I think I’ve pulled!

I've not run since Saturdays 10k as I had a pain in my chest and shoulder blade on Sunday. All I did was turn over in bed but something went twang and I had trouble breathing and was in pain. I decided to take it easy for a couple of days before getting my trainers back on.

I think I made the right decision as I headed out tonight feeling much better than I had done for half the weekend. I'm also kind of glad I missed running Monday and Tuesday evening as the mist was so dense you couldn't see your hand in front of your face.

To be honest the pain in my chest didn't even cross my mind once I got my kit on. About mid way through I realised there was no pain or discomfort, smiled to myself and carried on.

As mentioned last time I am reading Chi Running thanks to a kind friend lending me his copy. I'm half way through the book and have started to try and apply some of the principals to my running. It'll take a while to get used to but above everything else it does make you think about your posture, your breathing and listening to your body as you run rather going at it like a bat out of hell!

I programmed iSmoothRun to take me out for 25 minutes as I wanted to be sure I didn't aggravate the pain in my chest but was feeling so good I carried on and did my usual mid week 30.

Fastest track tonight was Gonna Make You Sweat by C+C Music Factory (what a particularly gay choice!), but I swore I was listening to this whilst I was warming up!

Cadence and pace were consistent with my current collection of runs and apart from the chest pain (which I don't believe is related to Saturdays run), I actually felt ok.

I met Enda whose running the MoRun with me and he complimented me on how svelte I was looking. He also gave me a confidence boost by congratulating me for my effort and achievements thus far. As I said to him I was flattered but I think the key is that I have made running the norm and am enjoying it – so to me, it doesn't feel like a massive achievement, I am simply enjoying my new hobby.

We are now a month away from my first 10K at Greenwich Park and the sponsorship for Alzheimer's Society is creeping towards my goal of £1,500… It would be great to reach the target – I don't have far to go I promise!