“The more you know who you are, and what you want, the less you let things upset you.” Bob Harris, Lost in Translation

28 Jan – Days to go on 100 days dry: 74. Days until the Dartmoor Way: 107

Sleep continues to be a sporadically enjoyable experience. I am fluctuating between being blissfully unaware of my alarm, eventually waking up feeling as heavy as stone, and tossing and turning throughout the night and pinging awake a few minutes before Hans Zimmer announces the new day. It shouldn’t be that surprising, having disrupted my approach to a number of things, but I am in flux, from one state to another, waiting for these new patterns to settle down a little more so that I can get to where I want to be.

The run last night was thoroughly enjoyable though, the new shoes are working out and I was able to control my pace throughout to the point that I felt there was more in the tank at end of each interval save the last one. OK, I pushed that one a little more than the other, knowing that it was the last of the evening, so the 5 minute cool down walk was a blessed relief. My legs seem to be able to cope with the running, aching a little in the evening, but the stretches that have been recommended are working. #littleDacombe told me off a little as she thought I was trying to ‘run through the pain’. “That way lies permanent injury”, she chastised. But the reality is that on the run the only limiting factor is the strength in my legs, rather than pain. The ache happens after, which she conceded was pretty normal.

I am impatient for progress now. My watch has a ‘fitness profile’ that takes into consideration resting heart rate, amount and intensity of exercise and sleep patterns. It seems to have dipped this week, which I am a little confused about as I was looking forward to constant improvement. But we are all complex biomechanical machines, and I have to take some inconsistencies in my stride. I approach the Monday morning weigh-ins with trepidation. I do not intend to share this with anyone except the other half, but I know that weeks that don’t show any tangible progress are going to weigh heavily on my motivation, so I need to prime myself for that.

On the upside, one treat that I read about whilst looking for specific shin stretches was that a small bottle of chocolate milk is a great reward after a run. Sure it’s packed with sugar, but also, calcium and protein. Only a small bottle though. Whatever, it’s something to look forward to after stretching.

“Your obsession with chocolate milk indicates that you might be involved in a temporal fracture.” Agent O, Men in Black 3.