Happily Ever After

Life in The Rural Retreat with a beautiful wife, three cats, garden wildlife, a camera, a computer – and increasing amounts about running

Earlier posts can be found on Adventures of a Lone Bass Player, where this blog began life. Recent entries can be found here.

The Cautious Approach

by Russell Turner - 19:49 on 20 January 2018

The new shoes didn’t get an outing today. Not because I didn’t run (I did, a new best 50 minutes plus a six-minute walk warm-up) but because Matchgirl advised against it. “Try them on a shorter run,” she told me.

I see her point. Discovering a footwear flaw when I’m halfway to Cromarty would be a nuisance so I’ll try them out on one of two 30-minute runs scheduled next week, when I can stay close to home.

There will be some experimenting on Monday’s long run, though. So far, because I’ve not needed them, I’ve run without carrying hydration (water) or nutrition (energy gels or Haribo – proper runners like to make things sound complicated).

However, according to the experts, 90 minutes (Monday’s task) is the point when the bodies of non-elite athletes begin to run out of glycogen, their fuel. This means I’ll have to practise swallowing a gel on the run (and find out if I can tolerate the stuff) and carrying a water bottle. There’ll be lots of water stations in London but none while out training.

The good news is that Matchgirl’s cache of no-longer-used athletic accessories includes a dinky water container that straps to the wrist. I’ll see if I like it more than she did. It also contains a pouch for one gel or a small handful of Tangfastics.

Although the new shoes have not yet seen action, the box they came home in proved a hit with Maia, who was inside it and crouched low within minutes of it being left open on the living room floor. Other cats have investigated and briefly entered the new plaything but Maia has returned to it several times. Cats and boxes – some things never change.

Add your comment

Your Name


Your Email (only if you are happy to have it on the site)


Your Comment - no HTML or weblinks


Enter this number in the box below and click Send - why?Unfortunately we have to do this to prevent the system being swamped by automated spam