You expected someone else?
The pain was worth it. I got the results of my COVID test back this morning. As I expected (‘cos I have been a good boy and stayed at home!):
So, what does this mean for me?
You’re right. Carry on staying at home whenever possible and no partying with my mates!
At least until I have had both jabs for the vaccine.
Last week I received a letter from the NHS to ask if I would take part in a COVID survey. It entailed registering on the website so that they could send me a “take-at-home” test. Being the decent human I am I signed up for the test. What could go wrong?
I received the test kit and full instructions on Monday. I booked the courier per the instructions for Tuesday morning and then, again following the instructions, I administered the test before 0800 on the day of collection.
Let me tell you, it’s probably the worst thing I have voluntarily put myself through.
The instructions tell you to touch your tonsils with the test probe, ten times on either side. You then have to stick the damned thing up your nose and an inch and a half and effectively wiggle it about for 15 seconds.
Well, in short order, two things happened:
If you have ever had something touch your tonsils then you will understand the wretching. Remember, 10 times on either side of the dangly appendage.
I pulled the muscle so hard that on Tuesday it hurt to breathe hard. Wednesday I could barely move and paracetamol only dulled the stabbing to a mere ache. Today I can function with only pain to breathe. I have taken more paracetamol. Thankfully I am working from home with little need to move. If I were on site I am not sure I would be able to cope.
I will certainly not be running for a few days. That’s gonna hurt my mileage for the month but there’s no way that I could cope with the impact.
I now await the results of my test which will, apparently, take about a week.
Would I do the test again if required? Abso-fucking-lutely.
No Virgin London Marathon for Me this year.
Following the cancellation of the Great South Run 2020, I took part in and finished (and got the medal) for the Great Run Solo challenge. It was simply to log 25 runs between 01 September and 18 October 2020.
It was hard work. I went away for a long weekend and to stay on target I took my running gear and went out early on the Sunday morning.
81 miles and 14 hours of running in that period taught me that I need a target. Always.
At the end of the year I was trying to come up with a challenge that would do me the whole year. You have probably already guessed that I have opted to complete 500 miles (805 KM!) of running during 2021. That’s an average of 42 miles (67.5KM) per month. I am aiming to do 10 miles a week. If I achieve it, that should put me at 520 miles per year. I am fully expecting there will be weeks where I get nowhere near target, and possibly some where I don’t run at all. I am not Superman! I also expect there will be weeks where I completely obliterate it. That’ll be good.
Starting with a simple 7.5km on New Year’s Day, as I write this I am at 45.86 miles (73.8 KM) over eight hours of running:
Yes, I am that nerdy that I have made a spreadsheet to track every run. February onwards even has a “running” total of distance and time!
I can’t for the life of me figure out why the dates are randomly aligned. I haven’t set any alignment, it would appear that Numbers is screwing it all by itself!
One more run this month, tomorrow or Sunday, likely to be between 8 and 10k which will put me just over target for the month.
I have also been adding up the KM times for the first 5K and entering it on (not)Parkrun. Is that cheating?
This is my personal blog. It gets abandoned for long periods and then I get the urge to write again. I really didn’t want to spam this website which was mostly about my weight loss and fitness journey with a random posts about 3D printing and electronics.
Some people might prefer that but I don’t. I started another blog called Beyond The Benchy specifically for that. It’s really rather new but I am working on projects including a self balancing robot and content comes when I have an update, interesting or otherwise, to post.
I realise that not many – if any – people read this site but I am going to start spewing my personal brand of bollocks here again, as much for my own cathartic pleasure as anyone else’s. If you read something, thank you! I would be most interested to know if you do read something so please leave a comment on a post (don’t be too rude) and that would mean the world to me.
Speak soon.
Yes, *THAT* Finch. 