Wild life

Bit of a delay since posts but its not as if I have had a load of adoring fans wondering when they can read more about my exploits. 'Exploits' almost make things sound interesting!

Anyway, last Thursday night a couple of us had a cycle ride of around 12 miles and the most memorable things were the wildlife. Nearly had another head-on collision with a badger and then shortly after that nearly ran a black cat over. If either of you chaps are reading, sorry about that. The highlight though was an Owl that flew above us for a few seconds. It looked ghostly in the moonlight/darkness and I don't think I can explain it any better than that, it just did not look real. Alex reckoned it to be a Barn Owl and frankly I am not in possession of sufficient knowledge to say otherwise. It was very beautiful whatever it was, something that will stick in my memory for many years to come. So, if you are reading reading thanks for joining us!

I have to confess to getting really rather drunk on Friday night and when attempting an early morning cycle ride to sober up the inevitable happened. On top of the black eye and grazes I think I have had a slight concussion ever since. I dont really think the 'the football hooligan look' will be a big hit on this seasons catwalks. Silly sod.

Onto the serious business of Sundays long run. Regrettably my daughter is on holiday with her Mother at present and therefore I did not have to get up quite so early in order to 'run long'. As planned I ran another Marathon. Around 5 minutes slower than last week and I am trying to decide why this was. It did feel like more of a chore than the week before but that could easily of been because of the previous nights alcohol intake or was it the concussion? Like I said, silly sod.

It felt like it took a bit more out of me this week, I ate more on route (6 bars instead of 4) and I consumed almost an extra liter of fluid. Yesterdays Marathon suppressed my appetite just as the previous two had and today I could literally eat a cow. I have been picking all day long and tonight I could easily jump in the car and grab some junk......But I wont.

Fluid levels have again been watched with interest. Last week I thought I had got my self back in to balance very quickly after the run but the reality was different. Last Monday afternoon it was obvious that I was quite low on fluids.

In light of this I did not stop drinking all day yesterday after the run and I have still struggled today to get back into proper balance. This is a lesson that all active people have hammered into them and frankly you get bored of hearing it and anyway, for the most part it is relatively easy to get right. Consequently, the last two weekends have really surprised me. I have drunk at least double my normal daily intake today and it was only at around 7pm today that I could say with any real confidence that I had topped my self back up. that's at least 30 hours after completing the run. Fascinating man. Fascinating.

Bottom line is: whatever the prevailing temperature a Marathon is a big undertaking and it takes a lot from your body, its vital to keep an eye on fluid levels for at least 24 hours after the run not just the traditional 'couple of hours after exercise'.