A month...

Of running and not running does this for me. I am stronger than this time last year, that is for sure. I have done a reasonable amount of exercise. I have backed off when my legs seem to threaten breaking.

Football, despite the vibe, gets my fitness up. It forces me to continue despite the fact that at times I don't want to move. There are not races yet, still I continue.

More than that, I realise that someone who is in the top 10 400m runners runs a 5k slower than me! That is some realisation.

I also realise this: that the paces of a race seem to relate to my life. Sometimes a race makes me want to stop, or at least slow down. And I am suspicious of speeding up as much as I am of slowing down. Except for the pushing myself as I did during the Great North Run...