Week 1 Day 3

This morning (Friday) I woke up feeling very agitated. My last run was on Tuesday. 

Work on Wednesday blew my mind. For a while I’ve been feeling like I need to be pushed and have more opportunity to progress. On Wednesday I got that opportunity. By the end of the day my mind was absolutely fried. I’m not complaining, I want to be challenged, and despite feeling both drained and wired by the end of the day I was feeling proud of what I had achieved. I slept restlessly for about 7 hours then got back up and did it again. Yesterday I was in the same environment with the same patients (did I mention I’m a Nurse?) but as I had already wrapped my head around it the day before things were much smoother. However, on my short drive home I realised that my neck and shoulders were tight and I quickly developed (or became aware of?) a horrible headache. 

So, back to this morning. I woke up early feeling agitated. The state of the house annoyed me. We’ve been decorating so I had accepted that it would be a mess and it really hasn’t been an issue, but this morning the clutter made me want to throw something. And scream. The environment infuriated me and I was completely on edge. 

I was really mindful of not taking it out on my boyfriend, even making him breakfast,  but still somehow managed to chew his ear off when trying to explain how I felt. He told me I’m crazy and that he’s glad he won’t be at home today. I can’t say I blame him. 
I had a quick tidy around before deciding that I was still tired and needed to give myself a break so lay on the sofa with a blanket and coffee and watched the second half of Mind Over Marathon. I’d stumbled across the first episode last night by chance and was eager to watch the end. 

For anyone who hasn’t seen the documentary, it follows a group of 10 people with various mental health issues who are challenged to train for and complete the London marathon. The documentary explores both their physical and mental challenges, and highlights the effects of exercise on mental wellbeing.

I essentially sobbed from start to finish. 

While I have my challenges with overthinking and anxiety my issues are not even on the same scale as some of these people, yet I was overwhelmingly moved by their journey. If that’s not motivation to get off the sofa and go for a run I really don’t know what is. 

I ran in the woods again today. My boyfriend got home before I left so we went together, did a few warm up walking laps with the dogs and then he left me to it. 

By the second running interval I felt like I was struggling. My chest was tight and my ears hurt. I wondered if it was down to my poor mood but then realised my painful ears felt cold, and wondered if the drop in temperature over the last few days may have had an influence. 

Despite my mood and struggle I tried to be mindful of my surroundings, but the sky was grey and the bluebells didn’t look quite so magnificent. I spent considerably more of the run looking at the time counting down on my phone screen and barely caught my breath at the end of the walks before I had to start running again. 

But I did it. I pushed through and ran (jogged slowly) through all of the allocated run times, finishing with heavy legs and a heaving chest. Beginning the cool-down walk was the best feeling! 

Despite finding today harder and feeling a bit crap about it, my kilometre splits tell a different story. I actually ran a bit further and a bit faster than Day 2! 

My right calf was niggling in a very specific spot so I couldn’t wait to get back into the garden and have a good stretch. Sadly, my boyfriend had locked the gate from the inside and while standing on a rock and trying to reach over I managed to do myself an injury. 

Yes it’s small but it really hurt my cold little thumb! Luckily I was still buzzing from my run so something that would usually really frustrate me (how could he be so inconsiderate?!) was quickly forgotten when I realised that I could just walk around the front. 

A few hours later and the tiredness is setting in. My shoulders are neck are still tense and the clutter in the house is still frustrating me but admittedly I feel quite good. I’m pleased about the small progress I’ve made in speed and even more pleased that my poor mood did not stop me going out today. If anything it was a release and a distraction. 

Observations

1. My mid-section still itches when I run! It’s an odd sensation. 
2. Maybe I should wear a hat on cooler days to avoid ear pain?
3. Stretching felt wonderful today. I think I’ll do some research into appropriate stretches in case my calf plays up again. 

Tomorrow will be a rest day. I’m going home to see my family on Sunday and Monday so will take my trainers and choose which day to run based on how my plans develop. Oh, and tonight I’m going to lie in a nice bubble bath with a good book.