The body is illing

Just because you're going forwards doesn't mean I'm going backwards.

Unshakeable logic from Billy Bragg there, but I'm afraid to say I do feel like I'm going backwards of late. I had great plans at the start of the week after posting a faster time on the Richmond Park Three-lap Challenge, shaving a considerable 44 seconds off my previous best and that after a six-mile round trip and a schlep up Star and Garter Hill. I now have a personal best of 67 minutes and 28 seconds, which isn't bad, but I'm aiming to be a lot quicker than that.

But after changing my tyre back to the trainer on Monday in another record time, the wheels have come off.

While fitting the trainer tyre, I began to feel the onset of a nagging and insistent sore throat. This developed overnight into a raging head cold that's since slipped down to the chest; hardly an ideal state in which to put in marathon training efforts.

I'm just about coming out the other side of it, so hope to get back on it tomorrow evening. But I'm beginning to feel that it's already too late to prepare adequately. In quieter moments, I'm really questioning whether I can get enough training done before the event. Whatever happens, it's going to be a compressed schedule.

And then there's the bike, or lack of it. Still the flat doesn't sell, so dreams of sleek, lightweight, fit-for-purpose bikes remain in the head rather than with even one foot in reality. It may well be I end up having to hire one, which is far from ideal, but I don't have much choice as it stands.

In short, things need to start coming together in a big way over the course of the next month, otherwise I'll be really up against it.