Running with an Urti

I have been looking after someone’s urti for the past few days. I don’t know to whom he belongs, but it has meant that my activity levels have been lower than I would have liked this week.  There have been opportunities for mid-week running, but in the end I opted for a glass of wine. The elite marathon runner’s regulation book is quite clear that you should not really run with an urti, but these little Nepalese mountain dogs make such good companions – they scamper ahead, finding the best route through the undergrowth.

It is probably best that I keep a low profile, given that I am already in the marathon police’s caution book (Running Against the Rules). They have samples of my RNA (Runningnucleic Acid). An additional complication today was the return of snow and ice to the Northamptonshire steppes. I did not wish to upset my new friends the penguins  again (Running Like a Penguin). Time to compromise. I took my urti on a half-hour walk to the gym and spent some time on the dreadmill. I kept up a steady pace on an incline, covering 5km (hardly a long run, another misdemeanor to go in the book) and climbing over 650 feet. Good for endurance and a bit of muscle strengthening. Oh, on Friday i did manage to put in a little work with weights in the gym – I’m sure it all helps, and it is good mitigating evidence when the MP eventually come knocking.

As is often the case, I promised myself a longer run in the coming few days, but who knows what will happen? The siren wine is always there, but not on the rocks. Personal circumstances mean that I will not be able to do a long run next Sunday, and by then we will be 9 weeks out from the big day in Edinburgh. It looks like I’m drifting away from my target time…..need to re-focus my efforts.

Ten weeks until the Edinburgh Marathon on 27th May! And I have got my fundraising page up and running! I am trying to raise funds for Kettering Mind, a voluntary organisation that provides invaluable help to people affected by mental health problems.

Clarification:  URTI = upper respiratory tract infection.