So no run today, I'm pacing myself.
Seriously though I've looked ahead to what's happening for the rest of the week and today suits me not to run. And that's a sensible way to look at it I think. I want to run Saturday & Sunday, and also tomorrow, so taking today and Friday off because of other commitments works best for me. I just can't become a slave to a strict, inflexible program, I hate that "knowing what you'll be doing at an exact time on an exact day" sort of thing. So I'd be no good for going on a cruise.
What I will be doing today is being a bit more cautious on the whole eating thing. A bit more fruit than normal to take the place of other more calorific items that I might indulge in on a running day.
But this leads me to an interesting question that was posed by the BBC website in July 2006. Should fruit be washed before eating it?
Although washing fruit before eating it is drummed into children as soon as they are big enough to reach the fruit bowl, and the sink, but is it really necessary?
Well the purpose of cleaning fruit before you eat it is that it is at risk of contamination from dust, dirt and bacteria from harvesting, storing and transport.
But also more importantly it's to wash off any pesticide residues, from the chemical and biological substances used to kill or control pests that harm it and stop it from looking like the perfect specimens on the shelf that evidently consumers demand.
A nutrition expert and registered public health nutritionist with the Food Standards Agency (FSA) says that the risk from eating unwashed fruit is minimal, but getting into the habit of washing and where appropriate peeling fruit (and vegetables) is good hygienic practice.
Friends of the Earth says the best way to keep people safe is to not use chemical pesticides at all, but that's not realistic. In a perfect world we'd all eat organic produce, people wouldn't shun the organic apples because they've got blemishes on the skin, producers wouldn't always be trying to grow the biggest crop for the least money, and we wouldn't be poisoning our bodies with a myriad of chemicals and pesticides liberally sprayed on everything that pokes it's head out of the ground.
But it's not a perfect world is it...
