Since I did the Edinburgh Half Marathon and 10k in two days two years ago, I've had a severe case of the CBAs - not helped by a huge amount of upheaval in my professional and personal life. I also had a rather daft bike accident in June that despite not being particularly serious at the time, did more damage to my knees and my right foot that I had ever realised, and even some half-hearted efforts to get back into the swing have just proved pretty useless. I'd also managed to put back on all of the weight I lost in 2012/13 and then some - making me feel rather sorry for myself, but also making running that little bit more hard work.
Well enough of the whinging side of this post! Even though walking was difficult, never mind running, I've been on my bike ever since the accident - and trying to do a bit of extra cycling as well as bashing around the city commuting. Then in September I came (back) out to Belgium for work, where of course the cycling infrastructure is pretty good - and have been commuting 8km to and from the local railway station a couple of times each week: never mind the 30km ride to get my bike from Gent where it has been for the last 6 months, out to Ruiselede where I am staying at the moment. All this has made me feel stronger and fitter - and combined with having a much better diet out here because I'm not snacking so much, I've managed to lose 10lbs. Last Sunday, I decided to push myself a bit more on the bike, and managed a 50km loop around the local towns and villages - which didn't actually feel too bad. Not sure how long the lovely weather is going to last, but hoping to take more advantage of it if I can!
Buoyed up by all of these positive steps forward, I decided to dust off my poor running shoes (which I did optimistically bring with me!) and get my backside out for a run yesterday. Turns out all this cycling has done me some good at least, and I managed a 1.75 mile loop around the village. Cue all sorts of plans/thoughts about what I could do in the weeks ahead (I do like making plans - even if I'm not that great at sticking to them!). It's a public holiday today and tomorrow in Belgium for All Saints day - and so I'm taking advantage of having an extra day off for a bit of me time. Was lying in bed this morning thinking of the pros and cons of how to get a run in tomorrow before I head into Gent - and then thought 'sod it' - why get up extra early tomorrow when I can just bash it out today. I felt a lot more comfortable even with it only being a second run (although I did have a bit of a familiar tightness in the front of my right hip) ... and kept going for a wee bit longer even though I had told myself that if I needed a walk-break I could have one.
 |
| Chickens at the bottom of next-door's garden - country living Belgian style |
 |
| Wet footprints after saying hello to the chickens ... it's a gloriously sunny day |
No comments:
Post a Comment