Day 7

Distance Run: 3.5 miles
Total Distance Run for January: 11.05 miles
Other Exercise: None

  The first week of Janathon is completed with only my second run of the year - with a revised action plan brought into action. Health permitting, I'm set to be playing football on Mon, Wed and Thu this coming week, with Monday's session a spell in defence/midfield (i.e. more tiring). Having reluctanly ruled out an 11 mile Sunday run (it could be doable, but it's much more likely to do me more harm than good whilst my head feels thoroughly congested), I chose to put in a reasonable pace, flat, steady run today, and throw in some more Wii Fit tomorrow - with a health review to follow on Monday morning. Football isn't compulsory, but it's a well-earned league play-off semi-final (the team, Barcelogilvy, finished 4th of 9 teams in the league, and now play the team who finished 1st for a place in the grand final), so I'm keen to play if I can - even though it involves trekking to Edgware Road from Enfield for the privilege. I reckon whatever I have is just a cold, so another 36 hours could see me in much better shape.
  As it is, I got through 3.5 miles in a shade under 30 minutes fairly comfortably, which felt good. My lungs weren't too bad throughout, and injury-wise my only concern was a niggle in my left calf - more ice required. Having spent the vast majority of the preceding 24 hours in my bed, I felt obliged to reward myself for maintaining my daily exercise routine in the face of mild adversity. Given a distinct lack of social options locally, and no desire to trek anywhere remotely far from my bed, the obvious choice was declared the winner. One short(ish) phone call and short drive later, and I'm stood in Enfield Town's Nando's awaiting my peri-peri feast, along with several other addicts. I hadn't bothered changing out of my running gear, or shaved any time recently, which meant a dishevelled sweaty man in a black coat, shorts and running trainers stood amongst slightly more traditionally dressed patrons and staff members. In the several minutes I stood (no space to sit without infringing on the personal space of others - although this didn't stop a young child mounting the space on the beanbag behind me and making minor contact with my leg whilst settling himself for all of eight seconds before he went off to impatiently explore the restaurant again - I didn't track his progress but within three minutes he was bawling quite loudly, and I don't put that down to extreme hunger), I had various dishes pass in front of me on their way to patient diners. For a split second, and with my post-run munchies in full swing, I imagined what it'd be like to run amok in the kitchen; gourging on peri-peri chips, devouring all the halloumi cheese, cramming in the chicken and polishing off the cheesecake - with a glass of 90% Coke Zero 10% Fanta to wash it all down with. Assessing the options (and that I'd already paid) the reality would be I'd get through three chips at best before being detained, and an element of self-restraint paid dividends with my order arriving soon after this vivid hallucination - enabling me to get out of Enfield Town, back home and munching on chicken, chips, cheese and corn (or "the quadruple C classic", as it's never been known before) post-haste. Die Hard with a Vengeance on the TV meant today wasn't a lazy write-off after all!

Injuries: Minor soreness in calf muscles and abs - sleep on it
Mood: Post-peri-peri high

  With no social or sporting commitments tomorrow, I'll have plenty of time to continue/resume my life clear-out - a long-term project that, like widening the M1 between the M25 and M6, has been going for what feels like years and with no end still in sight. If my head doesn't feel like it comprises 62% of my bodymass when I eventually wake up - we'll see what gets done.