Day 30

Distance Run: 3.5 miles
Total Distance Run for January: 56.15 miles
Other Exercise: None

  The end is so close I can almost taste it. January has disappeared in the blink of an eye. Aside from a few runs (two with Helen H, two without) and a trip to Fulham, I don't think I've done anything noteworthy on any weekend - usually I'm visiting friends all over the country and craving some rest at home after. It's been a good month though, and a solid start to the year. All that remains is to file the last few (probably complicated beyond belief) tax returns, whilst keeping tabs on football's transfer deadline day (which may well be duller than the tax returns), whilst fitting in one final spell of exercise. I've heard nothing about whether I'm tenpin bowling tomorrow night, which is irritating - it'd be nice to know that I definitely wasn't - but unsurprising. I'm tempted to push my Janathon mileage through the 60 barrier, and a 10k would go through the "2 miles per day" barrier too, but I'll see how I feel tomorrow night.
  For now - I'm more cheerful than I was yesterday. My foot pain ruled me out of football once again (so I've cried off for an embarrassing 3 weeks out of 4 for various reasons), but by the end of the working day I was able to walk "normally" with only some discomfort. The pain remains lodged from the left side of my heel along the left side of my foot, and Google research hasn't confirmed a likely diagnosis. Fairly sure it's not a stress fracture though. Either way, I could run "forefoot only" ok on-the-spot, so I gave a breezy 3.5 mile run a try - knowing I could turn back home soon if it proved too much. It didn't. The only bother I had was the freezing conditions, and even they were ok once my body had warmed up nicely. I knew my pace was medium-fast, and by the end this had improved to fast-medium, clocking home a fraction over 29 minutes. I've definitely lost my fast pace for the time being, but this gave me hope that, with a few concerted runs, it'd come back. I reckon a good 5k time for me would be sub-20 mins, and my current pb is nearer 23 mins. A target to work on once the marathon is done with, methinks. Happily, my right shin was a little sore but now feels better, and my left foot isn't getting worse - a positive day complete.

Injuries: Left foot improving, right shin could be better
Mood: Upbeat

  One more day. Just one more day. Just 20 more minutes and a blog entry to go. Sweet.