Still feeling quite nauseous. It's a horrible feeling. Just a kind of general biliousness that hangs around all day. I've not suffered with it for a couple of weeks but it seems to have come back with a vengeance over the past couple of days. I really don't feel like running when I feel like this; I had to force myself to pull on my shoes tonight. But once I got going it was ok.

I have some new go-faster songs on my running playlist. They seem to do the trick, I felt like I was flying down Somerhill Road tonight. I have my 5k playlist worked out with precision now, a couple of mid-paced shorter tracks to start off with and then into the hard stuff. I know lots of people can't run with music outside, G for example seems to think it's the height of impurity or something, but I love it. Inside or out. I don't like running without music at all. It spurs me on.

Pity it doesn't seem to have that much effect on my time though. Never mind.

Just very slightly over 5k run. (3.18 miles)
33:55. Approx 10:39 min mile pace.

It's so dark outside at night. I can barely see where I'm going. The streetlights are all covered by trees. One of these days I'm going to come a cropper.

God. Not felt good today. Sickness and nausea this morning meant that I didn't get to work till 11.30. Dan sent me a message to say don't bother coming in, just work from home but I was already on the train by the time I got it. Which was gutting. Continued to feel dodgy all day. I thought all this was behind me now, but obviously not. Debated whether or not to go for a run, felt very wobbly and jelly-legged. Decided to go to the gym and see how I felt. Opted to do an intense but short run as didn't think I could deal with the washing machine-like churning stomach of a long treadmill session. Hope I feel better tomorrow.

20 x mins crosstrainer
2 x mile run (upped incline by 0.5 every 2 mins up to 5.0, and speed by 0.2kph every 2 mins up to 10kph, and then a couple minutes 'sprint' at 11.5 - 12kph at end)
10 mins step machine
15 mins powerplate
10 mins weights

Should have explained myself a bit better yesterday. The reason why I couldn't run was partly because other plans took over and I didn't get time but mainly because I woke up yesterday morning with a completely rigid left leg, knee downwards. I didn't write about it as I was being superstitious. Wanted to ignore it and hoped it would go away, but it was still there when I got up today. It wasn't quite as bad though.

I've no idea what caused it. When I keep my foot and leg still, I can't feel anything at all but the moment I flex my ankle up or down, it's really painful along the whole length of my calf. Yesterday it was so tender going up and down the stairs that I thought the last thing I should do was go out running hills on a trail. Maybe that's a bit of a cop-out and I should have just tried it, but it felt really sore.

By tonight it was feeling quite a lot less painful so I thought I'd risk it, although the muscle is rock hard and really hurts when I try to knead it away.

I'm sure it'll go all on its own when it's ready. It didn't really bother me too much while I was actually running, but killed when I was stretching after.

Flat run tonight, went for a longish slowish one instead.

5.3 miles - 1 hour.
First twenty minutes very slow, 150 HR
Middle twenty minutes 3 x mins fast followed by 3 x mins not quite so fast, repeat - 190/170 HR
Last twenty minutes pretty slow, 165 HR

That middle bit was tough. I thought I was going to chunder at the end. Or release the peacock as Mel taught me to say in Polish today which I've already forgotten.

Not a good weekend, running wise. My plans all up the spout. Only two more weekends until the race and I still don't feel like I've done any meaningful training. For various reasons, I wasn't able to do my countryside run today, and I desperately feel like I need to get some training in on an undulating, non-smooth surface, but now I'll have to wait another week before I get the chance again. By the time I get home from work now, it's dark - and the only thing round here that comes close to a trail is the park. And I really don't want to do that in the dark on my own. If I went in the mornings, I'd have to be back by 6.15am to get ready for work, and it's dark then too.

Saturday

40 x min run. (20 mins at approx 155 HR, 20 mins at approx 175 - 180 HR)