Moving forward slowly

Well I've had this shit ass virus for 18 days now. Initially it totally shut me down, then as the fever went I've had headaches, sinus blockage, and a really annoying dry cough that inhibits sleep. In an effort to make it better I shut down all exercise initially and now am finally creeping back to normal. I had this a few years ago and the cough finally went after 4 weeks dead on so I'm anxiously counting the days! Currently I am slowly feeling better and motivation and drive is returning.

old train tunnel not even a mile from my house! 

This past week I run commuted as I do most days, 3 miles to and from work, in order to at least start. The second run of the day was tough, filled with coughing, farmer blows, and general not feeling well until I took an ibuprofen to ease the head pressure. I also attempted some calisthenics which proved to be difficult and uncomfortable but at least I did them even if the quality was lower than normal. I made it to one JKD class which despite being fun was filled with dry coughs and a clouded mind. 

So all I have on the horizon is building back up to where I was before the hammer fell. Then I would absolutely love to run the Worcestershire Way on my birthday, around 35 miles from Bewdley to Great Malvern. Add in a few miles on each end getting to Bewdley from my house and to the train station from the Worcestershire Beacon and I'd hope to hit 42 miles on my 42nd birthday. That's the plan at least!

testing the Saucony Koa ST trail shoe

Other goals and habits I'm hoping to set are more calisthenics and strength work and also more JKD practice at home. I've been messing around with nunchucks a fair amount to add variety to my JKD which helps instill the habit. A little here every day soon adds up and also increases each time you do it. Same with the calisthenics. None of this is due to the "new year," they're things that I've been meaning to do for a while but with Christmas and this virus the build up got shut down.

sunny and cold run commute to work

Life got pretty crazy over Christmas with family issues, illnesses, stress, etc. and I'm damn glad it's over. Christmas is officially on the shit list. Things have calmed down significantly and I'm ready to get back to a normal routine.

A few photos from an easy trail run pre-Christmas testing out some aggressive trail shoes, I had been anxiously awaiting the right conditions. I heard about the train tunnel and figured out on the map approximately where it was and found it! Pretty cool find. Unreal it's probably not even a mile from my house! Sounds like the locals have always known about it, back home this would've been a popular campfire and party spot, here, not so much. At the end a view of the River Severn from the Diglis footbridge looking upstream. You can see Worcester Cathedral in the distance.