Oh No, Here We Go Again

I get the bus into work, somehow dodging the worst of the rain. Not so L, apparently.

My plan is to run after work, which I do, with the rain now reduced to just an annoying drizzle but I change my route to avoid the river path which will probably be flooded. Instead I try to cut though the industrial estate on Raynesway but this just seems to take ages.

Then after only 8km, I have to abort my run after my calf tightens up. Oh no, here we go again. Walking loosens it but then when I run again it goes tight again. So I get the bus home.

Once home, I then head out again to collect L from her own ‘not running’ session. Her running partners are just eating at the Royal Oak in Ockbrook and I meet them there. It was worth the trip to get the rarity of Worthington White Shield on draft.

(Tuesday 8^th August)

The World On Your Shoulders

While I go for my morning fifty metres, L assists MD in clearing the local area of other dogs, cats, paper boys... anyone and anything basically. It’s tough having the world on your shoulders. Particularly if you’re carrying an injury, as we suspect MD may be. How many times did he miss the bed last night when he tried to jump on to it? Not a good sign. Mind you, he was still in the garden wanting his ball this morning.

It rains all day, so I decide to skip dog training. I don’t want either MD or myself slipping over on the wet grass and aggravating injuries as we both have events coming up. Instead we offer to pick L up from Royal Oak in Ockbrook, where she hasn’t been running but others have... I even have time for a swift one. 

(Monday 15^th May)

Blue Monday

This morning I can’t walk but other than that I have recovered very quickly from yesterday’s first half marathon of the year.

L is in for physio this morning which is very well timed except this is NHS non-contact physio where they don’t actually touch you. Not sure how that works.

Today is apparently the most depressing day of the year otherwise known as ‘Blue Monday’. Personally I don't understand that as I love this time of year, it's about as far away from Christmas as you can get. What's not to like?

L is having one of her regular ‘not running’ nights with her running friends tonight. I gatecrash the end of their evening at the Royal Oak on the premise of picking L up but really I’m just after a sneaky Blue Monday pint. Monday night dogging has now been officially suspended until March.

(Monday 18^th January)

Improvements

The legs don’t ache too much after yesterday’s race so perhaps things are improving. They need to, as I keep being reminded it's 13 weeks to my big event. It’s also only 5 days to my mini-big event.

Dog training is still on hold so I’m back at the pool doing 59 lengths, so says my swim watch. We’ll call it 60 shall we, as I didn’t get out in the deep end. It may have skipped more than one length... so hopefully I did even more.

L is out running and then dining afterwards at the Royal Oak in Oakbrook. I pop over later to pick her up and sample the beer for her.

(Monday 3^rd March)

A Bit'er Ruff

Breakfast is substantial, particularly for those who had a cheeseboard last night that they shouldn’t have had. That's not to mention feeling a bit ruff after A Bit'er Ruff.

For once we’re in the Lakes with no weekend run planned. I’m they’ll be plenty of ‘round that peak and back’ fell races if we’d looked but we hadn’t. Deliberately. They’re not really our thing or rather they’re not really our sort of navigation.

Instead we take a rather pleasant jaunt up the low lying fell of School Knott. After which we take a wrong turn of sorts and end up in Windermere, when it should have been Bowness. Once we’ve corrected ourselves we can stop for a break at one of the pubs there, the Royal Oak. Which is in fact the official finishing pub for the Dales Way.

It’s a bit fraudulent though, as we’ve only done about 2 miles of the Dales Way, rather than the full 84 mile hike from Ilkley. Tomorrow perhaps, if we're up to it.

Doggo needs this break more than the rest of us. Both of Doggo and I are limping but he’s worse than me. In fact we even consider taking the bus back to Ings but he seems to recover and we get him back home by foot. Sadly with the old man now approaching 12 years old, we may not be doing much more walking with him, keen though he is. He needs the Dogth Vader tonight more than me.

Funnily enough though, we eventually end up on OP.

(Saturday 12th January)

Enthused...

Enthused by my 4k with MD yesterday, I resolve that our training continues this morning. Well that was the intention but the poor mite still looked knackered from yesterday, I hadn't the heart to disturb him. I also couldn't get out of bed myself and anyway it was much more enjoyable staying there.

So MD doesn’t get a run nor does he and Doggo get a walk either, both L and I decide to kick the balls for them in the garden instead. Both kids are at home this week, so if the dogs get bored, they have someone at home to pick on.

Dog training tonight, so I miss most of tonight’s live TV game which is QPR v Derby. It's another good performance from Derby, it’s just a shame they couldn’t have played like this all season. Although the 0-0 result probably suited both sides just fine, as QPR edge towards the Premier League and Derby edge towards staying where they are.

All credit to Robbie Savage who for the fourth game in a row against QPR had their Moroccan talisman Adel Taarabt in his pocket. He even posted the proof online.

I’ve never been a Savage fan but he’s done ok at Derby and he will retire at the end of the season with the best wishes of most Derby fans, me included.

I detour on the way home from training to collect L who’s been running with friends in Ockbrook but is now sat all alone in the Royal Oak. I resist the temptation of a quick pint, best to rest the liver after the weekend I think.

(Monday 18th April)