Thursday 3 October 2013

PARANOIA


Why is it, that in the run up to a mara’ I always feel less prepared than the last time?

You would think that as the number of marathons completed starts to add up that your confidence and readiness improves…. With me, at least, the opposite seems to be the case. I just don’t feel that I’ve done the volume of long un’s prior to this one.
Saturday we see me pretty busy helping out at a race - so Sunday is my last chance for a real bit of heavy duty LSD before York.

My paranoia also affects my health. Especially “Autumn” marathons… I appear to be working in the centre of a plague pit at the moment. Everyone seems to have a cold/sniffle/flu or whatever. I always end up going a bit “later day Howard Hughes” in the build-up to the race. Terrified of infection.

The new manifestation of the “madness” this time round is that I am continually “cleansing” my hands with that alcohol gel stuff. I once read that Paula Radcliffe used to wipe the handles of shopping trolleys with that stuff, before she used them, to try and keep clear of infection before a race – maybe she too has been to Lidl in the Kirkgate. Though, to be honest when you see the clientele in there flu and cold viruses are the least of your worries.

1 comment:

Yak Hunter said...

Everybody at my work is ill too, and it does seem rude to back away and clean the phone after they've used it but at the same time....I bumped into someone I hadn't seen for ages when I was out being a nurse the other day and they shook my hand and then told me they'd had an "intestinal thing" for the last 3 days. Luckily I was able to slip the alcohol gel out of the boot of the car and thoroughly disinfect quite soon after....may you get to your marathon illness-free.