July:

  • After falling down the stairs I was nursing a back injury from the start of the month until the middle of the month
  • From the middle of the month tightness and soreness in my right Achilles tendon

So, it wasn’t a very running month, tracking just 7.7km of running. By a long way that’s the least I’ve run in a month since… my long stretch out in the first half of 2021, when my tibia was fractured. The back meant doing the Ilkley half marathon (which I’ve been looking froward to for months) was crossed out two weeks before it happened. And then the Achilles compounded things.

I had a diabetes check up in February. My blood sugar levels were back to around 50 (ideally they should be lower 40s), pretty much where I was when I started my Diabetes Journey back in 2018. I was supposed to have my follow up in the middle of July, give it some time to bring it down before committing to the meds, but I had to rearrange it. The soonest they can do is… in 4 months time. 4 months.

I was looking at my profile in Strava the other day, I had recorded my weight as 82kg. The last time my weight was that low was November 2021 to February 2022. Since then it’s risen, wobbling between 85kg and 89kg. In 2024 my weight has never been below 86.99kg (I need that 0.01 below 87kg) and never been higher than 89kg.

Over the last 6 years I have regular blood tests. Every blood test I’ve had over that period: When my weight has been closer to 90kg my blood sugar is high, which puts me very firmly in type 2 diabetes territory. When it’s closer to 82kg my blood sugar is pre diabetic, which is good. (I have a spreadsheet with this all in.)

Anyway, as it’s been a month of no running and being quieter with work I’ve had lots of headspace to dwell on where I am. It’s mainly been a month when I’ve reflected why I run.

When you can’t do it you miss things like just lacing up and trotting out for half an hour just to experience the world.

When you can’t do it you miss being in a new city and going for an early run to see a few nooks, crannies and scout places you can go during the day.

When you can’t do it you miss the sense of calm it gives you.

When you can’t do it you miss things like having some banging dance tunes to pace those faster runs. (Or even help through a torturous steady session.)

When you can’t do it you miss hurriedly having a shower, half drying yourself, and joining a video call 30 second late half dressed.

I could go on.

But that delayed diabetes checkup, that gives me 4 months to work on myself, to help with my running — and my health in general.

The ideas:

  1. Solid foundations: 8 hours of good sleep at night.
  2. When I am sat working, get up every hour or so. A small thing, but staying stuck or slouched in my seat for a few hours ain’t good.
  3. Start of the day or at lunch go for a walk. One, preferably both.
  4. Weight: Watch what I eat (and drink), chip away at that 89kg and get down to 84kg by November. This should help my blood sugar. This could help the pressure on my Achilles too.
  5. Conditioning: Until about a year ago I had a weekly session with a trainer, that was mainly about working on. My weaker right shoulder. But the sessions were all about all over conditioning. A good thing. I stopped them because I just didn’t find the time in my working week. I’ve got a list of conditioning exercises I can do and a mental commitment to do 3 sessions a week.
  6. Get back on the bike once a week. I’ve sorted the outhouse. I just need to mount up and go.
  7. Slowly work myself back into running. No diving straight back into 10km runs. Work back into it all slowly, steadily building up.

I think that will do. Let’s see how it goes.

Run note — start of August 2024