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I’ve reviewed my running statistics and until the 16th of January I’d done 37 runs in seven and a half months. Two runs since the start of December. I was slack, then I lost my mojo, then got covid, then I was scared of triggering long covid for a while. Very poor.

Anyway, on the 16th I started back running. First week I started sensibly. 5 miles, 5 miles, 10k, then a bit much with a Half. The next week I did an 8, a 6 into storm winds that near killed me, then a 16 mile long run. I felt weak the day after both long runs. I don’t know if that’s because I’m dieting or if I’m triggering the long covid weakness, or a bit of both. It’s not been great but it’s not terrible either, so I’m good to train. I worked out it’s 12 weeks on Sunday until the Blackpool marathon so I dug out my Advanced Marathoning book for the 12 week plan. The plan is structured, with different runs at different paces, all a percentage of my Lactate Threshold. To ascertain that I had to try and do a flat out 10 miles. I did it today. I had no idea what pace I should be aiming for so I just legged it for the first mile, which was a not too shabby 7.03, but I just couldn’t hold that pace. I did well to finish the distance without quitting. I came in at 7.26 m/m average. I could have probably shaved a few seconds off that per mile if I hadn’t gone out too fast, but I had no way of knowing.

My best LT was a 6.42 m/m pace, so after over half a year of hardly running at all that is surprisingly not terrible.

We’ve just had a week long freeze in the weather. Worse, it snowed at the start of it, so it the pavements and the back roads around our house remained frozen into rutted ice sheets. The first day, when it was fresh snow, I was forced to ride in on my pushbike. I just couldn’t risk the motorbike. I made it in, but it was well scary.

I was off the next day. I had been looking at a decent E bike, quite wide tyres, but it was in Scotland. Then I spotted a local E bike, £50 cheaper, 7 hours less driving, and with 4″ wide tyres!

It’s a BEAST!

After watching that video a few times I’m now confident that as soon as my clip arrives (snail mail from the States. Something like $20 fast delivery, or 42 cents slow. For a few bob clip. I’ll wait. Just on principle.) I can strip that side of the engine for the last time, fit the new clip, and set the gears exactly. The instructions say I need a number 32 drill bit. No idea what that is, but it works out as a 2.96mm diameter. I went through everything that could serve, drill bits, nails, screws, etc with my micrometer and found the exact size! Yay.

In my mind that job is done and dusted. That just leaves the ‘only runs on choke’ problem. I was watching a video on that. Some Yank doing a really detailed breakdown of possible problems. He said you go through everything else before you mess with the carb. Good batttery (brand new), charged. Check. Good battery connections. Check. Spark plugs (brand new, gapped) check. Tank not rusty. Check. Fuel filter/ petcock… Ooh, possible problem. Rather than risk it I’ve ordered a new petcock/ filter (it’s only £30 and it guarantees that’s not my problem). Fuel line. I had some new line lying about so I fitted that. Check. Then it’s that carb seal (brand new). Check. And finally the carb (brand new). Check. In passing he did say one thing that really cheered me. “The Chinese (reproduction carbs) are really kicking our ass. Are they 100% as good? Pretty much.” Good to hear, especially so begrudgingly, as mine is a copy carb. The only other variable is jet sizes and when I checked they were the right size for the 1200.

That was a long winded way of saying, once I’ve fitted the new petcock with the new filter, I’ll have virtually a completely new fuel system. Therefore I’ll have ruled out everything except the settings. So it should just be a matter of adjustment then. It’s getting hard to imagine the Harley ever being on the road, but maybe…

In my last blog, two weeks ago, I was trying to get back into running, and struggling with the Harley. Things went very pear shaped after that. The running triggered the covids again. I spent a week wasted with weakness and lost all my mojo. I’ve had enough. I’ve stopped running for the time being. I’m going to try again in another week, then every month, until I can do it without triggering more weakness. I forced myself to keep training for 18 months last time, being fall-down weak after loads of runs, but I just can’t face it this time.

Losing my mojo also affected my willingness to get into the shed and crack on with the Harley. I couldn’t face that either. I built it up into an insurmountable problem in my mind. I was so sick of it I was considering taking it into a garage to have them finish it off. Then, being me, I started obsessing over a new bike instead. I’d been looking for a while, just window shopping to kill time. It grew into a all consuming fixation. As it is want to do. I wanted a Triumph. I was torn between a classic Bonneville, a modern Street Triple or possibly the really expensive Street Twin. I had 3 sites open on searches on my ‘phone. I thought I’d struck gold when someone advertised a 1967 Triumph Bonneville for £1,000! Supposed to be his dead dad’s. I was having a terrible night’s sleep so saw it at 03.00hrs. I rang him at 03.15 and was first to reply. I thought I had it.

Autotrader sent me an email later that morning saying they’d removed the advert as a suspected scam. The seller didn’t get back to me. I couldn’t resist it, it was too beautiful and too much of a bargain, but when it fell through I felt oddly relieved. My VFR has been running perfectly since I rebuilt the starter clutch, and I have my project Harley on the go. I truly don’t need another bike.

Last blog I was tentatively hopeful that I was over the long covid symptoms. I was free from weakness for about 5 days then in hit me again. For a whole week. I’ve been free of it for 10 days now. I don’t know if it will come back, I hope not, but I’m certainly not getting my hopes up just yet. I’ve been running scared from it. I’ve just been working and resting. Even these last 10 days of being OK, because I’m scared of triggering it again. Today, as it’s my day off, I went for a 10K. So far, touch wood, I’m not weak. Run again tomorrow.

Work has been limiting my desire and ability to run. Working 5 days, mostly over 11 hours, and it’s extra stressful at this time of year. I’ve got one more hectic week of long shifts then I’m off for 5 days, which takes me past boxing day, 2 days in, then 3 off. Then it’s January and hopefully work will drop off. I’m knackered.

I’m going to work back from Blackpool marathon and set my start date for training. As easy to do as say, it’s January the 8th. That gives me 16 weeks to train. That gives me 3 weeks to get up to speed before I start (not including this week as it’s too hectic).