Before I knew it over 30 days had passed since I first came down with whatever it was and the end of karate class for this year was fast approaching which meant that I might miss my planned grading to brown belt. I decided I was finally getting better so I began attending the two hour classes only 5 classes before grading. The first few times I went back to karate I could not finish the class and had to bow out due to the lingering effects of the illness so I was completely thrown by that. I’ve never been that sick for as far back as I can remember. So yes, I was worried I would have to miss this grading and wait until next spring to grade. Having voluntarily missed the last two or three gradings because I felt I was not ready, I was not happy about that prospect. I was not used to being rattled like that by an inability to meet my physical fitness goals.

As it turns out, I did manage to grade and I now have that brown belt which basically means I can now learn new katas. And today I went out for a run right after eating which was not a good idea. Let’s just say I had a new understanding of the old saying, ‘I hate to eat and run, but…’

I think I will keep my runs at 5 km three times a week for the next two weeks. It’s the only way I can assess where I am in terms of running after that long unwanted break. I feel soreness after only 5 km which means I am definitely way off from where I was before I got sick. So the next two weeks will let me know what happens in terms of how I feel after a run and if I can get back into it as easily as I hope, then I will be ramping up the speed and distance in preparation for next years running season which starts for me at the end of May. If I have made a few run on sentences in this blog post, it is because that’s how my life feels right now – a never ending hectic race through unfamiliar territory to unknown places.

Until then…have a great holiday season.

Total ouch today as I took a hard accidental punch to the ribs in karate. Now it is painful to breathe deeply. I would have thought the scars from my previous cracked rib would have cushioned the blow a bit. Ha ha. I imagine this is gonna take a month or two to heal up just like the last one did. Tomorrow I begin my regular maintenance running again! It will be such a relief to run again after a 13 day rest!

Yes friends, I suffer from the heartbreak of BRAIN MONKEYS. Last Friday I was scheduled for a 12 km training run but I decided against it because I was still so sore from Tuesday’s karate class and Wednesday’s 11 km speed run indoors. My calves were still not healed up yet and Saturday’s karate class promised to be an intense one with an entire migratory herd of fanatical Black Belts showing up from the city.

So Friday, I was sitting, drinking my morning (mourning?) coffee, and pondering whether to risk injury and go for that run or to take the safe road and wait – especially since Sunday’s run which is today – was a major 19 km marathon training run – the day after an intense 2 hour karate class. And Friday’s run was to put me at 161 km, which is just over 100 miles since the beginning of January, as the brain monkeys were fond of pointing out. I was at 149 km.

I really hated the idea of skipping Friday’s run, especially when I had an almost irresistible troupe of brain monkeys shouting at me saying “…get out there and run, you lazy bastard…”

The brain monkeys were spitting, hooting and howling, shouting out insults, screeching, and pounding the ground with their fists. They were chucking handfuls of dirt, twigs and grass at me. They were kicking sand in my face and tearing up clumps of shrubbery to throw at me.

They wanted me to run. Resisting the brain monkeys took a huge effort but in the end they gave up and stopped disrespecting me.

I did not run Friday. I rested. I healed. I rocked in Saturdays karate class. I rocked in today’s 19 km long run given the brutal conditions I had to work with. All because I took the time to rest. I avoided injury. So as of today, January 31 – I am at 168 km since the beginning of the year.

The message I have for you is clear: Don’t listen to the BRAIN MONKEYS. Take the time to rest and you may not only avoid injuries, but you may also do a lot better than if you listened to your own personal brain monkeys.