So why, then, do i feel like such a slug?
It's not unique to this race to be honest - but the longer the race, the more i notice this strange paradox. The harder the challenge (and the more robustly I meet it) the softer i feel in the days following. Maybe its because i'm so destroyed afterwards. Maybe it's because the 24 hours after such a big undertaking are like returning to infancy - Eat as much as you can. Look around for a few minutes. Go to sleep. Wake up. Repeat.
To be honest, the rest of the week has been much the same. But so be it. I'll give myself that week. And in the meantime I'll revel in my fascination about how quickly things change: one week ago i was deep in the gripping immediacy of a desperate struggle that i'd purposefully undertaken - to keep me and my team moving forward with relentless determination in an attempt to clear a completely arbitrary course (we were unsuccessful).
And, for better or for worse, i'll also revel in my fleeting brush with slughood.