Day -91: Exhausted (but it’s not from the running - I promise!)

I am completely exhausted. 

Now, some might say this is fair enough. Up until last week, I was running roughly 100km a week, which means I am going for two runs most days. Two of those sessions are interval sessions, which don’t need to be massively pacy (I am not planning on running my 200 consecutive marathons very quickly), but I am using them to help build muscular endurance and they are good fun. 

On Mondays I have a rest day from running, but I still go for an hour-long walk at lunchtime and use that time to speak to my therapist. These sessions are far less intense than they used to be, but raking through emotions is still tiring. I can’t recommend therapy highly enough. Even if you’re feeling good, I think it is immensely healthy to have a professional to talk through your feelings with. But I also recommend giving yourself a bit of a breather after your session, lest you leave feeling slightly wrung out. 

I am also very into my golf at the moment. I’m having to forcibly limit myself from the practice ground because I desperately want to keep getting better, but also have an awful lot more things that I should be prioritising. 

Then there is the fact that I am carrying a couple of slightly unsurprising injuries. The physio recommends taking the interval sessions out of my training and maybe mixing in some bikes or swims instead of all the running (that’s why I am not quite at 100km weeks at the moment). It’s a good idea, but when the opportunity arises I would always rather be out running or on the golf course, than on the bike or in the pool. 

I’m working quite hard as well. I need to sign sponsors to help with the financial side of Run Britain. And I have a Substack with almost 400 subscribers who I want to ensure I keep delivering for. Investor’s Champion (which is the business I hope to come back to when I finish Run Britain) needs a bit of attention in the next few months so it’s in a good place for my return. I also have a mountain of logistics, social media and other bits and pieces that need to be in place ready for Run Britain to start.

As for socialising. Having spent the vast majority of 2025 so far living a completely isolated existence, I am quite used to time spent on my own. But firstly, it’s nice to feel like I want to spend time with other people for the first time in months, and secondly, I am acutely aware that from October, my life will become quite isolated again so I should take advantage of having people around for now. 

I’ve got some hospital stuff to contend with as well. My Multiple Sclerosis treatment is pretty remarkable (I have to take an injection which looks a bit like an Epipen once a month), but it’s still something to stay on top of. Which means blood tests and MRIs and trips into the National Hospital at Queens Square.

When I write it all down, it’s not really surprising I am so tired. 

The good news is, I don’t feel drained. I don’t feel the dreadful exhaustion that comes from mental tiredness or lack of sleep. I am tired because I am busy and that is great. 

But I firmly believe that the main reason I am tired is because I have run out of iron supplements. I’ve never taken iron consistently, but whenever I do I feel noticeably more energetic. In the last six months, I have been far better at taking my iron and have started to spot patterns of tiredness emerging whenever I have a prolonged break. 

That means that sometime between 2pm and 5pm (when Amazon drops off my parcel which contains another packet of iron), I will be bouncing back with renewed energy, ready to take on all the stuff on my to-do list. And I will continue to refuse to believe those who think it’s maybe all the running that is making me tired.