Science lesson

Day 251 Friday 7th September 3 miles : miles to date 1659.2 Just a short recovery run tonight around the village early doors. In fact, it was too early. I saw too many people on the way home and pressed the accelerator when I should have been coasting in fifth gear. I was only running three miles and knew I couldn't do too much damage. Still, its strange how your mind and body adapts to what you are doing. If I know its three miles, I'm tired at the end. If I know its twenty miles, I still don't tire until the end, at least most of the time. I'm sure there must be a neurotransmitter that kicks in based on my predetermined decision to cover a specific distance. Neurothingies are brain chemicals that transmit information throughout the body and brain, telling the heart to beat, lungs to breath and stomach to digest. Having failed science O level in the last century, I feel totally under qualified to provide a research paper on the subject. All I can say from experience, is that on days when I'm only running low mileage, I cant go past that level and yet the next day I can breeze past the previous shorter distance. There has to be a scientific connection somewhere. I do know that dopamine is our main focus neurotransmitter and is responsible for drive and ambition. This can be elevated by caffeine, which explains why lots of running websites recommend a cup or two before a race. So I guess that's the answer. If you go out for say a five miler, pop into Starbucks (other coffee shops are available), stimulate your excitatory neurotransmitters with a large brew and slam in another five on the way back. Or just call it a day and have a bacon sarnie to go with it. I'm off to a parkrun with Fi in the morning and will put my new found scientific thesis to the test. My moneys on, can I have brown sauce with that please?