Good morning and Happy Sunday. I hope that whoever takes the time to read this short update is having or had an amazing weekend. I’m blogging on a Sunday as my blog is due to go through a complete redesign over the next 24 hours.
Regular readers will have noticed that there has been a slight absence of running related posts in this so-called running blog. I’ve volunteered a lot at my local parkrun, but I haven’t really run. There have been a couple of reasons for this; a severe case of the CBA and a persistent knee niggle. Recently, I’ve not been feeling quite right, after a couple of tests earlier in the week, I’m now on a course of antibiotics for Lyme disease. Evidently, running and volunteering in Sutton Park can be hazardous!
I’m incredibly lucky, it’s been caught early and I’ve been told there’s a 99.9% chance I’ll make a full recovery. After a couple of ‘Dr Google’ sessions which led to me getting myself completely stressed out, I’m now feeling a lot more positive. I’m also feeling a lot better, it’s just unfortunate that the combination of anxiety and illness resulted in me missing an interview for what would have been an amazing job back in my old office in Wallingford.
I keep telling myself that everything happens for a reason!
So, back to the subject of this blog. Before my diagnosis was confirmed, I spent quite a lot of time thinking about my options as a runner. Did I need to start again? What would be the best type of training schedule to follow?
A couple of short runs left me feeling so shattered – this may have been related to the Lyme disease, I don’t know – I reached the conclusion that I need to go back to basics as a runner. I looked back through this blog as was reminded that I’ve been in this situation a couple of times before and that I found the C25K far more challenging than I thought I would.
I spent a bit of time online, and tracked down a suitable looking Couch to Half Marathon training plan.
I like this plan because it gives me 20 weeks to get up to half marathon distance, and it doesn’t seem to assume I’ve already reached a certain distance in training. Other plans started with 3-mile training runs, there’s no way I could run that far at the moment.
I’ve spoken to my GP and showed him my proposed training plan. He said that I could start running again if I’m sensible. I’ve rearranged some of the training sessions – I mean let’s face it, all good training plans should start with a rest day – with the aim of starting from scratch on Tuesday.
I’m also aiming to write weekly training update review posts. I think people have enjoyed reading these posts in the past. I’ve certainty found them useful to refer back to.
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Good to hear you are embarking on a new running challenge. The Lyme disease is a bit of a blow, but prognosis sounds very promising. Early in the year I had some abnormal blood results and, with great effort, manged to steer clear of Dr Google (like you, I’ve stressed myself out in the past by “researching” symptoms!). I absolutely relate to your running struggles. I very reluctantly had to pull out of next week’s Great North Run because family problems meant I could not put in the training. I struggled with 2.5 miles today and it is disheartening. But hey, we runners know how to bounce back, and the recovery of past form is always satisfying! I look forward to reading about your progress. Good luck!
Hi Derek, thanks for commenting and apologies for taking so long to reply! Since upgrading(?) my blog – I’d had enough of the irritating and slightly dodgy adverts – I’ve been struggling to get up to speed with the new and improved technology. I’m so sorry you’ve been having a tough time and that you had to pull out of the Great North Run. I think running can be a really cruel sport, some people never seem to get injured and others like me are nearly always injured. I am pleased to be able to report that my training is going well, I think it will be a case of slow and steady wins the race. I hope that your family life has settled down and you are up and running again x
Poor you with the Lyme disease- I must admit I saw you post something about it on Instagram but I thought you were joking…. now I feel terrible!
I loved reading your weekly training posts before- I find that sort of thing very interesting. It sounds sensible to go back to the run/walk and build up slowly.
Also, I know if you are volunteering at parkrun then you are not actually running, but you are still involved in running so I think it is still linked. And anyway, it’s your blog so post what you like! 🙂
My family thought I was joking as well when I told them! I did feel terrible 😉 but I feel like I’m back to normal now. I’ve got one final lot of blood tests and results to go and then I hope that’s the end of the Lyme disease saga. I now make sure I’m covered in strong insect repellent when I’m in Sutton Park. I don’t want a repeat of what happened!
Hi stranger from internet. I enjoyed reading your blog not the part of the Lyme disease obviously. I hope you are well now. I saw a video from a guy from Instagram and the caption says. Google couch to 5k but instead I type to half marathon so here I am. My goal is to run the Rock & Roll San Diego half marathon next year. Send a big hug 🫂
Hello, thank you so much for commenting. I don’t want to tempt fate, but I’m all well now. Good luck with the Rock and Roll San Diego half marathon this year, I know you’ll be awesome!