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Oh Manchester, So Much To Answer For
Race Week

Well, it's that time once again and it only feels like Amsterdam was 5 minutes ago, but here we go again ...

The week in numbers ...
Miles ran: 13.52 miles (upto Saturday)
Gym visits: 0
Chocolate eaten: 0
Alcohol drunk: 1 pint Guinness

Weight: No idea, don't weigh myself race week

Monday 13th April

Rest day today, and taper week so very little running will be happening, just enough to tick over.

It's also the week where phantom aches and niggles start on a daily basis. I had planned to cut back on appointments this week to be fresh and well rested for the weekend but then I remembered I have a mortgage and bills to pay so just booked loads of people in anyway.

Today is just standard work all day, 15 mins gaps between appointments and by the evening I'm wrecked. I lie on the settee with a cup of coffee and stick a movie on. It's a new Japanese horror film I want to see but I can only find it on Japanese with either French or German subtitles.

Now I don't speak Japanese and not can I read French or German but I give it a go for 10 mins or so before I decide it's not working and I have zero idea what's going on. I give up and watch some shit telly instead and then go to bed.

Today's phantom injury is a clicking left knee, every time I twist a certain way it clicks so I spend a huge portion of the day twisting this specific way to keep checking it. It's aching by evening and it's almost certainly from me constantly twisting it to check if it still clicks.

Tuesday 14th April

Working back to back all morning until 1pm.

My clucky knee is no longer clicking, I twist a few hundred times to double and treble check but it's fine.

At lunchtime I nip into Whitley as I've decided I need new throw away clothes for the start line, the outfit I had purchased has been in my wardrobe and I take it out today to try on and realise just how utterly impractical it is to wear and my god it's heavy and I realise just how much I'll sweat in it.

I scour the shops but nothing anywhere, I'll try again tomorrow.

I'm working til half 6 and then need to get ready and get to the club. Life gets in the way and I don't get out the house until 7pm so have to shoot down the seafront to meet the group. The session tonight is 14 mins tempo and then loads of hills on the way back, I'm planning ing to do the 14 mins tempo and then just jog back easy.

I set off the groups and then head off for 14 mins, first mile in 7:06 and second mile in 6:54 so bang on 2 miles in 14 mins and it felt pretty good, jog back in with Graham and then nip to co-op to grab some tea. Like a true athlete I avoid the chocolate aisle.

Today's phantom injury is a pain in my right calf, it aches like mad when I'm sitting on the settee and wakes me up a few times during the night.

Wednesday 15th April

Another rest day.

Working first thing and then take Murphy out and then nipping back into Whitley to check for charity shop clothes.

My right calf pain is still there bit has now moved to the top by the back of the knee and it's a bit sore but no bruise or swelling. I'll get on the foam roller today and the calf stretch board and sort it out.

Heading into Whitley and I find just what I'm looking for. I already have a jacket and a last minute Amazon purchased bright purple rainmac but now I have a warm top to go underneath and it's a beauty, a true beauty.

I hunt for trousers but it's all jeans and chinos and then a moment of inspiration I move across the shop and I find just what I'm looking for.

"What do you think?"

"I think... You just sold a brother some slacks"

If you know, you know.

Thursday 16th April

A quiet day today. I had planned on a quiet week and then I booked loads of people in but today is actually a nice easy day.

Out for breakfast in the morning and then home for a bit of work and then spend the afternoon sorting my gear and packing my bag for Manchester.

In the evening I'm just doing an easy run upto Foxhunters to watch the group session and then an easy run back home.

Then sit and watch a movie and have a can of Guinness Zero.

My calf still hurts and now my knee has decided it'll also random start to ache when I bend it.

Friday 17th April

I had booked two people in today, and early one and then an afternoon one and a free day in-between.

And then.

I booked loads more appointments and I'm now working the entire day back to back until 5pm, I'll sort my packing out at some point in-between appointments and finalise my playlist for Manchester.

It's basically the same playlist from Amsterdam with a few tweaks, I've added some Zutons, another Moana soundtrack song, some Wu Tang Clan because I love a chorus of swearing to get me in the mood. Moana doesn't do this every much surprisingly but the Wu Tang Clan shouting "Wu Tang Clan ain't nuthin' to fuck wit" and the Super Furry's singing "You know they don't give a fuck about anybody else" over and over again gets me going.

As I type this I'm listening to the playlist and Moana has just come on and I've got shivers going through my body. This song has a visceral effect on me every time, very weird but what a film, what a song, what a soundtrack.

The Wu Tang Clan ain't nuthin' to fuck wit

Sing it with me !!

Pizza for tea, no booze.

Two cans of Guinness Zero, cheers Rob

You know they don't give a fuck about anybody else

Saturday 18th April

Up at 8, a nice lie in.

Get ready and head down for a parkrun shake out run, super slow and easy and then back home.

My knee hurts the whole way round. I ignore it and pretend it's fine.

It's fine.

Then shower, get dressed and jump on the metro up to town. As has become tradition I have a burger and fries for lunch, this is exactly what Kipchoge does before his marathons and rumour has it he did a Double Whopper with extra bacon and cheese and went large the night before he broke 2 hours.

I stick to a veggie burger and fries and a coffee.

Onto the train and managed to get a last minute first class upgrade. Biscuits, coffee, water, red wine....

And then they say the train is withdrawn and we have to get off in York, have a whinge on WhatsApp to Greg who's on the same train but he's in peasant class. We get to York and jump on the replacement, as we walk past the carriages it's rammed, looks like 2 trains worth of people already on here and standing room only.

Me and Lily decide we're going first class anyway, not sure the seatfrog upgrade transfers trains but we leg it and jump in first class and grab 2 seats at the table. The next ten mins sees loads of first class passengers come on and they don't look happy as there's no seats left. Me and Lily are happy and find it hilarious. Also slightly nerve wracking as we wait to be chucked out of our seats for not having an upgrade for this train.

Turns out we have 2 trains worth of people on this one train, that's two trains that were 5 carriages each now all on one one train, one train that's 3 carriages long. Not that I care as I'm in first class with a table and chair.

Arrive in Manchester and drop gear off at my brother's and then off to the pub for the traditional pre marathon pint of Guinness. I say 'traditional' but I've only ever done this once before in Amsterdam and I had a good run so now it's a 'tradition'

Then off to a Vietnamese cafe for some veggie rice rolls and some spicy veggie noodles. Absolutely stuffed after eating all that and then a walk back to my brother's flat to chill before bed.

My gear is sorted, my chuck away charity gear is sorted, my gels are sorted and my stroopwaffles for breakfast are sorted. Stroopwaffles for breakfast are also a tradition and are also a tradition that I just started on Amsterdam in October.

Next blog update coming on Monday.

See you all on the other side.

And remember ...

The Wu Tang Clan ain't nuthin' to fuck wit.