Part One. What had I become?
Some context…
Prior to the pandemic lockdown in the UK – and my starting to work from home – I was training for a marathon. This meant running 50km a week and eating a well balanced, and controlled, diet (at least, as controlled as I am ever likely to achieve – bourbon creams were still on the menu). It was, quite probably, the best shape I’ve ever been in.
Fast forward two months: I was barely getting outside for a walk, let alone a run. On the rare occasion I did venture out to ‘train’, I was struggling with a basic 5k, finishing my ungainly run in a wheezing, sweating, wobbling mess. My fitness was completely shot.
More importantly, I was no longer vegan.
It’s easy to make excuses, especially in a time of such unprecented social change. I could say I was struggling to cope with being cooped up in my flat, for the most part on my own. Or that it was just too difficult to get hold of the sort of vegan supplies I needed given the chronic bottleneck in home groceries delivery. Or perhaps that because my children were spending more time with me – and therefore requiring me to cook their meals – it was just easier to stick to their diet (including cheese, eggs, chocolate and ice-cream) than mine. All of these are true to a degree.
To be honest though, without my regular routines, and my life being the way I liked and wanted it to be, the wilderness just became a scary place again. Like it was before that first Vegan-uary. I lost confidence, and fell back on foods that were cheaper and easier and more comfortable.
I had to face a cold, and very difficult, fact. I was a vegetarian.
To be continued…
