One step forward, two steps back

3 weeks ago I was really happy with how training was coming along. It was a Saturday morning and I was jogging back from PDS track having completed another successful workout with 60 miles and a really strong long run also in the week's bank. I was suffering from a cold but apparently fighting through it without it getting any worse. With a day off ahead I was hoping it would clear up and I could start another good week of training on the Monday.

Monday morning came and I could barely get out of bed. For the rest of the week I felt awful; tired, drained, sinuses messed up, painful pressure in my head. I didn't attempt to run a step until Memorial Day the following week. A six mile slog later and hoping I had turned the corner. Tuesday to Thursday I did some more easy running and my sinus infection cleared up and it looked like I could resume proper training again. On the Friday night I lined up at the start of the Office Party 5k which I had already paid my entry for a few weeks earlier when it had been postponed because of an anticipated storm that didn't even materialize. I wasn't expecting much, just wanted to get through it and use it as a hard workout to get me up and running again.

Unfortunately it was 85 degrees, sunny, breezy and humid and the race was miserable! My second mile was 5:54, a pace I ran for the entire 26.2 at Richmond a couple of years ago. I finished in 17:55, a new personal worst! On top of this it transpired that I had strained my achilles/calf during the race. I haven't run a step in the 9 days since that race and am feeling pretty down with running at the moment! The calf is feeling better and based on my experience of these issues I should back on my feet by the end of next week at least but this has been another setback I could barely afford. Back to square one, more like back to square half :-)