12 weeks to go, 11 miles a day, 3 rest days and a l'esprit de l'escalier

This week was very settled in comparison to previous “recovery” weeks following a long training run. I gave myself an extra day off on Monday and then covered 11 each day for the rest of the working week.

There is a 5.4 mile loop near my house that I have ran most days since moving there last year. Similar to how when driving routes used frequently, some people make turns and go the right way without focusing on it, this sort of familiarity seems to help when running. Especially when it comes to going up hills, knowing you’ve got up it literally hundreds of times before without having to stop/walk can be a massive confidence boost.

With the exception of one training run the other side of the city and one in the gym, this route accounted for all my training this week.

I have always tried to acknowledge other runners while out either with a wave or short positive statement of the time of day. Quite a few reciprocate but not all. It’s very rare but occasionally people give stunted advice from car windows or when walking in the opposite direction.

This is normally when I’m out of breath and look like I’m struggling more than I actually am. I have taken to using these times as a force for good by thinking of a (usually crude) l'esprit de l'escalier. A french phrase which loosely translated means comment of the staircase. This is the witty comment you think of in the stairwell on the way home from the dinner party.

A previous example of this from a few years ago was when running with a friend we were told by a brash woman with a pram to get our legs up, I retorted shortly afterwards that I bet most of her problems in life come from having her legs up!

During my last run of the week, I had some similar advice to “suck my stomach in” from a woman around my age. Rather than recycling old jokes, after running for about 20 minutes I wished I’d said that i would suggest her doing the same if I didn’t think the amount of drugs that may exit her system at once may cause a deviated septum!

Granted these comebacks are wildly disproportionate but since they are unlikely to read this, they won’t cause offense.

I’m going to try maintain a higher weekly mileage (around 50) for the next few months so hopefully having distractions like these will make the running more enjoyable.