The road to London: A sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach

If I thought falling over at Newbold Comyn and rolling into a puddle would be the low point of my training (see last week’s blog), I was wrong.

For this week (we’ll call it week 2), I was seriously thinking that my training was over before I even got to start my schedule.

I’ve stepped it up a bit as I’ve been on holiday from work so in effect I’ve been a full-time athlete (if the definition of a full-time athlete is someone who also has a long list of DIY jobs to do, nursery pick-ups and a perpetually full dirty washing basket).

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However, the day when it threatened to go wrong was just supposed to be an easy recovery effort straight after dropping Iris off at nursery.

Captured in action at Warwick parkrun.Captured in action at Warwick parkrun.
Captured in action at Warwick parkrun.

I knew something was amiss when I lifted Iris out of the car. I’ve had an inguinal hernia for close to 15 years and it has never been too much of a problem. I get a pain in the pit of my stomach, push the hernia back in and all is fine.

This time, though, I’ve got a bit of a dilemma as I’m in a nursery. No matter, I’ll drop Iris off and deal with it on my run.

Now the plan was to set off on my run in a gingerly fashion, find a quiet back road and just force it back through the opening.

A few furtive fumblings and it’s not going back in.

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More running and now I’m quite a way from home and seem to have found the busiest road in Warwick.

There is a quiet passageway and some trees, though, which afford me a bit of privacy. But they could also make the situation far worse.

“I saw him in the bushes, officer, with his hands down his shorts and a bulge in his pants.”

So my only option was to have a few quick rummages when there was a gap in the traffic and hope for the best.

It still wasn’t going back in.

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In fact, five miles of uncomfortable running and a warm shower still weren’t able to clear up the problem and I seriously thought that was going to be the end of my hopes of running London.

Sensing the moment, I even sat with my head in my hands and a towel on my head.

In the end, though, a second (lengthy) shower did the trick, my protrusion was no more and marathon training was back on track.

However, I will be lifting nothing more than a pen in the run-up to London.

Sorry Iris.

***

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I have my first road race of the year on Sunday when I take part in Not The Roman IX.

And in the manner of most runners, who reel off a list of ailments before a race, only to knock out a massive PB, I wish to point out that I shall be doing a ten-mile training run the day before.

So, my legs will be heavy from the mileage. Oh, and did I mention my hernia?

Completed training:

Saturday: 9 miles including Warwick parkrun in 19:29.

Sunday: Around 15 miles easy.

Tuesday: Mile warm-up, speed session at track, mile warm-down.

Wednesday: 5 miles recovery.

Thursday: 3 miles warm-up, 6 x 1k at around 6:20 pace, 1.5 mile warm-down.

Imodium usage (running total): 2.

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