The Weekend (part 2)

So Sunday morning arrives and I stick my head above the sheets. I do a little hangover test, rapidly shaking my head from side to side to check for headache or sickness - I seem to be lucky in that respect. However I do know my muscles ache and I am severely dehydrated. This isn't good when I have 16 miles to go. It's 7am and as we're out to lunch today and Sharon is going to late mass I am in no rush to get out. I am aiming to head off about 9am so I can have a leisurely breakfast with the family. This of course will never happen with a 7 month old and a 2 and a half year old. George is having a boiled egg and soldiers and trying to eat it with his toy monkey wrench and I start feeding Claudia her porridge. Claudia is having lots of fun watching George and his wrench which means she is facing away from me as I try to find her mouth with the spoon. Sharon then comes in with my toast and jam and her egg and soldiers. George then becomes a little angel sucking up to mummy "Delicious egg, thank you mummy" and when I jokingly say I wish I had egg he breaks off the tiniest piece of egg white and says "there you go daddy". After breakfast Sharon tells George that he can have Scooby-Doo on TV once daddy goes running. From this point on George is waving bye to me and fetching me my trainers and mp3 player. Finally at 8:40 I give up and head off.
16 miles along the river today, easy I say! After about a mile I am sweating profusely this doesn't usually start until about 4 miles, I have alcohol sweats. At Hammersmith Bridge at around 2.5 miles I have a stitch like pain which lasts for 10 minutes then subsides. Slowly but surely I get into a groove though I am regretting Saturday's excess. Looks like there was a very high tide last night as the path is wet and areas are covered with plastic bottles and carrier bags that have been washed up. At Barnes Bridge the tow-path is covered in river debris including a decapitated pigeon. 8 miles into the run I reach the marker stone for Richmond Deer Park and turn for home. As per last week the run was clear on the way out but more and more runners, walkers and bikers appear on the run back. This week all seem very friendly. A key feature of the run was the number of dogs throwing themselves into the water this week with owners shouting at them to get out of the filth. Perhaps the early March sun has spooked them. At around 13 miles I am very thirsty and feel fairly drained, this is where Saturday's sins are coming back to haunt. At 14 miles I feel like collapsing and my feet barely leave the ground, I feel disheartened when a geriatric in a electric invalid carraige flies passed me. I think I am delusional but would swear he flipped his middle finger up as he went on his merry way. If he did may his battery run out in the middle of a busy road! I struggle on and then with one mile to go I get a second wind, perhaps as I know I will make it before the grim reaper claims me. I kick on and make it home in a respectable time. The family are still amening in a church so I stretch then shower and watch footy highlights. An hour of so later my family is sitting at the bar in the Princess Vic, I allow myself a celebratory London Pride, small white wine for the lady, mashed sweet potato and chicken for the baby and crisps and apple juice for the boy.



FCB - 8 DP - 6 H - 9