The best of the summer season

Reusable bags are good for many things, but they’re not very effective as towels.

I discovered this the hard way. My gym’s pool is undergoing maintenance, so I have to go to one of the public pools, where, unlike at my gym, they don’t provide towels. When I got to the pool's changing room yesterday evening I realised I’d forgotten my towel, for the second swim in a row.

Unfortunately, I wasn’t wearing a singlet that could double as a drying device so the reusable bag was the only option. It was fair to say I was still rather damp and bedraggled as I trundled off to dance class.

Yesterday I seem to have created the impression I have lost my zest for life and training. This is true up to a certain point, so I decided today to focus on the fun, frivolous and downright silly.

Forgetting my towel falls into the latter camp. The ridiculousness of the situation gave me a bit of a giggle as I put the bag over my head to squeeze water out of my hair.

Don't mind me, just having a bad hair, err head, day.

As for the fun, well, my running club, the Wellington Marathon Clinic, will break up for the Christmas/New Year holiday very soon. This is great news, but not because I’ll get a rest.

No, the old faithfuls of my pack still run on Sundays, but every run is a breakfast run, which in my opinion is the best kind of run. In fact, if I had my way, every run would be a breakfast run. Even the ones in the evening.

We don’t run trailing bits of toast and clutching coffee cups, though that would present an interesting logistical challenge. Instead, we finish every run in a cafe, drinking lots of coffee and consuming the breakfast of our choice.

I always feel slightly sorry for the other patrons when a pack of about six red-faced runners high on endorphins troop in. In our defence we do try to sit outside.

I take great delight in eating and will once again say that being able to consume plenty – including more of the naughty stuff – has to be one of the best reasons for maintaining an exercise regime. Don’t you think so?

I love food at this time of year too. Avocado season I greet with indecent transports of delight. Tomatoes are cheap again and courgettes can’t be far away. Not to mention the berry fruit.

Strawberries are probably my favourite, though I hope to entice my friend with a car (or my cousin) that pick-your-own blueberries are worth taking a trek up the coast for. I love them frozen, by the handful.

And we have all the stone fruit to look forward to - peaches, apricots and nectarines. No more choosing between the boring (but perfectly palatable training food) banana and apples, which I loathe. I'm getting quite enthusiastic just thinking about it.

What’s your favourite food of the summer season?

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