Did another 10 laps today, things seemed to be a bit easier than the last few times so maybe I am getting a bit of fitness back at last. Quite often I see an old fellah running around the field, or doing some form of exercise on it and today he was training right next to where I run. He did his stretches then when I was about halfway round lap 4 he started doing the same thing, run the long side and walk the short side. Well I'm not competetive at all am I? Instead of taking it easy on lap 5 (as I usually do, I see it as a sort of recovery jog 'cos by then I am knackered) I kept the same sort of pace, in fact a little faster, in the hope of catching him. Problem was he was trying to catch me so there we were, a 55 yr old man and a fat bastard chasing each other around a football pitch! Must have looked quite funny but I won. Well I didn't catch him but I got closer to him than he did to me. Thing is neither of us knew we were chasing each other until I had finished and stopped to put my jacket on (it's cold and windy out there today despite the sunshine). We had a quick chat, as you do, and he said to me, and are you ready for this? He said to me, 'You're a fit chap aren't you?'. I nearly fell over! But it was pleasing for someone to say that without any kind of prompting. Now to whip his arse next time I see him, show him what fit really is.

All the stretches seem to be paying off, very little pain in my heel today and I even jogged home on the concrete path, only 1/2 km but it's a start.

Never ever give up