Serious Hydration

The bus was late this morning, very late. So not a good start to the day but at least I'm tapering. An essential part of the tapering process is, of course, hydration. Which may, or may not, be one of the reasons we’re at the Robin Hood Beer Festival later.

I’m not sure what percentage strength of beer is best for hydrating up for a marathon and what particular fast food is best to have with it. So I will probably need to experiment.

L is at home today waiting for our boiler servicing man. The hot water is doing it’s hot-cold-hot thing at the moment. They’re late as well and I’m worried that L will future injure herself repeatedly chucking MD’s ball.

The chap arrives and promptly tries to sell us a new boiler even though the current one isn’t that old and previously they've told us that a new boiler won’t help. Our pipework is old and knackered but no one is up for the job of replacing it.

No two men ever agree on the solution to our water problems but the best one I’ve heard is to leave it as it and for them to keep coming out once a year to clean it out. It is what we are paying them handsomely for.

After that ordeal I think L needs a beer. I meet her in town, that is after the Red Arrow has gone the wrong way and dropped me in the wrong place.

I enjoy the beer festival, L less so.

My selection :-

1. Grafton Sally Pollard's Ginger Concotion 5.0% 1/2

2. Blue Monkey Chimpagne 10.0% 1/6

3. Dancing Duck Imperial Drake 6.5% 1/3

4. Thornbridge Pollards 5.0% 1/2

5. Grafton Caramel Stout 4.8% 1/2

6. Totally Brewed Biscuit Porter 5.0% 1/2

7. Howard Town Dark Peak 6.0% 1/2

8. Thornbridge Cocoa Wonderland 6.8% 1/3

9. Grafton Chocolate Mint Stout 5.0% 1/2

L’s selection :-

1. Grafton P-Butter 4.8% 1/3

2. Blue Monkey Chimpagne 10.0% 1/6

3. Xtreme Chocolate Cherry Stout 5.6% 1/3

4. Thornbridge Sequoia 4.5% 1/3

5. Frownes King Norvak's Saga 5.4% 1/3

6. Thornbridge Sequoia 4.5% 1/3

(Thursday 12^th October)

Le Cote de Kirk Hallam

A third day in a row climbing Le Cote de Kirk Hallam and it’s a very hot day. I arrive at work incredibly hot and sweaty, where I find somewhere unpopular to drip dry.

L asks where we’re going for our 20^th Anniversary race next year. Then she reels off a list... Warsaw, Prague, Paris... They all have half marathons are around our anniversary. Sounds like she’s done some research.

Park Bikeworks have finally got my bike sorted, so I abandon number one bike at work (in a double locked room), then go fetch number two and ride it home. They have done a good job in repairing and servicing it apart from being sloppy with a few minor things. E.g. not fastening my saddle bag back on, losing a mudguard mounting and leaving the dust caps off the tyres. 

(Friday 10^th July)

Mudballs

A busy lunch time collecting L’s bike and doing some shopping. It’s amazing how much bike servicing now resembles car servicing. They always find something extra, you really ought to have this done... and there isn’t even an MOT test for bikes.

Then I have a pleasant evening throwing a ball in the mud for the mudballs, giving MD the chance to top up the dirt that is still encrusted in him from yesterday. Doggo seems to manage to indiscreetly dispose of his somewhere, on our bed usually, but MD likes to hang on to his despite the fierce brushing I give him tonight.

L’s at book club this evening, where I don’t think many of them were keen on the last book they were set to read. As punishment they get sent home with a right tomb of a novel, that will keep L quiet for weeks.

(Tuesday 10th April)