Alternative training. Well, not really.

What a beautiful morning it was. The air was so chilly that you just wanted to take really deep breaths and fill your lungs with oxygen till they burst. The sky was clear and rose-tinted near the horizon. Just beautiful.

Would it be superfluous to say that I wanted to go running? Like, duh?

But I was a good girl and rested. That's not to say I stayed indoors and ate chips all day, when the weather was so nice; first, I drove a colleague to the stable where she goes riding, because she's had an operation on her foot and can't drive. Once there I got to spend some time with horses, cats, dogs and rabbits, while my colleague caught up with her stable friends. I love animals. Except when they wake me up at 3 in the morning. Call it a selective kind of love. And I love this kind of life, in a rural environment, away from traffic and pollution and noise, surrounded by little creatures. Autumn is so much more vivid there, you just can't miss it. The smell of burning wood, the frost on the grass, the moss on the walls, the horse dung. Love it.

On our way back we saw a moose casually grazing on a field. Naturally we had to stop and take a photo.

When I dropped off my colleague, I went home and baked a Västerbottenpaj (matured cheese pie) with chanterelles. I was starving by this point. Yesterday I had to literally force myself to eat after the marathon, but today I had to force myself to stop eating my weight in food. Oh, and the pie was good, so that didn't help matters.

I'm feeling a bit peckish

So I haven't spend the morning on the sofa, like I thought I would have to do. My legs feel great, surprisingly. My thigh muscle is a bit grumpy but I don't think it's going to hold a grudge. My mood? Pretty good, thank you for asking. Still no elation, no pride. It's almost like a dream now. Did it really happen? Was it real?