A liddle biddy help from Elvis

11 Feb 2008

I took things easy at the start of the week:

Wednesday 6th, 74 minute run around the park near my flat, Desa de la Villa
Friday 8th, 16 min fast run around the park Desa de la Villa
Sunday 10th, 132 min run around the park El Retiro (5 laps)

Well, if you read my last blog, you will be aware of the nipple complications last week. This is why I didn't run again until Wednesday, but I can tell you that the small scarring constantly catching on my clothes every day was pretty uncomfortable! I followed the advice of Agent Smith and went to buy some vaseline on Monday. You know, you can't always take simple products for granted when in another country. Off I went to the supermarket pondering how to explain what I'm looking for in Spanish:

“Excuse me, do you have vaseline?”
“Vaseline – what's it for?”
“It's to rub on my nipples. They hurt when I run.”

...and if you know what the reflexive form of the Spanish verb 'to run' means, you would also know that by then shop security would probably be escorting me off the premises! Fortunately, I didn't have to go through that scenario - I found some fairly easily.

I had a fall on Friday after the run. A pretty bad one actually, even though it was a metaphorical one. As you may know from blog entry no.1, Friday is my “don't have to drink unleaded beer” day. Now I haven't really drank much booze in general since the madness of December, and Friday was a friends birthday night out. After a 9pm start, by 2am I was staggering about looking for a taxi in downtown Madrid - I have become a lightweight! The next day I woke up hideously late with a hangover. I had gone out to do some shopping when hunger suddenly kicked in, and what do you do when you're out and about with a hangover and hunger kicks in? Burgers. I made a beeline for the nearest McDonalds - I hadn't had a burger in months up until then! By the time I got back home, there was no time to prepare the pasta that I needed to eat for Sundays big run - I headed out to see The Mission at the Heineken Hall. As Heineken don't produce unleaded beer I managed to stay on soda water, surrounded by beer swilling behemoths as I was. The hall was crammed tight and the audience as a whole was competing against the stage to see who could emit the most smoke, and they were winning by far! After the gig I was absolutely ravenous, tired again, and it was late. No choice. Burger King. Elvis would have been proud of me on Saturday.

So it should come as no surprise when I tell you that Sundays big run was very very hard. Having woken up late again, I had to face the midday sun. Determined none the less, I managed to get done what I set out to do, ignoring the nagging urge to accept that I wasn't on form and should just stop. I ran straight through Fridays beer frenzy, the Elvis Diet plan of Saturday, the smoky gig, and with dead weight legs I finally dropped anchor 132 minutes later. Same route as last week, but 4 minutes slower.

This actually means that following a strict diet of beer and burgers, I ran for the longest time in my life ever! But I'm not recommending it at all...