Observations

• Runners always tell other runners to take a break
  
• They never take breaks themselves when advised to do so
  
• I seamlessly manage to fit into that category
  
• All the well-meant advice is gratefully received and ungracefully ignored
  
• When the inevitable injury strikes, we’ve all seen it coming from miles away.

Anyway, thanks for all your comments. The fact that I’m not taking a break isn’t meant to be disrespectful. It’s just what you guys and gals are doing as well. The chest pains have subsided by now, the pain in my side is still there but getting better as well. Mike warned me that those pains could have been caused by the extra mileage. I will keep that possibility in mind, but presently I don’t think that is the case.

I finished last week with 10 miles on Sunday (weeks begin on Monday in civilised countries). It was after 9:30 by the time I left the house, and it was already quite hot. As a result I felt a little bit sluggish all the way. However, after about two miles I passed a dirt road going up a hill that I had meant to explore for quite some time. I followed it until it turned into a grass track, and then ended in the middle of a field. I didn’t want to turn around, so I decided to run downhill until I would come back to the road. That was easy enough, but the road access was blocked by a barbed wire fence, and some wobbly stones on the other side. I did manage to climb over the fence and the stones without mishaps, but the last step fooled me. Instead of a small step, it was a drop of a bit more than a meter, and since I always run without specs, I didn’t notice it; well, not until I was unexpectedly airborne, that is. I landed in a heap on the road, both hands bloodied, the right one more so than the left one. Since I’m not running on my hands I decided to continue my run. A driver who had seen my tumble (oh, the embarrassment) inquired if I was ok and commented that it looked like a nasty fall, but I thanked him and assured him I was ok. The best thing about that episode was that I didn’t feel the pain in my right side any more, my new wounds hurt a lot more.

When I got home, the kids were very concerned about me, and when I went running today, Lola dutifully reminded me not to climb over any fences. I will hear this for a few months to come.

Those 10 miles brought my weekly mileage up to 62, my first ever mileage in the 60s. This didn’t lead up to well-deserved rest day, because I started this week with 13 miles today. I felt quite tired to be honest, but I attribute this to the several hours in the garden doing yard work on Sunday. The legs were sluggish, but I didn’t feel particularly exhausted towards the end. There is one concern though; I can feel a bit of a twinge in my left hamstring now. This time I believe you when you say that this pain is running related. I’m running 5 miles recovery tomorrow and will monitor the situation. If it gets worse, I’ll put in an extra rest day. I promise.

2 Jul: 10 miles, 1:29, 8:54 pace (including at least one mile of very hilly cross-country, plus one meter very cleverly gained for free due to gravity assistance. Ahem.)
3 Jul: 13 miles, 1:49, 8:23 pace