Here it goes… my 3rd attempt at writing this blog post! With January done, I’ve had some time to step back and look at the month just gone. My training started out with a bang! I officially started my London training on Christmas day, but it was January where I really got stuck in, and began really putting the miles in. The plan was to race a bunch, train a bunch and stay healthy. Unfortunately, things don’t always go to play… more on that in a bit.
Racing started VERY well in early January! I spent the last morning of my 20s getting myself a shiny new 5k PB at my local Parkrun in Vancouver, and then flew straight back to England where I arrived as a 30 year old. (Flying on your bday is overrated by the way, I missed MOST of my birthday sitting in a mediocre seat, watching films). Next up was a bit of cross country at the Met League Wormwood Scrubs fixture. That race also went very well, I took 4-ish minutes off my time from the previous year and earned myself a place on the ladies A team. Following that was the race I had very mixed feelings about: The Box Hill Fell race.
Going into this race I knew I was much stronger and more experienced than the previous year. I also knew the course and exactly what doing well would entail, but was apprehensive as it was a race I really struggled with the previous year. I’m happy to report the race went swimmingly and I was able to take a whopping 20 minutes off my time from the previous year!! I must say I owe much of this success to Abi and Charlotte Levin. Abi, in her pink gloves, was always just on the horizon which pushed me to try and catch up to. Charlotte, who’s just returned from injury and is looking worryingly strong was an absolute beast on the hills and forced me to pick up pace even when it felt very uncomfortable to do so. The three of us finished within spitting distance of each other, fitting for a group of girls who often lovingly refer to ourselves as “flower sniffers” (basically we are prone to taking it a bit too hard sometimes).
Unfortunately, the day after called for a 14 mile training run. I think these two runs, paired with a few very busy weeks at work, and the stress of moving house caught up with me. That evening I went to bed feeling a bit off, and woke the next morning feeling absolutely awful! I spent most of the week of the 21st, in bed, shivering, hopped up on day nurse. It was during this period that I made attempt 1 of writing this post. I was nonsense… obviously! Turns out I had laryngitis, and sadly was in no shape to do much of anything, and definitely no running! Sadly this also meant no Southern England cross country champs. If you’ve never raced there I highly recommend it, the last kilometer is a beautiful downhill sprint and the perfect chance to overtake a handful of competitors.
After a week of missed work, I decided I was back. My body didn’t. It decided I had a chest infection! So 3 more days off work and running and a new round of antibiotics! Luckily, I am very much on the mend thanks to my friends Slothy the hot water bottle, sleep and amoxicillin! I’ve managed a few solid runs the past few days and still feel quite strong. I’ve even treated myself to a new pair of beautiful risky white Adidas adios that will hopefully make it to at least Fleet before becoming a mess.
So, what have I learned in all of this? First off, if you’re not well: rest, rest, rest and rest. Next, it’s perfectly okay to miss a run or two when you’ve got too much on! Much better to take an extra rest day than overwork yourself and risk injury or illness. Lastly, a new pair of shoes is a great “get well present” to myself, but probably not feasible following any minor setbacks.
Anyways, I’m back on track with the training, still feeling strong and looking forwards to continuing with the training!