MAN FLU SETS BACK TOUR HOPES
Another tasty track session under the belt was 6 x 1200m off two minute recoveries, run in an average time of 4:02 - all run solidly within four seconds of each other - only a few seconds shy of the halcyon track nights of 2009/10 when I could bang out sub four minute 1200's with time to spare. A steady seven miles on the Thursday was followed by eight cross country miles on the local park on the Friday. I felt great, running at a reasonable pace with ease. But sometimes you just know that feeling of an underlying tightness in the breathing tackle which, although not enough to hinder performance that afternoon by any means, nevertheless aroused suspicion that a cold was coming.
I could only hope it wasn't going to be enough to put me completely out of action, but the day after as I set off to East Devon on a family break, so the germicidal intruder began to inflict it's full wrath.
A croaky throat became a crackling chesty hollow. The sinuses were squeezed to absolute overflow and the nose has streamed continuously for two days. Combine this with a general feeling of total lacklustre and self diagnosis points to a well known affliction to the male of the species... man flu. Fortunately it didn't spiral in to proper flu and spoil my time away, but it did scrape icing off the holiday cake a little and probably more so for Sara who had to put up with me.
What was certain was that my running shoes were to be left redundant. This was frustrating indeed with a maze of quiet hilly roads to tackle near the village of Colyton and the chance of a session or two upon the coastal cliff paths. I have yet to run since that Friday on the park. As any male of the species can testify, man flu drags on and it's probably going to be another two or three days at a very optimistic best before I can gently start running again. This would leave me less than a fortnight until the seventeen mile toughie that is the Tour of Pendle. Not ideal, not even realistic. I've entered the race but there is no point speculating that I might be back and well enough to actually do it. Irritating as a bad cold may be, perspective prevails and I wouldn't swap it for an injury.