Thousands of people will be pounding the pavements through the summer months to get in shape for the first Run Norwich 10k race on August 30. Among them is television presenter Jake Humphrey, who in his special fortnightly column for the Evening News, has revealed a set-back in his training.
The clock is ticking down, the days are being ticked off the calendar, the epic Run Norwich is just over a month away. So, therefore, I'm fighting fit, full of energy, improving my times, and getting the miles under my belt, right?
Wrong.
Since my last column two weeks ago a bug has hit me. Nothing serious, just a runny-nosed, chesty-coughed, lethargy-inducing bug, and I know where I got it.
How many of you reading this are parents? If you are, you'll know what I mean by 'kids' bugs'.
The kind of innocuous, mild cold that barely causes your child to slow down, yet can bring an adult to a grinding halt. Not great when I am feeling the Run Norwich date fast approaching.
Having not run for two weeks, and feeling I'm now behind on my training, I decided to 'run off' my bug.
Bad move.
My plan, on Sunday evening, was
to visit my brother's house in Cringleford, then, while Harriet drove home with Flo and her ever-increasing eight-month baby bump, I'd run. It started OK, and for the first 10 minutes I felt fine, not great, a little tired, but fine.
Some 15 minutes in, and suddenly my feet were lumps of concrete, my legs made of lead, and my lungs resembled those of a 60-a-day smoker.
Twenty minutes and just 3k down the road, I stopped. I STOPPED! Just six weeks until I need to run three times that distance in front of people, and I gave up. That was bad, and what made it even worse was that by now Harriet was home, Flo was tucked up in bed, and I was alone with my aching, heavy legs and some 'motivational' music on my iPhone that suddenly seemed very ironic.
Eye of the Tiger? Pussycat more like. Perhaps it's a low point all novice runners feel before they tackle their first big event. Maybe this was a wake-up call I needed telling me that 10k requires training, or maybe I'm just daft for trying to take on my bug.
Whatever the reason for my struggles, the great news is that I still have weeks until the run, and what a run it's going to be.
I know official figures have not yet been released, but trust me when I tell you that, I believe, this run is going to be HUGE, the biggest and best ever staged in Norwich.
Thousands on the streets, plenty of local interest, and an event that isn't a dull loop around a nondescript part of our county, but a picturesque plod right through the heart of our finest city. There are still places, but they are limited, so if you'd like to run with me, then sign up now before it's too late. Trust me, you'll thank yourself for it on September 1.
Please, don't think, 'oh, I'll do it next year', or, 'I'm not fit enough for that' – neither am I, and if I can, you certainly can!
And the best news of all is that a former Olympian will train you. Just head to the Run Norwich website where you can find a training plan created by Paul Evans from Active Norfolk.
So, my plan this week is to clear the cough, put this blip behind me, and finally start the build-up to the first ever Run Norwich... why don't you do the same?
Catch Jake's next training update in the Evening News on Thursday, July 30.
Are you training for Run Norwich? Tweet us your progress @eveningnews
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