Well, son, the funny thing about regret is...

The cleaner who comes over every other Friday came over today. I don't like hanging about while she's here; I feel like I'm in the way. So I decided to head back to the bakery at an even more leisurely pace, grab a bite to eat and let Rowlf have at least some exercise today. Wasn't really thinking about running. Well, I might have been.

The coughing had mostly gone and I was breathing OK. I was a bit vague, even by my standards, had a temperature but wasn't roasting, and I had a headache. But...I could probably run. I Set to work justifying my already-made decision. AJ is out at a friends house for dinner and Sal will be out with H. So I won't be needed to help with much and could, if I needed to, curl up in a ball in a corner. The night out I was planning was off of the table because I wouldn't want to infect my friends. Once I got moving I'd be OK on the run. I didn't expect to enjoy it, but I reckoned I could knock out a flatish-10k. The unknown would be how I would pull up afterwards.

Then there was the nagging thought of getting pipped at the post in Janathon. If I could do a 10k today and then my standard beach loop tomorrow I might open just enough of a lead to keep the top spot. Two things were swirling around in my head. A friend once told me you should never get beaten by someone you don't know. Not sure why, but it stuck with me. And the other was the quote at the beginning of the Butthole Surfers "Sweat Loaf"

"Well, son, the funny thing about regret is that it's better to regret something you have done than to regret something you haven't done. And by the way, if you see your mom this weekend, will you be sure and tell her SATAN! SATAN! SATAN!"

So I got changed and headed out to do the flatter second half of my standard beach loop as an out-and-back. Get to around 5k, turn around and come home. And that was what I did. I concentrated on keeping the pace down and just turning the legs over. At a little under 4k I stopped at a bubbler for a drink. There was a slightly unpleasant feeling in my chest as the cool water went down, and once I set off again I started coughing. The same thing happened on the way back, but I needed the drink. Running while coughing - not fun.

I stopped a couple of times at the beach to look at the large surf. It was a bit messy but big, and a few guys were getting eaten by waves that were up to double-overhead from trough to peak. The Queenscliff Bombora was breaking and a few guys were out there, about a kilometre offshore.

On the way back I stopped running at exactly 10k and walked the last few hundred metres home. The maths is now pretty simple. I need a little over 11km tomorrow to achieve my Janathon goal. Lemsip and a snooze time.

Janathon total - 643km