1095miles – running blog

Day 290 today, another 75 days to go to complete the task and I have absolutely no idea how I managed to go out and do a 5 miler.

I’m incredibly busy at the moment, a fact made worse by a last minute commission to do a story for The Times that needed turning around in less than 24 hours. When Mini started miaowing at 4am, I took here down to the kitchen and went back to try and get more sleep and failed… the mind started whirring and I started writing.

Great idea, right? Get it out of the way and then the day can start. Wrong! By 6am, I was knackered, shut my eyes for a second and woke up at 8.30 with a very warm lap from where the laptop was still whirring away.

Anyway, I dragged the kit on and set off but I was unmotivated, uninspired, it was hot and my right calf muscle has started to develop a little niggle. To top it all, the roads were jammed and everywhere smelt of choking car fumes.

I’d decided to just do a three miler but once out, I thought ‘in for a penny’ and carried on past the 1.5mile point of return and began to head into Croydon.

I’ve never suffered from hay fever before but there is certainly something going on this year where every so often, it feels like I have a bit of pollen or twig or something or other stuck in the back of my throat and I start coughing uncontrollably. This happened at about mile 2.2, causing me to stop just outside an NHS dentists in West Croydon, and stick my fingers in my throat, which just made me wretch more.

Luckily, I’d taken a water bottle with me and after downing half of it, the niggle had eased enough for me to run home at a really slow pace with no more dramas … but it really was an unsatisfying morning and my leg hurts even more now.

Click here for a link to Garmin Connect for a route map and details of the run

Miles today: 5
Target: 870
Miles to date: 1,146.61

Please donate to my chosen charities by clicking here