Liverpool, city of culture

I am in Liverpool this weekend visiting my mother-in-law and decided to go for my 18 mile run yesterday, as the kids wanted to cycle to the Anthony Gormley statues. These statues are really worth the trip, 100 identical statues erected randomly along an enormous expanse of beach. My run took me along the banks of the Mersey, through the very impressive newly developed docks in Liverpool, past the Liver buildings and then finishing up on the coastline above Liverpool. The run was flat, the weather was perfect; sunny, chilly, the wind behind me all the way, and I have to admit that my legs could have kept on running ( I am normally desperate to finish my long runs).

My run was fuelled by a bowl of porridge, a banana and some toast with home made jam. I have a problem with gels and sports drinks, partly because they are usually filled with so many false ingredients, and partly because they make me feel sick. I tried out some new gels yesterday - high 5 - www.high5-online.com - which I took with plain water, and these seemed to not only work pretty well, but taste quite nice also. I think I might use these for London.

The night before my mother-in-law made a delicious chicken and broccoli lasagne - I don't think she realised this, but she had made a perfect low G.I. meal to prepare me for a big run the next day. Much lighter on the stomach than a regular lasagne, the chicken provided a good, low fat source of protein, the broccoli is just full of great vitamins, folic acid, iron etc and the lasagne is a good low G.I. carb. You also get to eat a good quantity of carbohydrate with lasagne as it is in those big flat sheets. I'll pop the recipe in my next posting.