Happily Ever After

Life in The Rural Retreat with a beautiful wife, three cats, garden wildlife, a camera, a computer – and increasing amounts about running

Earlier posts can be found on Adventures of a Lone Bass Player, where this blog began life. Recent entries can be found here.

There's Always An Excuse

by Russell Turner - 16:11 on 18 September 2019

For my penultimate long run yesterday I managed just over 15 miles in just under three hours, the last half mile walked. I’d hoped to hit 16 miles so this was disappointing.

The reason for under-achievement could have been the wind, or the boredom that set in after two hours when energy began to drain away; most likely though is the cold I thought I’d held off with Vick’s First Defence but which emerged later in the day and was confirmed today as not hypochondria. Fortunately it’s not a bad one (at the time of writing) and almost 12 months since my last virus, so I shouldn’t complain.

It’s difficult to judge whether my recent run-downness is what made me susceptible, or if it was the illness brewing that left me run down. Whatever, in a few days I should be back in peak condition, boredom banished, and ready to attempt 18 miles on Monday after a restful no-gig weekend and the Great Scottish Run six days later.

(If you’d like to leave me a message on the Great Wall of Support you can do it here. I might need it. My race number is 9037.)

So this afternoon featured comfort eating and, eschewing the unwatched TV recordings piling up on the set-top box, a comfort DVD. You can rely on an old favourite like Jaws. Rain has fallen all day so I’d an excuse for not mowing the lawn.

I’ve also investigated the world of bone conduction technology in case long-distance running boredom returns and I feel the need for music or, more likely, back-to-back episodes of Cabin Pressure to help the miles fly by.

Bone conduction sunglasses look cool but, like the headphones, rely on something with Bluetooth to transmit sound. As I continue to resist the lure of the smartphone I suspect I’ll continue to run without audio assistance for the foreseeable future.

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