10 things you MUST do to.....

Is 'eat very chocolatey birthday cake' one of the 10?

02.04.2015
Day 352
My watch conked out at mile 5, but a further three laps of the measured mile of Ladywell Fields, as well as a couple of miles incorporating Brockley Cemetery and to home, so more or less the ten. Easy paced. 

The plan to get to my peak weekly mileage of 55 in a week has rendered me weak and listless. A vague sense of internal upset sent me rushing to the interweb for diagnosis of overtraining: perhaps four days of running totalling 45miles is too much for an old bird like me. Possibly, but while comparing my symptoms to the typical ones, I could not help but notice all the hectoring at the bottom of the page: 10 ways to flatten your stomach, 10 reasons why your breakfast is making you FAT; 10 signs that your exercise regime ISN'T working. Nag, nag nag.

So, here are mine. 10 things you must do to stay sane, comfortable, cheerful
* Avoid sidebar of shame/Daily Mail. It makes you feel dirty
* Run because you love to run, not beause you think you should
* Eat food
* Sleep when you're tired
* Enjoy a nice cup of builder's tea and stop pretending you like green or rooibos
* Stop thinking gluten free will do anything revolutionary and be glad you don't have colitis or Crohn's
* Be outside as much as you can and for walks at dusk or daybreak to hear birds sing as they get up/go to roost
* Read books and poetry
* Always have something in your diary to enjoy planning for/daydreaming about
* Realise that clothes/make up/money/fitness regimes/special diets won't make you look younger. You are the age you are, be proud of it