That's better!

Good evening to you all, I trust everyone had a good weekend. My daughter is still away but I did my best to salvage things and the weather was kind enough to lend a helping hand.

Yesterday was spent at Brands Hatch cheering a friend on. This was followed by a bite to eat in London with the same guys I was at the track with.

Today is slightly more relevant to this running blog. I had always planned to steer clear of any huge distances this weekend. Instead I opted for a quick 10k and an hour and a half riding around the beautiful countryside where I live. The 10k was good and I somehow managed to run a Personal best for the distance. I ran slightly under 43 minutes so all good there. Cycling was awesome, literally everywhere I looked was a picture waiting to be taken! Luckily I had remembered to bring the camera and I will add as many pics as I can.


Most importantly, I enjoyed training today. I have been a bit down on it this week and wondered if I was coming down with something because normally I am chomping at the bit to get stuck in. Perhaps running marathons on consecutive weekends took a lot out of me? For probably the first time in my life I have experienced a dip in my sex drive and apparently this is normal when running long distances. Normally the reverse is true for me, the fitter I am the more intense the desire. Perhaps this explains the lack of motivation to train? The pleasure derived from these two activities is often similar so once one pathway in the mind is closed off perhaps the other fades away as well?

Dam this kind of thing fascinates me, our mechanics, the effects our actions and environment has on our bodies. On top of all that we have to consider the effect of the mind on our bodies as well..... Wow I could waffle on all night about this but I know my limitations as a psychologist and as a writer so I will spare you. I think however that this is what makes me want to run across the Sahara. To study your self under such harsh conditions and experience such extremes must be very special.

I know a chap who once had to make a very difficult decision and so he fasted for 7 days because many people believe that it focuses the mind. He felt that he could do with the additional clarity that it would bring and so this is why he went with out food. This notion literally captivated me and I had to experience it. So a few years ago whilst my daughter was still very young and University lectures were at a minimum I went with out food for 4 days. I have to say that I did not experience any kind of 'high' or a feeling of increased 'clear headedness'.

Despite all this I am so pleased that I did it. I had proved to my self that we Westerners do eat far too much and that our bodies are indeed designed to starve. Most people think this is somehow reckless, I believe they are missing a trick. I believe in making the most of our incredible bodies and like any worthy subject, the more you know the more it contributes to your pleasure. Besides, I bet our hunter-gatherer ancestors commonly went for days without food, given the amount of time that has passed since then it is unlikely that we have lost these remarkable capabilities. With the introduction of commercial farming we simply do not need to tax these hidden strengths.

Crikey I sound like a drunk philosopher. Sorry.