Minor trials & tribulations

Its funny how just as you feel you're back in control life can throw some unexpected obstacles in your direction.

Things were going well last week. By Friday morning I'd had a good week dieting and the heavy, morale boosting weight loss of the first week was very much in evidence. After a rest day I was due to run again too.

Then along comes obstacle number one. My youngest daughter was absolutely full of cold, hadn't slept well at all and had a slight temperature so wasn't fit for school. That meant she was home with me all day so no opportunity to nip out for a run during my lunch break. Not to worry though - I could simply run Saturday & Sunday instead.

Time for obstacle number two. Late morning there is a knock at the door and there's a lad selling dish cloths, fridge fresheners and the like. Thanks but no thanks. Then as I run back upstairs I somehow catch my little toe on a door frame. As I do so there's an audible 'snap' and I fear the worst, but as I brace myself for a wave of pain I actually find it doesn't seem too bad. Within minutes though it doesn't look good as the toe swells to be 50% bigger than it's neighbour. It throbs the rest of the day and Friday night and its difficult to walk on. Still swollen and now largely blue, I cancel Saturday's run and don't feel too optimistic for Sunday either.

Saturday dinner and time for obstacle 3 to join the party, as a tooth breaks. That's slightly painful and certainly irritating but a trip to the chemists for some temporary filling mixture limits the damage.

Trouble is I haven't run as planned and, feeling sorry for myself, the dieting stops and is replaced by binging of sorts. Fortunately the tooth precludes sweets but an enormous chocolate cake made for the youngest's birthday party on Saturday (that was cancelled due to her illness) provides a capable stand in.

By Sunday morning the swelling has largely gone and, contrary to expectations, I manage a run. Along the muddy bank of the river Aire and back. Slightly slower than last time but with an occasionally painful toe, lots of slipping and sliding and a wait for a family of runners to pass at one point means that's none too surprising. Positively, at least I'm running again and, passing wait aside, its done none stop.

The chocolate cake hasn't completely gone though - a situation I remedy by early evening. Meaning its turned into a mixed weekend. It wasn't the virtuous, lean, athletic break I'd envisaged but then neither had it turned into the complete disaster that looked on the cards by Saturday morning.

Once again, I'm back on the dieting 'horse' today, and a few days of discipline and the weekend's excesses will be just an insignificant blip.