Yesterday I woke up with a sore throat and it felt like it was on my chest. I felt a bit rough and weak. But it wasn’t the plague weakness. Somehow there are different degrees of weakness. The plague weakness is just awful, it wastes you. A normal lurgy weakness is just feeling weak. I forced myself out of the door for a 7 mile run and got better as the day went on.
This morning I woke up at 04.40 and couldn’t get back to sleep. It had been snowing a bit overnight and it was fair brisk so I didn’t want to get out of bed, but I gave up and got up about 05.00 to get ready for my long run. I didn’t feel lurgy-ed and didn’t feel plague weak. I was out of the door before 06.00. The plan said I was to do an easy paced 16 miles so I followed my usual route along the canal. It turns out 2 hours before dawn, on an unlit path under trees, you can’t see jack. Who knew? I had to divert and do a road run.
I got it done without any problems.
The great news is for the rest of today I’ve not had any plague weakness. I am desperate to believe that is it and I can get back to committed training and life that isn’t ground down by the crushing weight of the weakness.
In other news, predictably, I’ve been spending on the bike. I’ve given in to the relentless advertising and got Temu, a front app for a million Chinese companies. It’s full of cheap goods. The handguards I wanted on eBay but were about £50 (for what is basically a bit of plastic), were £13.48, free postage. So I’ve got them. And an eBay (but reputable) set of heated grips. Also I noticed my tyres were 7 years old. They say they perish after 5 years. The rubber gets brittle and loses traction. That’s not a massive problem on the back, a bit of sliding about is controllable, but if the front slips out you are down. So I’m getting a new tyre fitted tomorrow. That was a hassle. My go-to motorbike tyre place has gone out of business. Trying to find someone to supply and fit a tyre took me an hour on the internet.
When all these bits are fitted I am totally done. I’ll keep an eye on the exhaust system and the back tyre, but they could last years yet. The next job I’m expecting is in April ’25. It doesn’t need it yet, but when I do the MOT in a year I’ll have it serviced at the same time.
The other thing at the moment is I’m thinking about going back to Iceland to drive. It the same sort of deal, pay-wise, as Booker. The basic rate isn’t too clever but averaged with the overtime rate (after 45 hours) and given that the breaks are paid, on a 60 hour week I think there’s only about £100 difference between the Royal Mail and Iceland. And getting a 60 hour week at RM, well, I think I’ve had one 5 day week in about 18 months.
When I was last at Iceland I was scared of how tough the driving was. I think that would be fine now. Now what I’m scared of is the physical labour, wrestling cages on and off a tail lift. The weakness of the last few months has left me a bit unsure as to how much I can manage on a bad day. If I was to take to it though it’s steady money and in a year they are moving from across town to next to the RM depot, so, on my doorstep.
I don’t know whether to hang on and see if I can get on at Home Bargains.
Right, the early morning is catching up with me. I need my bed.
Later,
Buck.
PS Nope. Feel weak and panicky again today. Meh.