust beneath my bed as a roller). Oddly it eased off when I went up a small hill in my route. I don’t quite know the science behind that but it gave me a bit more confidence. My run was a couple of minutes slower than last week but it was quite windy and pleasingly I didn’t feel as wobbly after finishing. I’m calling this a consolidation week!
The tennis ball thing, by the way, is an exercise suggested by a podiatrist to strengthen and lengthen the Plantar Fascia and hopefully reduce that burning sole sensation. Let’s hope I’m more successful than Andy was with his balls in that last set against Novak.
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