My glass is half full

I've been reading some accounts of this year's Paris marathon this last couple of days, including some of the future plans and hopes of those that completed the event.

That reminded me of how I was feeling this time last year and, in turn, made me think a little about how I'm feeling now.

A year ago I'd completed the race in 4hrs 26 minutes and I was really pleased with that. It hadn't been a particularly cool day, I was wearing padding over a bad blister, had only trained for 13 weeks (after 8 weeks off), and had trained pretty much on a 'get you round' programme...but even without those barriers (and the fact I'd dieted for the first 11 of those 13 weeks...) I'd have been quite happy with that time.

However, over the following 6 months, I gradually increased my mileage, began racing again, worked hard on my cadence and lost some more weight. That meant that by October I was running far faster than before and my race times were predicting that I should be able to get round in under 3:30 this year.

Then injury struck.

But now I'm a further 6 months on and very much feel like there is light at the end of the tunnel.

At times being injured really got me down but now I'm running again and appear to be getting stronger from cross training and the physio's exercises.

In fact, I'm even beginning to wonder if breaking down last year may prove to be a blessing - how about that for positivity?

Ok, I'll be another year into my dotage by the time of Paris next year (assuming its Paris I go for, and it probably will be), but without having been injured I'd have just carried on running as before.

Nothing wrong in that per se and I might well have got 3:30 this year but I wouldn't have joined the gym and got into cross training and nor would I be working on core strength, pelvic stability and firing glutes with the physio.

I'm still not doing a whole lot of running and neither am I anywhere close to as lean as I'd like yet but I'm sure that both the gym and physio work are giving me extra strength and, more importantly, greater speed endurance.

In other words, I'll be a stronger, faster runner in a couple more months than I was at my peak last year, and that has to be something to be pleased about doesn't it?