Tired and weary

This is a photo of Brading Down from the Ryde end looking towards Newport. I went up and down this hill 4 times during my ride 3 days ago. If I told you I am feeling a bit weary, I'm sure you will understand, and hopefully empathise. Sunday's 100 miler has taken it out of me. I've depleted my muscles and liver of their glycogen stores. The glycogen will go back quite quickly, and I've eaten a lot of chicken, rice, bread and vegetables to try and help the process. Plus, I'm turning into a pill popper. I'm taking Ibuprofen, multi-vitamins, cod liver oil capsules, glucosamine and Vitamin C. I should have all the bases covered there. There will also be a degree of trauma to the muscle mass which will take 4 or 5 days to repair. The body needs rest and it is natural to want more sleep. I expect all those London Marathon runners are feeling the same. There is also the risk that extreme physical effort causes an acute drop in your natural immunity, and this makes me susceptible to silly viruses. I suffer from cold sores anyway, and they are often induced by the sun. So an attack of herpes or snuffles needs to be avoided.
There are special sports drinks available to aid recovery. I believe they are a mixture of carbohydrate and whey protein. Here is the recipe for my special recovery snack. It's very simple to make.
One banana, one big teaspoon of syrup and a pint of milk. Whisk it up with a hand blender. That's it. Delicious.
Just to compound my fatigue, and probably damage my muscles even more, I've played a full 90 minutes of football this evening. Ryde Simian Saints against Colwell Bay. We drew 4-all, and I scored a headed goal. I had a pretty good game for an old codger. We also missed a penalty. My legs are stiffer than stiff things from a stiff town.
The remainder of this week is going to be about more rest, with no free time to cycle until Friday. My wife is taking my daughter to Bracknell tomorrow for two days of ice skating competitions, and so I'm in charge of my lad. He's having a minor operation on Thursday, so I will have my hands full, juggling work and childcare.
I've just watched Rooney score a cracker against AC Milan to win the game for Man U. Good luck to Liverpool tomorrow night against Chelsea. If anyone has got a spare ticket for Anfield, don't forget me.
I'm off to bed.
Thanks to all my sponsors.