Feeling upbeat

For the past few months I have religiously run on Tuesday and Thursday mornings for what I call a maintenance run - either do some fast training, tempo or simply take things easy. The mornings have started with a 5am rise to be out of the door by 5.15 am to collect another fellow runner. Then I have also done the usual Sunday morning run - basically running along the Coastal Path... a very enjoyable experience indeed.

This morning there was no running partner so I decided to start from home and go through various streets of Brighton (Hampton St, then Dendy St until I got to Beach and then return back again). This morning's run totalled 10 kms in exactly 48minutes...! I just compared same result from a year ago at The Tan in 47 minutes, not bad after considering that today's run included some prolonged elevation - not quiet like feeling exhausted but enough to feel satisfied with a good workout.

I am feeling confident that my training so far is bringing some consistency - basically same performance as last year but without injury (suffered from shin splints last winter).

For the next few weeks it is a matter of working on the mental dimension for the race and not getting worried of those negative thoughts that emerge after being on the road beyond two hours.

On a more trivial matter... I had lunch today at one of my favourite city restaurants.
To my surprise my booking was not registered but upon our arrival the waiter greeted me with such enthusiasm and shaking hands that we ended up getting what I consider the best table in the restaurant... at the balcony. This is the beauty of being a regular to places worth visiting.

Melbourne Marathon, Bring it on!

I have not posted for a while so here is a brief update. I continue preparing for the Melbourne Marathon which will take place on the first Sunday of October. So it is now about five weeks to go.

My training has gone well and I look forward to the day and finishing at the G. It is amazing that a year I was so hesitant about whether I will make it to the start line. This time, there is no shin splints or any fears - albeit to say I remain cautious about what the day will bring.

Last Sunday I went for my longest run - a 36 kilometre adventure from North Brighton to Mordialloc along the Coastal Path and back again to the same starting point - in 3 hours and 38 minutes, including stoppage time for drinking water, stretching and farewell my fellow runners who were running shorter distances than me. In all it was an interesting experience which I will treasure for the next five weeks.

The most important aspect I am focusing on is the mental strength to continue running and blocking all the negative thoughts that start emerging when I am running longer than two hours. I have said to fellow runners that it is easy to run ten, twenty, but one is covering territory that goes beyond 25kms I start feeling not so much a sense of boredom but questioning why I bother running. Somehow I find the energy and the ability to get some positive thinking into my head and go beyond the point of stopping.

I am particularly pleased when I stop to drink water and then resume running - there is not a slight pain or agony like last year. This is something I treasure so much right now.

For the past few weeks I have been running with two fabulous runners - Kate and Jane, who started running about ten months ago and they have been so dedicated that they have enrolled for the Melbourne Marathon.

But also my other two fellows runners and close friends (members of El Sindicato), Gabriel and Alexis, have enrolled for the marathon.

The fellow runners do not stop there. Rodrigo, another member of El Sindicato, has enrolled for Half Marathon. Another good friend, Mark, has also enrolled for the Half and he has been training solidly for the past six weeks.

That's all folks!

Hasta luego!

Life is good...

Just in case: MM # 747

Training going well, no injuries. Last Sunday I ran 30 kms along the Coast Path.

Life is pretty good and plenty of activities with very little time to blog regularly... C'est la vie. Asi es la vida.