Post-Running Sugar Buzz

I finally got my running mojo back yesterday, after numerous setbacks including a dodgy heel injury and inclement conditions. It was like being reunited with the best friend I've ever had, going on the hop to do lots of fun things together, thinking that maybe I had taken it for granted without even realising it, and loving it even more than ever. It was an absolute joy of a run, I almost felt like I was flying as I bounded through the Phoenix Park.



If your big New Year's ressie is to get fit, I cannot recommend anything more highly. It is a thoroughly democratic sport; it is inexpensive to participate in, and you really do get out of it what you put into it. It gives a high like no other; coming in the front door after a session in the park I am unfailingly at my most fulfilled and content. Flying along the footpaths and dirt tracks, be it on a crisp day or an absolute soaker, nothing has ever felt so liberating or empowering. When I am in the middle of a race, sometimes I turn my ipod off to listen to that tremendous sound of runners pounding the ground and pay more attention to the joy and the concentration of my fellow runners. With that effort and exertion, of course, comes a change in the body's cravings. What satisfies me like nothing else is Limonata San Pelligrino; a little bitter, a little sweet, and a LOT cold and fizzy - perfect! In the past I was a bit bold and fed myself biscuits and Hario Tangfastics *hangs head in shame*, but, as my distances increase and increase, I have become a more responsible runner and opt more for sensible high-sugar carbs - beans on toast for the meal following my run is always a handy, nutritious quick fix, and stir fry prawns is another speedy favourite. A major 2011 mission, however, is to pay more attention to the dietary needs of my body as I run longer and longer distances - it's one of my New Year's ressies, actually, which I hope to share with you when I get some time over the weekend.

And since it is on the pricey side, I try to maximise the value I get from my lovely Liomonata by using the pretty, Mediterranean bottles as single-stem vases, all lined up in a row.