Paul Arden | Tuesday, 4 March 2025
I tried to write today’s FP yesterday evening but fell asleep in front of the fireplace. Jet lag! It’s amazing how it creeps up on you and knocks you out. Some flights and time zone differences are worse than others. There is a double whammy this time and I’ve gone from a tropical climate to a fridge!
This time zone difference is not something I ever found in easy and just accepted the fact that it would take me about a week to feel normal again. But what if you are fishing for a week and then heading home again? Or what if, like last year, when you return home you have an Ironman 5 days later? (I struggled!). Or are flying somewhere for a casting competition?
I don’t think there is a solution to any of this, maybe business class! But I can’t justify the price.
On the morning before flying I ran ten kilometres and in the afternoon Ashly and I went for some swim coaching. Afterwards, cocooned into some awful chair for two seven hour flights! I’m not used to sitting in chairs continuously so that’s not helping. And finally I don’t normally sleep in a bed, as I am over here, but instead in a hammock.
If you have never tried sleeping in a hammock then I can recommend it. I get excellent recovery, whereas a bed can give me lower back pain, especially after a long sleep. It makes me wonder if people who have habitual lower back problems would have a better life sleeping in a hammock.
Anyway hopefully now after yesterday’s long sleep I’m back to fighting fit. The thing about jet lag is you only really know it’s over when it’s over. Imagine being a pilot!
One of my zoom casting students is a long haul pilot. I did ask him how he coped but it sounded like having a bed makes a huge difference. I wonder if the flight crew would notice a hammock strung up in a quiet corner at the back of the plane?
It must be Spring! Lots of rod orders coming in! We have some standard builds now in stock. So if you are quick and order one of these you can have a new rod within a week! There will be some price increases next month; I’ll talk about that next week.
Cheers, Paul
POD. Swimming. It’s amazing how much better it looks above the water!