Many apologies, dear readers, if you have been avid
followers of my blog, for my protracted absence from the blogosphere!
Unfortunately I have suffered injury and illness in equal measure, and this has
resulted in a dearth of anecdotes and stirring stories of great bravery these
past two weeks. Firstly, I was the victim of a terrible injury which left me in
pain at every step and quite unable to run, whether as a winged fairy or mere
mortal. OK, possibly not such a terrible injury, but it felt like I had cracked
a rib or something, possibly due to an over zealous response to the urgings of
the Gasper during my fifteen minutes at her mercy one day. Probably just a
pulled muscle, but very painful nonetheless.
As if to compound my problems, I was just about recovered
from this when I fell victim to a lurgy of the head, nose and throat which has
persisted these five days past. As I am in possession of a nose of generous
proportions, I need elucidate no further, and I am sure you can imagine the
enormity of my distress. The nose will feature again in today’s report, but
more of that anon.
Given the sub-zero temperatures of recent days I considered
it wise not to venture out and potentially exacerbate and prolong the awful fever,
but instead to remain in the relative warmth and safety of my draughty abode until the sickness was passed, and would have wished to remain indolent beyond that time. However,
the day of reckoning will soon be upon me, when I will have little choice but
to don the silvery gown, waggle my wings and wand, and step forth on the fine
streets of Bath for what I expect will be well beyond the two-hour mark! So,
with this in mind, and much recovered this morning, I rose in the darkness
before dawn determined to exercise my limbs and lungs along the
frost-bejewelled paths of the local park.
Surprisingly, despite the minus 8-degree temperature, there
was very little actual frost due (I surmised) to a dearth of vapours in the
early morning air. Bonus! This means I had little fear of holding my footing
and could concentrate instead on keeping a good tempo and pace. Frost, maybe
not, but the cold was extreme for my unaccustomed body and brain! As I sucked
in the icy air I almost cried it was so cold! Here was Mother Earth using the
heat of my core to warm her atmosphere thirty times every minute, and it felt I
was receiving little in exchange. Well, maybe some precious oxygen, so I
suppose I mustn’t complain!
There were few fellow residents out at this hour, when the
Sun was yet to cast her golden gaze upon the river, save a couple of young
women in loose charge of a border collie who was delighting in rolling on his
back on the frost-covered grass and running furiously in long zigzags in front of them.
As I passed the two women I heard heavy steps behind me and
wondered if it was the echo of my own bouncing back from the opposite bank in
the surrounding stillness. But no – I was presently passed by a madman, around
thirty years my junior, clad only in singlet and shorts! Here was I in thermal
top, gloves and space pants, and there he went with his red calves driving him
off into the distance in front of me! I estimated he was running around ninety
seconds a mile faster than me, but as I rounded a corner he was suddenly
nowhere to be seen! Had his raw flesh succumbed entirely to the cold and
shattered into a billion pieces, leaving nothing but fragile frosty dust to
mark his passing? No – glancing to the side I noticed dark footprints in the
frozen grass, separated by long strides and leading inexorably to an
ever-diminishing figure in the distance. He was taking shortcuts! Tut! I felt a
sense of smugness that I had no intention of curtailing my excursion – I would
fulfil my remit and not shirk by shrinking my planned course!
I was surprised that, given the conditions and my not
inconsiderable layoff, I was running quite strongly. My breathing was good, my
eyes were not bulging out of their sockets, and my legs, toasty and warm in my
space pants, felt comfortable and fresh. As I passed the weir the waters of the
river became seemingly motionless, as if waiting anxiously to cast themselves
over the precipice and join the broader stream below and meet the incoming
tide. A wispy mist hung over the river here, and there emerged black forms
squeaking and flapping their stubby wings – moorhens, I think, if moorhens
squeak.
There were little islands of ice on the path as I ran along,
marking the small depressions where moisture had accumulated and frozen, an no
doubt completely invisible on a warm, dry day. Up to this point I had been
aware of frozen fingers and a face taut as a plaster mask, but as I made my
turn I began to feel the bloodflow returning to my hands and a warmth pervading
my body. All but my tongue, it seemed, which with every inhalation was frozen
to the core, then reheated and revitalised with every hot exhalation – how
wonderful is the human body to cope so admirably with these two extremes in
such rapid succession?
As I embarked on the final half-mile home I could hear a low
groan each time I expelled breath, which I must assume was coming from my
throat – perhaps protesting at this exertion after a period of comfort and
convalescence? No matter, I was soon home and back in my relatively warm house.
It was only after a short thaw that I began to notice the pain commencing – my
nose, having been subjected to an unprotected thirty-five minutes of subzero
temperatures was now beginning to heat up again and as the hot blood returned
my thoughts became entirely concentrated on the pain of its revival! Ouch!
Very surprised to have recorded my fastest time for this
morning’s course during my current period of training, despite my layoff, so
that at least is encouraging and I may actually make it to the end of the Bath
Half Marathon in four weeks time!
Time 34
mins 52 secs
Distance 3.63
miles
Pace 9:36
per mile
BG before 8.8
mmol/l
BG after 10.0
mmol/l
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