A short long run

Waking up at 4, driving across the country to arrive at your destination just before 8 in the evening and then sleeping for only 6 hours is not recommended before a long run. Being dehydrated on top of that and not taking water with you on your run, although it's 25 degrees in the shade at 7 in the morning, well, that's just stupid. Without having drunk coffee beforehand is suicidal.

J's sister has a beautiful garden

Needless to say, my attempt at a long run yesterday, although very inspired and enthusiastic, was less than successful. My legs were heavy and felt bloated. My mouth was dry. The coffeine deprivation headache from hell found its way into my head. And the path seemed endless. Running through J's hometown has been a plan of mine for over a year. There are so many places that I haven't seen, despite the fact that I've been here many, many times. Visiting these places on foot seemed ideal.

And it would have been, if all the aforementioned factors weren't present. All things considered, the measly 12,5 km that I managed to scrape together were an achievement of heroic proportions - by my temporarily low standards. I still got to see the town on foot. Sometimes you have to be content, even when it hasn't gone as planned.

The rest of the day was spent relaxing with family, chasing J's 4 year old niece around (I wonder how many more kilometres that was?), eating and DRINKING WATER. My body seemed to have used up all its fluids, because as soon as I drank a glass of water, I was thirsty again. I wondered if I'd get any more running in before we had to leave for the mountains. I was too tired to see this as a viable option.

Today is a different matter. I slept for 9 hours and woke up well rested. After a big cup of coffee, I am ready to take on whatever this day throws at me. Including runs in the wilderness that surrounds J's hometown. Maybe.