2008 - May

[Sweder]

I'd meant to compliment you on laying some serious groundwork.
I see you've pondered the question of music as an aid and, right again, if its absence on race day will prove deflating. I had a similar problem a while back. My calf had been giving me gyp so I'd taken to wearing leggings. The feeling of fairly tight material wrapped around the errant muscle was reassuring. As the weather improved and temperatures rose I faced a dilemma; to go back to shorts and 'risk exposing' my calf? Or battle on with the leggings?

Obviously the latter was the road to madness; running the Seaford half in +20 degrees over a tough hilly course is warm enough in the flimsiest gear. So I took the plunge and unleashed the legs. Turns out it was pretty much all in my head, and after a few outings I'd forgotten about it.

Perhaps the best approach is the one most often suggested; mix things up. One day an elctro-megamix, another an edition of Fighting Talk, then perhaps one without earphones. You may find a drop in performance but it'll help deal with the threat of dependence.

Good on you for having a beer and take-away. See? You didn't turn into a pumpkin overnight; in fact you're going really well. MLCMan has a point; cutting out the ale altogether could be detrimental