More mind games ...

I'm typing this up sat at home, on a weekday and feeling a bit sorry for myself. Yes, I'm off work ill. Not sure if it's a cold or a bad case of man flu, but I'm not feeling too perky whatever it is.

Luckily, this came on yesterday on my official rest day. But today, a training day, I'm probably going to be sensible and stay in. The last thing I want to do is make myself properly ill by forcing myself out in the cold and wet whilst under the weather.

Seems an easy decision, but I have been mulling it over for the last day or so. All the advice you read tells you to listen to your body and not push things too hard, resting up is just as important as active training. But all this advice is hard to take on board when it's up against the guilt brought on by knowing I've missed a day out of my programme.

Having said that though, I've already missed a couple of days recently. It's the reason behind it that makes it justifiable; I missed one day because I was an hour late back from work on my birthday and we were going out for a meal and to see a film and another as we were on the motorway all day and attending a social event in the evening. A few weeks ago I wrote about having to 'give myself a talking to' to head out after a day at work, but these ones felt different - I'd have gone, but just couldn't fit it in.

I think being ill fits into this category too, it's not just ducking out because I don't feel like it. If I ever do that I'll feel like I'm in trouble ....

What I'm really dreading is picking up some kind of injury. I recently read Scott Jurek's 'Eat and Run' which includes the account of how he managed to complete and win the Western States 100 mile ultra after tearing a ligament with 56 miles to go. Jurek basically talked himself into continuing and while I'm pretty sure I won't have that kind of resolve it does go to show how mental strength is going to be as important as physical if I'm to complete this challenge. Not sure he'd have dealt with my man flu though ......