You train hard, you make note of those rest days but sometimes it doesn’t always go to plan…

This happened to me last week. I had a week off work and had all the time to go running, go to the gym… you know the normal stuff us runners get up to! 😉

On Saturday it was Parkrun AND my birthday. I had visions of me gliding through to a PB and then celebrating with a few cocktails and cake.

Things just don’t always go to plan.

I woke up on Saturday with a twinge in my right hamstring. I probably should have rested and volunteered, but the stubborn runner in me decided to go ahead and run anyway. I did it in 26.22 which is OK considering I didn’t push it, but it wasn’t what I expected.

Still, it was alright though, as the next day I had an 11 mile run planned. I stopped drinking at about 7pm and drank plenty of water to ensure I was ready. However, I set off Sunday morning and the twinge had reappeared.

The reality was that it wasn’t something I could ignore and run through. As it stands, I still have a half marathon to run at the end of the month and it’s just not worth risking injury!

So I headed back home to sulk… and rest!

The next day I tried again, taking it steady and I managed 10 miles! Rest does work after all, who knew!

With this uncertainty happening with race cancellations at the minute, it’s going to be tough to remain positive. I recommend watching this video by The Running Channel that suggests alternatives if it is cancelled.

For now, I’m going to try to remain positive (tough gig!) and continue my training. My last long run before tapering is on Sunday. I’m really looking forward to it as whilst this week things have started to click, I’m also ready to rest a little!