Much colder and frostier than this!
So this is what winter feels like? Definitely the coldest
day of the winter so far, probably ‘since records began’, as they always seem
to say! Well, not quite, but it was -6C when I stepped outside this morning,
but I was well-prepared. Neck to toe in thermals, including my insulated
leggings which rarely see the light of day, and make me look like an extra from
Star Trek (more specifically, the ‘Enterprise/Scott Bakula’ incarnation). The
good thing is that all this keeps me toasty warm, although the weather seems
determined to freeze me from the inside out as I suck in the sub-zero air and
it, in turn, sucks the internal warmth from my mouth and lungs!
This breathing business is what makes this morning’s run
difficult. My legs are still a bit tired from my exertions of the other day,
but I reason to myself that they have felt far worse in the past when I have
had much further to run, so I can deal with this for now – don’t be such a
wimp! Possibly the dodgiest part of my run is as I enter the park, as there is
a steep little path down to the riverside which is caked in frost and I have an
innate fear of slipping ever since I slipped and broke my humerus one day when
I was doing nothing more daring than walking a long the pavement on my way to
work. Why people deliberately clamp things to their feet and sally forth on ice
and snow is, and always has been, beyond me. Why? I always find it particularly
unfair that, although I have never done anything more dangerous than walking
and running, this has resulted in me breaking two of the biggest bones in my
body. I always have a wry smile when I hear that the femur is ‘the biggest and
strongest bone in the human body’. Not this human body, unfortunately, although
at least my right one is now supported by a considerable amount of steel and
titanium scaffolding…
There are a few dog walkers out along the path, although
it’s hard to make out their gender or age as they appear entirely clad in wool,
with just their eyes peering out to check on the whereabouts of Buster or
Towser. Towser the terrier, I can reliably inform them, nearly got crushed
underfoot, as the yapping Yorkie threw itself at me in a blood-crazed frenzy of
ankle-savaging, little git! I don’t know what is worse – the ones that are free
to roam unencumbered, or the ones tethered to an all-but-invisible trip wire of
a leash that stretches across the path and threatens to pitch me nose first
into the mist-laden iciness of the river below.
As I run downstream towards the bridge and my turning point
I encounter a number of anglers already setting out their pitches for the day,
complete with seats, little tents, gas stoves, hampers, bars, optics, overnight
accommodation for a large family, etc. etc. When I used to go fishing it was with
a line and a bag of maggots – these guys must be hoping for marlin or
something, and my mind conjures up the image of Hemingway’s Old Man and the
sea, his marlin strapped to the side of his small boat and slowly getting
picked at by the mallards as he rows for home. Well, I think it was sharks in
the Hemingway version, but here it would be mallards as there are hundreds of
them.
As I reach my turning point I encounter two lady runners
clad in tracksuits and I wonder what event they have signed up for, or if they
are simply out for enjoyment and exercise. Actually, I think that, to get out
and about in freezing weather like this there must be some kind of incentive or
spur that strengthens the resolve. For me, and especially this morning, it is
the backing of all my wonderful sponsors that have already brought me to my
first fundtraising target a mere three days after launch. Unfortunately, this
also means that I am now compelled to reveal my ‘special secret’ and announce
that I will be running the Bath Half in the guise of The Diabetes Fairy!
Oh dear! I don’t mind saying that this is just a wee bit
scary! In nearly thirty years of running events I have never run in costume,
and now I’m going to be running 13.1 miles in early March in a dress with a
wand, wig and wings! If only I could find some functional wings! Hopefully, it will bring a smile to people’s
faces though. My biggest worry is the fact that I have no idea how people go
about training for a run in costume. I certainly never see any giraffes or
rhinos or athletic bananas in my neck of the woods! Perhaps I should take
advantage of the dark early mornings so I would be seen by fewer people? But
I’d still have a couple of busy roads to cross! And would it be worse to be
seen appearing from the gloom clad in all my frock and fancies or seen from
afar in all my full glory? I have no idea!
I am sure these thoughts will continue to trouble me until
the race is actually over, but for now I just have to concentrate in finishing
my run, which I achieve without further canine encounter and managing to keep
my legs moving reasonably well to the end. Hope it’s a bit warmer that next
time! A better time than the other morning, slightly further, and not bad
considering how cold it was. Flipping blood sugars seem to do the opposite of
what they do for most people though – I’ve just run 3.5 miles and my blood
sugar has gone UP over 3 mmol/l. This is despite being around the peak of my
breakfast insulin at 1.5-2 hours. I’ll probably go low later, but some people would
have omitted the insulin or be shovelling sugar down their throats by now! Must
be the Diabetes Fairy at work!
Time 35
mins 59 secs
Distance 3.64
miles
Pace 9:53
per mile
BG before 8.2
BG after 11.4
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