Post Lockdown Training: Highs & Lows

So, a couple of weeks have passed since my last post and as I try to recall exactly what we've been up to, the only thing that really springs to mind is running. I've had a quick swipe through my phone to see if there's any other significant stuff to write about but that's all just photos of training routes and my big red race, post various runs. We did have a big play date in Parc Beaumont last week with the Marca Mums and William absolutely loved it. He was just running around with his bilingual pals, having the best of fun. It's so great to be able to get out and do these things again, even though life is far from the normal we had before lockdown. There was another national address at the end of last week announcing that as of the 2nd June, cafes, bars and restaurants will be able to open again so hopefully we will start to see some more life returning to normal. In addition, public swimming pools will also reopen so I am amped to get back in the water. William will finally have his first day back in school this Thursday and I'm very excited about him getting in to see Nathalie again. I really feel that he was getting somewhere with his french and this has been a huge setback for him. Thankfully, he still has another year in the Maternelle so can really work on his french for another 12months before moving up to the Big School. 

As I said at the start, these two weeks have really been about the training. It's been a combination of trying to keep to the every-second-day schedule that we had become accustomed to during lockdown, working towards my little target of trying to complete a 10k, and avoiding the crazy heat that has swept in. I've done a few runs on my own which I've managed to keep up around the 6k mark (unthinkable a few weeks ago) and last Sunday Iain and I went out for a long run. Things went well, I was feeling okay (apart from the usual groin/thigh niggle, and this wee issue of a sore second toe as soon as I get to about 5k) so we just kept going, and going, and by the time we got home, we'd hit the 9k mark. Absolutely delighted. But then last week those two niggles kept bothering me so although I ran a couple of times (5k +6k), I decided that on Saturday I would give my body a bit of a rest and go for a bike ride instead. I did just under 20k. I was absolutely fine with it: body enjoyed it, all good with how things had gone, and was already planning another trip then while preparing lunch I bent over to get something out a cupboard and I just felt my back go. Absolutely jammed up. I ended up rolling around for the rest of the weekend had to ask Iain to get a script for Naproxen from the team Doc on Monday. Brutal. It has eased off on the drugs, and I have a chiro appointment on Friday so hopefully it won't be too long until I'm back out. I hope to, that 10k target was really within touching distance.

Here's some photos of the past couple of weeks:

LM. :)