So sick on the Saturday and Sunday. Very sick. 4 pounds lost. Not the way I wanted though. Went a wee run with Kev on the Monday, felt fine. Tuesday did the Furlongs session and felt brilliant. Came home, went to toilet, started P***ing blood and ended up at out of hours on an emergency appointment with a sample that looked like a bottle of undiluted Vimto…. Thankfully after drinking a LOT of water it calmed down to an almost normal colour or else was being taken into hospital, but got a course of antibiotics and allowed to go home. I genuinely felt fine but it was suggested that with the sickness I had had that I was possibly very dehydrated hence causing this issue. Since then being drinking loads of water like a good boy. Didn’t run for a few days in case, promised Elaine, but decided to jog a parkrun on the Saturday. Turned up, had a warm up jog and felt fine. Met Tommy, Dave and Stuart who were also doing it. Stuart looking for a sub 20, and he is more than capable, training well. Let’s be honest at that stage I knew I wasn’t going to have a jog. I never really learn… First k done in 3.47, 12seconds faster than the previous week when I then pulled out, and I felt really good. Overtook Stuart here and decided to try and run solid 4s to come in sub 20, which I would be delighted with after the week I’d had. 2nd k 3.59, 3rd 3.59, still feeling good so opened up a wee bit, 4th in 3.48, last in 3.43 and finished in 10th place, first v40 in a season’s best of 19.17. Unexpected but happy with that one. Hopefully more to come. Stuart wasn’t far behind in around 20.30 with Dave just missing a PB close behind him. Circuit session on the Saturday night in a class of 4 (so no hiding) then Sunday did 12 ½ miles on my own in 1h38 (my fastest long one in a long time) and felt good, but calf was really sore after it, so learning at last I didn’t run again until Thursday when I felt ok on a steady club run.

This weekend sees my running from a different perspective starting off with tomorrow’s Strathclyde parkrun. This is being supported by my club Motherwell AC after an excellent suggestion by my buddy Jim White. We are providing all the volunteers/ pacers etc. to give something back as so many of us started off our running by attending parkrun. I am pacing the 25 minute group which I am both excited to do (remembering the first time I broke 25 mins in 2011, on pacer Saturday, sneaking 24.59 :)) but I’m also a bit nervous having never paced before. Hopefully I can get into my rhythm, let my watch do the work and hopefully help someone achieve an aim. Know anyone that might be interested? Get them to register at parkrun.org and come along. There’s cake…..

Part 2 sees the Down by the River 10k at Cambuslang and the first race of Motherwell’s (DRUM ROLL) 2016 Leagues and Championships. I am nowhere near my racing fitness and haven’t even tempo’d this distance this year, so although I’ll be there it’s all about the fitness build up and my aims for later in the year, so I’ll run hard but will expect nothing. Will be nice spectating rather than batting this year, and I’m particularly excited to see the battle between Cammy, Mark P, Chris and Craig for this one. To everyone running this weekend? Have a good one. To anyone who isn’t ? Come along and join us at Strathy. I’ll be in the 25 vest and see you there.