this is a low

The transition from week 7 to week 8 has been a tricky one. Not in terms of miles, but mentally.

I knocked out my 14 mile run with few problems on Saturday morning. A beautiful sunny morning and a gorgeous change of North Yorkshire scenery made for a really nice run, complete with immaculate public toilet for mid-run loo panic (Harrogate Borough Council, I salute you you are a prince among local authorities). Harrogate/Knaresborough also seems to be very popular with runners and cyclists so it was nice to pass other people doing the same as me, as opposed to be stared at like a freak for tackling any form of physical activity (yes, Lowestoftians, I do mean you...).

But since then, events seemed to have ganged up on me. Beloved has developed a hacking cough, which peaked in a 3 hour coughing fit in the early hours of Monday night, leaving me with relatively little sleep after the weekend. To make matters worse, I've developed the most intense face-ache down the right side of my head. It is tender to touch, and too sore to sleep on that side, plus my forehead and cheekbone throb constantly. While this doesn't really affect my running leg-wise, the whole lack of sleep combined with constant pain has left me feeling really sorry for myself and pretty pooped.

Today was supposed to be interval training day, but the session just looked so complicated it made my head hurt even more just thinking about it. Instead I headed out for a fartlek session, just sprinting when I felt like it, and this really seemed to work. I felt fast and fit on the fartlek parts of the run, and was just glad to be out running in general. Hopefully another good night's sleep tonight so I can tackle 8 miles tomorrow and get back on my mental track.

With less than two weeks to go to the Great North Run, my germ radar is still on red alert. Vitamin supplements and echinacea tablets are keeping everything at bay for now, but regular emails from the Bupa GNR organisers telling me to defer if I feel the slightest sniffle are now starting to make me nervous. I will be devastated if I have to defer at this stage, so am crossing everything that I don't catch any germs or break any ankles between now and the 20th.

LON