I might look too much like Big Kev for my liking, but I sure am excited right now.

After a quickish coffee with Bob at Hansel and Gretal, Belconnen before he headed to his doctor to get a mark on his back checked out (he had a very aggressive melanoma a few years back, so is extra careful), I drove into Customs for my "wouldn't miss it for the world" Friday lunchtime.

From the start I felt good, had remembered to take my Ventolin and had the puffer in my back pocket in case. I worked hard, but the legs had a spring in them that I hadn't noticed for far too long. I passed Friar far earlier than expected at the 1km mark and was concerned that my quick start would be my undoing later on in the run.

Despite seeing Yumiko for the entire run, I never could quite reel her in, although I tried! My heart rate was high, although not alarmingly so, and I took some Ventolin after I completed 3km, and after that. It seemed to silence me and give me a good kick to continue.

All in all, I finished just under 5:30 pace (27:22), and felt wonderful. It seems strange to be so thrilled with a supra-5 minute pace result, but there has been a long period of this poor performance, so hopefully I am heading in the right direction for rapid improvement.

I think that the day spent doing paperwork and resting yesterday helped, staying away from hills, and Bob insists that caffeine before the run, instead of the usual after run socialising, helped.

Now, for some consistency in training that has been so sorely lacking over the last 12 months, and further improvement!

.

Next goal: Weston Creek Half Marathon on 11 March, 2007

Answer: A Lot!

I was keen to run the BBQ Stakes today after such a miserable lack of running since Friday. The 2.2km Mt Ainslie Run-Up was also undertaken largely walking and I found it hard going.

Making it around the 6k was the sole priority, and I was able to complete this without undue difficulty. The seemingly perfect conditions for running at the start seemed a little hotter when underway, but were still pretty good. Being the first Wednesday of the month, it was run as a team event and in reverse direction. This usually seems harder, perhaps because one is used to going the other way. However I did keep reminding myself that once one was over the hills in this direction, at about the 4.5km mark, it was all downhill from there! I was willing those hills to pass, and dreamt of finally reaching the top of Waldock Street!

I was passed by a procession of just about every runner who started behind me, but did get better as the run progressed, didn't need to walk, and was free of the crippling gut pain. I felt as though I was flying (at between 5:15 and 5:30 pace) in the final mile and was disappointed to be considerably slower than last week, but was still faster than a fortnight ago.

Now, advice please:

Although I think that hills are the best way of improving strength and endurance, I am really struggling with them at the moment. Do you think that it is a good idea that I build up longer distances at the moment doing flatter, and hopefully faster, runs? I figure that my muscle memory is stuck on low gear, with a tendency to slip into reverse!

It's been a good day. Went to the gym this morning and stayed until some abdominal spasms made me realise that enough was enough.

Rode my newly serviced boike down to Customs, and was thrilled with how good the rear brakes were, and stunned at the difference in gear changing with a replacement gear cable inner and outer fitted. I'm sure that I was so much faster! At the very least, I was able to maintain a far higher cadence throughout, especially going up hills seated.

There was a good turnout at Customs, although for some reason the gut spasms returned when I started to run. I left off my correct handicap with the PRB of 6:30, and had been confident that I would better my time of 28:46ish from last week. Well before I got the the 1km marker though I thought it best that I turn back, and over the last hundred metres I had a rigorous argument with myself along the lines of

"You should stop now. It hurts too much to be healthy.

"Just keep going another k and see what it's like then

"It's not right to be this sore. Think of the big picture - long run tomorrow

"Softy! What are you? Weak or something?

"Don't make it worse. Stop you idiot . . . "

Eventually I did stop, and, although I started to jog back I soon reverted to walking when I realised that this made the gut much more comfortable.

I made it back in time to see Scotty check his own time on the stopwatch and run off at a blistering pace. Thus the 5 or so bikes that were used as transport to the run and the assorted chattels were guarded. The recent re-handicapping worked well with most of those leaving off their correct time coming in a rush together within 30 seconds or so. Well Done Mr Handicapper!

A coffee with the PRB later woke me up and quelled my incessant yawning. The ride home was equally successful on the serviced bike. I'm going to have a lot of fun on this in the next few months!

So - long run (for me) tomorrow with the Pink Arrows, starting from Acton Ferry Terminal at (yawn) 5:45 or earlier!