Joining A Commune?

I wake up at 5am with a cough on my chest and a blocked nose. Not promising for the event on Sunday. Once I am up however things seem to gradually improve. L suggests I have one of her multi-vitamin pills. Hmmm not convinced, sounds like hard drugs to me. Anyhow after a smoothie, some cereal, and yes an EPO pill I feel ready to hit the road.

I decide to take it very gently. This lasts about half a mile as out of one of the houses on Trowell Road appears one of the cyclists I occasionally do battle with. I had no idea he lived there. He hits the road in front of me, as if his life depended on it, and quickly goes away from me. However as soon as the road goes up hill at Balloon Wood, I catch him. I must be doing something right with my climbing technique. Then down Coventry Lane and he's gone, so I ease up. There's no sign of him, so he really must have the hammer down. Then in Sandiacre he appears out of Town Street. Blimey that's a long way around.

Then into Risley and he starts freewheeling and twiddling with his Ipod, yes he wears an Ipod on the bike! So I HAVE to go past him. Then the challenge is to stay ahead. I do a really good climb up the hill but there's no sign of him. He must have turned off. Swine.

Once at work I feel a lot better, cough gone-ish, the nandrolone must have done the trick. In fact I'm actually started to feel fitter, perhaps all this 'bricking it' is finally paying off.

So I'm sat there feeling smug with myself but what do I get from L? Praise? No, a severe reprimand. She says I'm not looking after myself and my body has every right to collapse because I cycled, swam, and took doggo out, all on a glass of water and a banana. Slight exaggeration, I had more than that. The case for the defence - I had a sport bar, a sports drink, and juice. Ok, so perhaps it's still not perfect but at least I refuelled later on Burmese curry.

She seems concerned I could have bonked on the way to work. No chance of that, I was all bonked out from last night.

After having laid into me L sets about Boots. She says she's boycotting them because the shop assistants are always pushing her to buy more than she wants to. E.g. telling her it'll work out cheaper if she buys a drink with her lunch etc. She was furious and told them it wouldn't be cheap when it's sat on her hips. She's promised not darken to their doorstep again. I love it when she gets all angry. It sends all shivers down my spine.

Personally I’ve not been in Boots for years, simply because they’re so damn expensive.

So she's going to give up going to the shops and instead retreat to a hippie commune and grow her own veg; have a cow to milk; raise chickens for eggs and have lots of dogs. I was with her all the way there, until she mentioned dogs. Mind you they'd probably be lots of barefooted girlies with long hair in flowery dresses. Lots of peace, love and harmony, as well as the free-range chickens for Doggo to chase. Sounds like purgatory; I just hope I'm invited.

I cycle home the Ilkeston route, through the rain. Good fun.

I skip dog class because Doggo has an event on Friday and then again on Saturday and I don't wish to overdo it with him.

L walks Daughter and Doggo up to guides and then continues onto the park. I opt to do a training run that will hopefully catch them up, and then we can all retire to the pub. I just hope that if she sees an old man like me staggering along, all bonked out, she'll give him a piggyback. L enquires whether than would be to the pub, or home after a Broadside? If Broadsides is on, she can leave me in the pub.

I set off and it's still raining. I run through our estate to the Middleton Boulevard entrance then go around the lake. Still feeling fit, I even overtake people. Although I have to do it twice because the cheating b******* take a short cut. I catch up with L and Doggo just before the hall. Doggo joins me for a loop of the field before we meet L by the gate and head off to the pub. Regrettably no Broadside. Cameron's Castle Eden 4.5% and Directors are both ok. We romantically sit outside under shelter watching the rain fall.

Go home for L's sausage and bean dish with lashings of cheese. We both only just make it through the Seven Ages Of Rock. Creased.