Sunday Long Run ... Yipee!! (2)

Inevitably I can feel it, sense it, almost suffer and exhale the build up to the October Melbourne Marathon... I sense the outcome but it's all in the process - right now until crunch day. This was exactly what I thought when we were running along Beach Road this morning - whether I do the full or HM remains to be decided.

We started well and continued at a pace that helped us to go all the way to Black Rock - usually we all run at a different pace - so we only run together once a f/n. We did not have a sense of urgency except that we agreed that we were going to run for an hour exactly. So we did. We passed a few runners but we were passed by many others time and time again. That did not bother us, we chatted and admired the landscape, the water views were astonishing. We also remembered occassions when we cycled around years gone by. We run through the bushes and came into the main road a few times when we had occassion to glance at the cyclists returning from Frankston. Everynow and then we encouraged each other and said to ourselves the day will arrive when we will be there in the main road struggling to complete an event.

Rodri reminded us that his 'birthday certificate' was on his pocket. Gabi and I reminded him about his well rounded fitness. We suggested him to wet his legs for any soreness but politely he declined to do so. He is a dentist, an academic, a poet, a father and a runner. At exactly 59 mins since our start, Rodri confidently noted it was time to go back - so we headed back. We started to climb back those uncospicous hills feeling happy that we will be completing a two-hour run as planned. We caught up with another runner who run with us for a few kms. Just before we approached Brighton Railway Station, Gabi and I sprinted for a few hundred metres - we sped together, run fast and fast until the long strecht ended - we stopped feeling well, then we continued our run at the pace we were working as a team. We parted ways with our running companion just before Dendi Street.

Gabi has been running for a year. He has done more events than most of us and he is more determined that the full marathon is the way to go for October. In January 2006, he climbed the Aconcagua Volcano, the only one who ventured to do such trip when other friends who were going to do it pulled away and opted to spend summer elsewhere.

Yipee, today's run was an awesome one...!

Ps - Had cooked more than one kilo of dried fruit. I combined figs, apricots, pears, peaches, prunes (one bag of 250g each) plus a combination of dried papaya, pineapple and mango (250g). I limited the added sugar to about 150 g (excess sugar not needed, really!). Then I added vanilla essence, cinnamon stick, cardamon, a few threads of saffron and a diced fresh orange. Cooked for an hour. Taste is fabulous.

That's all for today folks!