Back to health

It's now been five weeks since my last lung flare up.

I've had three good weeks of training, then a week backpacking in Shenandoah National Park, and then a week at a science conference (for work). During the latter, I was only able to run at the end of the week when I returned to the U.K., and then did only brief runs. However, I was on my feet all day at the conference and walked a great deal.

Now that I'm home, I'm hoping to get in a more settled schedule of running.

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The nights have drawn in dramatically. The clocks have fallen back here in the U.K., and it is dark by 5 p.m. Today, it was rainy with low cloud, and it seemed to get dark at 4. This is what I call the "dark season", and most of my runs now will be with a torch (flashlight).

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I'm just toying with the idea of a spring marathon. I like the structure it gives to the winter, and the fitness base it provides for the rest of the year. It might also be a way of building back after my various lung issues.

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Shenandoah was terrific, in a subtle way. The fall colours were great, and the skies clear and blue. One night, as we sat around a fire at an Appalachian Trail shelter, we looked up to see the Milky Way.

Opportunity is a guest who doesn't linger

My peak flow has been in the 500s all week, and thus I have been able to get back to running.

This was my week:

Mon. - run 3.25 miles
Tues. - run 4 miles with club
Weds. - run 5.6 miles (town loop)
Thurs. - swim 1100m at lunch; run 3.5 miles p.m. (2 of which were a handicap race in which I came last)
Fri. - nothing
Sat. - walk 3-4 miles (backpacking)
Sun. - walk 4-5 miles (backpacking)

Four consecutive runs might have been a bit much, but I was feeling good, and my wife was taking a few running days off, so I seized the chance to get out.

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High pressure has been sitting on the U.K. for more than a week now, and this has meant clear, sunny days and crisp nights. With a good forecast for the weekend, and no real commitments, I took the opportunity for an overnight backpacking trip in the highlands with my son. The midges (small, biting insects) were out Saturday evening, so we retreated to the tent and read until it got dark. In the morning, the bugs weren't so bad, and we had a pleasant walk in the sun.

At a nice resting spot under some Scots pines, I shed my pack and enjoyed the morning light.