Running fitness in 2026 has felt good and the steadiest period for many years. As I have surely rambled on about before, there's sometimes a moment or a particular run when you feel on top of everything. That dangerous place where the joy of the present is nulled by the fear of the near future. Maybe getting carried away and getting an injury niggle, or catching a bad cold or something, anything that is going to knock you off your perch.
I had such a run and feelings on an otherwise inoccous three miler to the Cumbrian village of Lindale, near to where we were on a long camping weekend. On the back of a tougher run the day before, I wasn't hanging about and yet it felt easy, plenty left in the tank and in good shape for a longer run up Hampsfell the following day.
I knew I felt good, I only thought it though. I didn't actually say it out loud and sod's law... a calf strain crept up on me that evening. Recurring, but minor, could probably jog through it but disappointed to accept that the Hampsfell run was now out of the question.
Much worse was to come though. The morning after, my back creased and as bad as it's been for the best part of a decade. Unrelated to running, perhaps because I slept on my front overnight which is always lethal. I couldn't even stand up straight for a few days.
From feeling 32 at 52, I was shuffling around feeling more like 92 within the space of 12 hours.
Ibuprofen and avoiding long periods sat down just about got me through a bowls match a couple of days later that perhaps wasn't advisable. A gingerly act of survival at work followed, before another planned weekend away and the strange experience of waking up barely able to walk properly before quickly loosening up enough to walk some decent mileage and summits around Great Langdale. Grateful to be able to get up there as ever, but more so this time given the delicate nature of my back.
Still tender, running again now at least and hopefully the road to recovery.
So if I am running quite well, which I still am despite a week out, I'm not even going to THINK I'm running well, let alone say it. Having said that, I've just typed as such, which in itself is an acknowledgement but hopefully won't further provoke the curse!
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