Rain, Rainbows and Runny Noses

Monday 2nd April

Distance: 1.20 mile
Time: 0:13:47 min
Avg Speed: 5.22 mph                            
Avg Pace: 11:29min/mile
Calories Burned: 162

Just out for a quick one round the block this morning and realised that I probably wasn’t feeling very well. Managed my mid-week route it was ok on my legs but I was wheezy in the chest and breathing proved difficult. Think I may be coming down with something. Don’t really have the energy to write much……

Tuesday 10th April 

Distance: 5.60 mile (actual)
Time: 1:02:09: min (approx.)
Avg Speed: 4.49 mph (approx.)                    
Avg Pace: 13:34 min/mile (approx.)
Calories Burned: 619

As stated in my brief entry for last week when I suspected I was feeling ill, in what may have been a self-fulfilling prophecy, proved true and for the last week I have been waylaid with a full blown head cold. I spent two days in bed and am still now troubled by a cough and a runny nose. However I felt well enough to get up at 6.12am and go out for a run today. What needs to be said here though is that I am not at home. It being Easter, myself and my Raison d’etre are visiting his parents on the beautiful island of Anglesey, North Wales. So today instead of my normal route I found myself running alongside the Menai Straits from the village of LLangoed to the town of Beaumaris.
With the Snowdonia mountain range in the far distance of my vista it was without doubt the most glorious way to start a day and by far my most scenic run to date. Unfortunately my Endomondo tracker app managed to switch off twice en route even though the GPS was good, so consequently I have had to estimate all my stats. The only one I know is correct is the mileage as we drove the route later in the day and was able to measure my run.

 I had no sooner left the house, as the village clock struck 6.30am and it started to rain. Thankfully it did not last long and in its wake as I rounded a corner on the very winding road, I was greeted by a rainbow. I tried to get a photo but sadly it faded before I could sort myself out. Now dear reader I am most definitely in the Judy Garland camp when it comes to rainbows. I love them and they hold many of my wishes so I felt even more invigorated in my endeavours. Running on with rainbows above me and picture postcard views all around was all the inspiration I needed.

I had decided to stick to the road route rather than diverting up along any of the many, many lanes and side roads that pepper the island, where I risked the potential to get myself lost or at the very least run around in circles. It has just occurred to me that if I had got lost I could have called out the RAF rescue helicopter but Prince William is away from his Anglesey base at the moment so it would have been a little pointless.

In spite of my wanting to run, my running in an inspirational setting and reasonable conditions I did find my legs a little sluggish and my breathing was not good, made all the more difficult by frequent stops to blow my somewhat snotty nose. Having been ill and not having the energy, inclination or strength to run for over a week I was not expecting this to be an easy run. I was not fast. I could not maintain a long run for more than ¾ of a mile and my times were long and leisurely. All that said I did enjoy my jaunt along the rugged Welsh coast and I am looking forward to my next visit there when I will hopefully be in full health and I will repeat the route and see if I can improve my stats.

When all is said and done I only had a cold. Was it annoying? Yes. Was it uncomfortable? Yes. Did it slow me down? Yes. Did I feel wretched? Yes. Will it go away? Yes. Will I recover? Yes. Will I get back to full strength? I will and I will get stronger the more I train. I will get faster the more I train. I will build up my endurance the more I train. My Raison d’etre was watching TV tonight and he saw an advert with someone bowling on it, ‘I’d like to go bowling again’ he said wistfully. ‘Well we will’ replied I. ‘No we won’t, I would just fall over, I could not do it again.’ My heart lilted.

When we have full health we take it for granted so for my love I keep on running and with the support of you my friends, family and blog readers I will raise funds for the Muscular Dystrophy Campaign.

If you want to read about the Muscular Dystrophy Campaign its work, outreach, campaigns and research just log on to www.muscular-dystophy.org  and see why I am doing this. If you feel you want to support me then please log onto my ‘Just Giving’ account and make a donation www.justgiving.com/Team-LewisMDC. A huge thanks you to all of you who have donated already.

Thank you for your support.