Another day has gone and I’m worse, not on the mend. It happens.
As frustrating as it is, there is nothing I can do other than control the variables in my power. My food, hydration, sleep (ish), activity, stress and above all relaxation.
Truth be told I haven’t been this ill since Chamonix last year, but, that time I was sick 8 times on the morning of my departure and somehow still made the flight. It put me out for a month of anything other than walking to the shops and I didn’t run again until this year.
If I was melodramatic I would liken it to then, however, the reality is straight forward. I have a cold, my sinuses are blocked and my heads pounding. The world won’t end and I can aim for this weekend at Lakeland 50…. failing that theirs Mamores VK and Ring of Steall in September.
Today I put up a post on Instagram, to vent my frustration and in reality leave it at that. I know roughly how many people may like a post and who they may be, as we all do when we know our followers and friends. What surprised me today was the response it got from esteemed friends and people I look up to in the UK trail and ultra community.
Messages of good luck and this is normal for tapering soon tallied up and made this short guy grow. Even my coach chipped in privately and I was glad to see my no running policy was correct. After all, if this is normal for tapering, how do people run in one? I may feel feeble currently, but it’s good to know there are people out there that have your back, even when it’s for a trivial matter – i.e. a race.
James Mackeddie 