Karen writes: Overdoing it

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Today I am regretting the impulse which saw me run for an unplanned 4 hours yesterday, much of it hilly bush work.   I had a wonderful time exploring a different patch of bush at Whitford with the Te Puru running group, there was mud, leg challenging uphills and great downhills, zigzags along mountain bike tracks through pine forests and it seemed there were amazing things like hidden ponds or wonderful pockets of native trees to look at around every corner.  Then I thought I needed some more kilometers so I decided to run home by the main road, however as I was about to run past the turnoff to my now favorite bush trail in the hills behind Maraetai beach, I thought “nothing hurts, why don’t I go down there” and I foolishly turned off.   I quite quickly went from feeling fine, to my brain telling me to give up and walk.  If the family hadn’t been off doing a mercy dash to the vet with a sick kitten I would have phoned to say “come rescue me”.   I fought my lazy brain half heartedly, eventually walking up the hills was the compromise.  Trying to figure out why I was feeling so lousy I then realised that I had forgotten somewhere along the line to keep up with the half hourly gels and I still had more than half the camelpak of water on my back, so I made myself have some of those.    By the time I came out in the hills above Maraetai I was feeling brighter, I got home and was strict about recovery...protein drink (yuck), followed by substantial lunch which I didn’t feel like at all by this stage, shower, put the compression tights on, feet up for 1 minute for every kilometre, and tried to drink plenty of water for the rest of the day.    End result, its Monday morning, I am feeling a little washed out but nothing hurts particularly, no run today and possibly tomorrow, and next weekend I MUST take it easy.  But it’s so hard, I really want to play! 

And of course Kate has lost weight and looks fabulous…

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