Robert Song's Running

I'm over 50 and been running off and on since 1968. I have run everything from 800m to 10k on the track, to half marathons (PB 1:21 Brisbane 1993) and marathons (PB 2:53 Gold Coast 1985).

Wednesday, January 31, 2007

Wednesday - The Biggest Month

6.8k 34:16. HR Avg 140 Max 149 Avg Pace 5:02
Course: Work to New Farm Park.
Start Time: 6:25 pm Temp 25C.
Session Type: Easy Run

I flew back into town this afternoon. From outside Penrith to work takes just over four hours. Most of it sitting down. So it was good to go out and have an easy run to stretch the legs tonight.

After the water tap at riverside being fenced off last week, tonight saw my usual path round the Powerhouse by the river fenced off due to the reconstruction work on the Powerhouse. I now have to go the short way round. I guess it is shorter by 20-30m which adds upto 40-60m counting there and back. One of the benefits of always running the same course is that you can compare times accurately. I will now be around 15 - 20 seconds quickier on this new course. I believe the contruction will be going on for many months.

The best part of tonight's run was that it took me to 341.8K for the month. That is a new all time record for me beating the 339K in March 2006. With February being a short month, I will hopefully be giving that record another shake in March.

Tuesday, January 30, 2007

Tuesday - another Long Run

25.0k 2:18:28. HR Avg 142 Max 163 Avg Pace 5:31
Course: To Bowen Bridge and Back.
Start Time: 4:55 am Temp 23C.
Session Type: Long Run

I ran this same course last Friday and the previous Sunday and again this morning. Three times in 10 days.

They have gone like this -
  1. Sunday 2:18:15 (HR 146) - Out 68:43 (140) Back 69:32 (153)
  2. Friday 2:20:43 (HR143) - Out 70:11 (137) Back 70:32 (148)
  3. Tuesday 2:18:28 (HR 142) - Out 69:45 (137) Back 68:42 (148)

I am especially pleased by the Back time today. The quickest and the at the lowest HR. Maybe it was the soothing though rather eerie atmospheric music from Sigor Rios that was playing on the way back that did it. It can't be the lyrics as the songs are either in Icelandic or Hopelandic a scat-like form of gibberish.

Anyway got home just in time for handing out of Birthday presents. Ducky is sweet 16 today.

Monday, January 29, 2007

Monday - early again

11.0k 56:42. HR Avg 148 Max 162 Avg Pace 5:09
Course: Gap Cycle Path.
Start Time: 6:20 am Temp 23C.
Session Type: Sub 82%MxHR Easy Run

Another morning run. Didn't want it to be too strenuous as I am doing a long run tomorrow morning. But I felt fine so was able to push it a little without raising the HR too much. This is a good sign and shows that my aerobic fitness continues to improve.

At the start of the new year, I had a clear out on my music player and deleted most of the albums on there and loaded up some new albums to listen to.
They were Lagos No Shaking - Tony Allen, Oceans Apart - The Go-Betweens, The Rough Guide to West African Gold - Various Artists, Tropicalia - Various Artist (A compilation of songs from the Tropicalia movement from late 60s in Brazil) and Thakk - Sigor Rios (from Iceland). The first four have been good listening especially the Tony Allen but I am skirting around Thakk at the moment. Maybe tomorrow morning will be a good time to give it another spin.

I have lots of spare space on my player, which is handy as today I received my latest order of music from CD Roots. It included Golden Afrique Vol 3, Bembeya Jazz National (The Syliphone Years); No 1 de No 1 by Star Band No 1 and The Lost Album by Salif Keita & Kante Manfila. The prospect of experiencing that lot makes me want to load them all up now and go out for a very very long run.

Sunday, January 28, 2007

Sunday - some cool relief

15.3k 1:19:19 HR Avg 149 Max 170 Avg Pace 5:10
Course: Ashgrove Cycle Path.
Start Time: 6:15 am Temp 25C.
Session Type: Easy Run

After it being so hot yesterday and especially last night, I was not looking forward to this mornings run. It was with great relief to wake up and find it a little cooler.
As well there was a nice breeze which helped make running easier as well.

It would have been a good Sunday for a long run but it was only 15k for me today. I will be doing a long run Tuesday morning before flying down to Sydney.

Today I was out in 39:11 (145) and back in 40:05 (153).

Week Total: 72.7 K
Jan Total: 299K

Friday, January 26, 2007

Friday Long Run

25.0k 2:20:43 HR Avg 143 Max 171 Avg Pace 5:37
Course: To Bowen Bridge and Back.
Start Time: 5:00 am Temp 26C.
Session Type: Long Run

Another humid morning. Even leaving at 5 am you can't escape it. For the first time this summer, I found my socks completely drenched and I was sloshing around in shoes full of sweat for the last 5k. Despite this, it was a good run and the legs are now adapting to the work load.

Out in 70:11 (HR 137) and back in 70:32 (148). They are good splits as the return journey is basically up hill to home and historically the return leg is 2 to 3 minutes slower.

I am now off up the coast for an Australia Day party. Hope I stay awake for the drive and the party.

Thursday, January 25, 2007

Back to morning running

11.0k 55:38. HR Avg 156 Max 174 Avg Pace 5:03
Course: Gap Cycle Path.
Start Time: 6:00 am Temp 25C.
Session Type: Easy Run

I have had to juggle my schedule because of a few things happening over the next week, so it was a morning session today. Tomorrow we are off up the Coast for an Australia Day party and will be staying overnight. Next week I have to go to Penrith for work, so will be away Tuesday and back Wednesday. So I will do another run tomorrow morning hopefully 25K. I will then do another 25k run on Tuesday morning and so I will not have to worry about fitting in a run whilst away.

This morning it was again humid but slightly better conditions than late in the afternoon. The main difference is post run. When I run from work, I step back into an air-conditioned office to recover. This morning it took me a little while to realise, I needed to sit down in front of the fan to cool off.

Tuesday, January 23, 2007

Weep you no more sad fountains , what need you flow so fast?

14.6k 1:18:49. HR Avg 144 Max 154 Avg Pace 5:23
Course: Work to Riverside and Back.
Start Time: 5:25 pm Temp 27C.
Session Type: Easy Run


Once again it was humid tonight. I'm sure now this is the reason for the Heart Rate being so much higher than expected. We should have savoured that "cool"weather before Christmas more while we could. Out in 38:22 (141) and back in 40:27 (146). Normally on this run, the turn around point is at the ferry station at Riverside and I stop and have a drink from the water fountain there. I was sweating profusely tonight and was really hanging out for that drink. To my horror when I got there, there were construction barriers erected around the area and no access to the fountain. And it was one of the few drink stops that could be relied on to have half decent pressure. Now gone!

Monday, January 22, 2007

A Quick Recovery

6.8k 35:01. HR Avg 146 Max 156 Avg Pace 5:09
Course: Work to New Farm Park .
Start Time: 5:45 pm Temp 27C.
Session Type: Recovery Run

Well this was supposed to be my very easy post-long run recovery session. No pressure. Keep the HR around 135 and enjoy. Maybe it was because I didn't strap on my music today but it didn't go to plan. I started out well enough but my HR just kept rising the whole run and I couldn't seem to slow down. I found it very humid again as well. Out in 17:21 (HR 140) and back in 17:40 (HR 152). Weird.

Welcome to the working week

Given that I now have to share a computer with the rest of the family and the kids are still on holidays, I have spent a large portion of my shrinking allotted on-line time battling Blogger. Seems the the solution all along was to upgrade to the new Blogger and since I did that things have been a lot easier.

This weeks running:

Monday 6.8k 36:59 (HR 136 5:26)
Tuesday 14.6k 74:56 (HR 142 5:07)
Wednesday 9.5k 47:19 (HR 148 4:58)
Thursday 14.6k 79:35 (HR 139 5:27)
Sunday 25k 2:18:15 (HR 146 5:32)

Week Total : 70.5K
Jan Total : 226.3K

By Friday I was feeling like rather tired so took an extra rest day. It has certainly been hotter and humid this week and more like normal summer training conditions.

Sunday in particular was very humid and I had planned to go a further 6k but pulled the pin as it really started to heat up.

It has been interesting getting back to my normal runs from work. I have been comparing with last year at this time and I am definitely a bit behind in my fitness levels. The only positive is that I am a lot less behind then I was a month ago. So at least the trend is in the right direction. Still it is going to be a challenge to get to Canberra in better condition then I was last year.

Tuesday, January 16, 2007

2006 in review

Running Highlights

Canberra Marathon 3:27. My first marathon finish in 21 years. I went in with no expectations and ran conservatively and had a very enjoyable run. The whole weekend was made exceptional by hanging out with all those cool runners.






My major target for the year had been the Gold Coast Marathon but after spending way to many hours slouched on the couch watching World Cup matches I injuried my back with much referred pain down my left leg. I still went and completed the Marathon but in hindsight it would have been more sensible to opt out that day. But I was in good form prior to that and I am sure I was in sub 3:20 shape. This was borne out by my 1:31:43 Doomben Half Marathon in June. Maybe this year!


Favourite New Albums of 2006.

At the end of each year I like to make up some Best of CDs with tracks from the albums which I I consider to be my favourite new ones of the year. Now "new"" means newly obtained by me and can and does include many older releases. With the breakdown of my computer, it has been a little late coming but it has now been all done and dusted and these are the lucky albums.

Golden Afrique Vol 1 - Various Artists (West African)

Without doubt this was my favourite album of 2006. In fact, I would to have to rate it as one of my best ever. This superbly packaged double CD set is subtitled "Highlights and Rarities from the Golden Era of African Pop Music (1971 - 1983): Mali, Senegal, The Gambia, Ivory Coast, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Chad, Togo". While it is no revelation that the early works by Salif Keita, Youssou N'Dour and Orchestra Baobab featured here are brilliant, the quality of completely unknown performers is staggering. When it is not bubbling along with sheer joyous rhythms that drive your hips and sends your feet tapping, it is firing up your brain with inventive and jazzy guitar, brass and percussion interplay. Exhilarating and essential. AN ABSOLUTE CLASSIC.



Golden Afrique Vol 2 - Various Artists (Democratic Republic of Congo)


Volume 2 in the series subtitled "(1956 - 1982): The Great Days of Rumba Congolaise and Early Soukous", is again another superb package. It is a bit more focused in origin featuring only music from the Democratic Republic of Congo (formerly Zaire, formerly Belgian Congo) and its neighbour across the Congo River, the Republic of Congo (aka Congo-Brazzaville or French Congo). I have long been a fan of soukous and its hypnotic and frenetic guitar jams. Some of the crucial tracks from Franco, Docteur Nico and M'Pongo Love I already own, so this lessened some of the impact of the overall. But that still left lots of new soukous gems to set the hips shaking. The earlier Rumba tracks (1956 - 70) are hard to find usually, so it is good to have access to them here but overall they are not as exciting to me as of the later soukous tracks. Still an excellent compilation.



Kenya Dance Mania - Various Artists (Kenya)

The Narobi Beat (Kenyan Pop Music Today) - Various Artists (Kenya)


These two Kenyan compilations from the seventies and eighties could have almost been marketed together as a part of the Golden Afrique series. Congolese music had a big influence on music in not only West Africa but in the East African countries of Kenya and Tanzania. In Kenya, in particular it was adopted and adapted better than anywhere else. This music just percolates with jumping sensuous bass lines, jingly guitar riffs, stabbing horn sections and wonderfully exotic melodic vocals especially from the female singers.









Savane - Ali Farke Toure (Mali)

In March this year Ali Farke Toure, one of my all time favourite artists died of cancer. He had just finished this album before he died. One feels he knew this would be his last and a tremendous amount of care and attention has been given to these tracks. The album just sounds terrific. There are those who claim that this is his best ever release and I certainly couldn't argue against that. The panel of experts from the World Music Chart Europe (WMCE), a chart voted by the leading World Music specialists around Europe, chose 'Savane' as their Album of the Year 2006, with the album topping the chart for three consecutive months (September to November 2006). The album has also been listed as No.1 in the influential Metacritic's 'Best Albums of 2006' poll, and No. 5 in their all-time best reviewed albums. Ali Farka Touré has also recently been nominated for the BBC Radio 3 awards 2007. Although I need a few more years of listening before making a final judgement. I have found his music to be that way. It slowly keeps opening up its gifts with repeated listening, even with what at first appears to be quite simple songs. Here we find him once again collaborating with Pee Wee Ellis on sax on some tracks. The addition of some fine harmonica playing by Little George Sueref shows Ali was willing to broaden his sound right up to the end. More than usual he has a lot of people backing him on vocals and his voice may not be quite as strong as it was when younger. But his guitar playing is once again inspirational and his composing as good as it ever was. He gives his accompanying ngoni players plenty of space to work with him as the title track ably demonstrates. Already a genuine CLASSIC.


M'Bemba - Salif Keita (Mali)


After his return to form with Moussolou in 2003, it was always going to be interesting to see what Salif Keita would come up with next. Consistency in the nineties was not his forte. But with his return to live in Mali, he has again hit the mark and M’Bemba is another fine album. Again it is very much an acoustic sound and sees him back making music with amongst others Ousame Kouyate and Kante Manfila both who featured with him on tracks on the Golden Afrique Vol 1 from the 70s. Lots of acoustic guitars and intricate rhythms both fast and slow underpin the call and response between his soaring and powerfully emotive vocals and the sweet melodic backing chorus. A gem.

The Radio Tisdas Sessions - Tinariwen (Mali)


After Tinariwen's Amassakoul made my favourite list last year, I went back and purchased their first album. Their style is what is now being labelled "Desert Blues". Now Ali Farke Toure may be the King of the Desert Blues but this group have certainly had a fascinating history and are true desert nomads. Although it is hard to imagine, them being able to lug their electric guitars and amps all over the Sahara on their camels in a traditional life style, their music certainly invokes the feel of clip clopping along on in a camel train. This is music in no hurry to get anywhere. A very bluesy feel.



Boulevard de L'Independence - Toumani Diabete's Symmetric Orchestra (Mali)



Toumani Diabete's Symmetric Orchestra has been playing Friday nights at the Hogon nightclub in Bamako for the past decade. It is a loose collective based around Toumani's kora and who ever happens to be there on the night. With this arrangement he his trying to blend the traditional groit music of Mali (ie kora, balafon and ngoni based) with the new styles pioneered in the 70s (and again as showcased on Golden Afrique) where western instruments like guitar, keyboards and drum kit replaced those traditional instruments. Here they are all bought together. With upwards of thirty players at a time it can at times lose a little direction, and certainly some tracks are stronger than others but when it does gel it is sensational.



Dimanche de Bamako - Amadou and Marian (Mali)


This really is an Amadou & Mariam AND Manu Chao album. His style and production which reduces everything to a simplistic world pop is all over this record. Granted it can be fun at times being on the Chao stylistic roller coaster but their usual music is so deep and intricate.
It is a great tribute to the blind Malian couple that despite this the album survives. Nothing can get in the way of the haunting opening track M'Bife.



Zion Roots - Abyssinia Infinite (Ethiopia/USA)



This is an interesting collaboration between young Ethiopian singer Ejigayehu "Gigi" Shibabaw and American producer Bill Laswell. It is a mix of new songs written by Gigi and traditional devotional Ethiopian songs all given a rather new-age treatment by Laswell. The highlights are Gigi's wonderfully soulful and beautiful voice and some evocative tenor sax by Moges Habte resulting in album perfect for times of quiet reflection.


La Cantina - Lila Downs (Usa/Mexico)

La Sandunga - Lila Downs (USA/Mexico)



Another female voice to catch the attention this year was Lila Downs. Catch the attention is a bit of an understatement. Her range of styles across the La Cantina (2006) and La Stupenda (her first album from 2001) is massive. She can be as soulful as Gigi but also do everything from late night smoky jazz ballads to skoll-the-tequilla bar room accordion knees ups. Sexual purrs to orgasmic screams. Sensitive melancholy to mariachi joy. Playful tease to love lost. And sometime that is all in the one song!! A true truly great singer.


















Greetings from Michigan - Sufjan Stevens (USA)
Illinoise - Sufjan Stevens (USA)

The old singer-songwriter concept has been around for a long time but has not been too fashionable since punk in the 70s. But Sufjan Stevens is someone I have not been able to ignore. Michigian is an album that took me a long time to get into. It is quite sprawling. The music at times is challenging as is its content. Romoulus is the most revealing and emotional song I have ever heard. In four minutes he can portray a lifetime of childhood pain revolving around his mother. The whispered chorus of "I was ashamed of her" still manages to leave me in awe of the openness of his outpouring and the maudlin banjo and French horn backing are perfect for the song. There are many other fine tracks on here as well. Another CLASSIC. Three in one year!





I also explored his later album Illinoise. This album seems to be regarded higher by critics than Michigan but for me it is not quite as good. Still very worthy and it may need more listening.











We Shall Overcome - Bruce Springsteen (USA)


One night after a long period where listening to the Michigan album was my first choice, My Wife commented ""You not putting on that dreary record again are you?". This album came along at just the right time. The music here just feels so alive and spontaneous and is a lot of fun. A great mixture of folk, bluegrass, gospel and blues. This kept me going on many a long run leading up to the Gold Coast Marathon.






Desperate Man Blues - Various Artists (USA)

This is the soundtrack from the movie about Joe Bussard an American record collector. It is an eclectic collection of old blues/country/hillbilly songs from his collection. Thanks go to Tesso (and probably JD) for putting this one my way because it has lead me down a few musical paths that I am really enjoying. It certainly lead me to the Springsteen album.






Bob Wills - Bob Wills & His Texas Playboys (USA)



Bob Wills was a huge star in 1930s and 40s in the US with his infectious mix of country and big band swing. And to think before this year I had never heard of him.







America IV: The Man Comes Around - Johhny Cash (USA)


Now Johnny Cash may have been big in the sixties but in terms of raw emotion, here is an artist laying it on the line big time. He was not physically well and knew he was dying when recording these songs. Death permeates all these songs but Cash looks it in the eye, seeks redemption and they reconcile themselves. Strangly it is all rather uplifting.







Modern Times - Bob Dylan (USA)


Bob is on one of is most consistent streaks since the 60s. What is it that makes this a memorable release and so much of what he put out in the 80s and 90s forgettable? For one, such strong songs as Workingman Blues and Nettie Moore. He also seems so comfortable in belting out blues number like Thunder on the Mountain without having to over complicate it and somehow manages to make the songs stronger because of this. Long may he run.








Chavez Ravine - Ry Cooder (USA)

Once I got over trying to make sense of this as a concept album revolving around Chicanos in LA in the 1950s, I started to enjoy it a lot more. Some of the songs belong in that era, but there are also many contemporary styles to be found here. It is really quite diverse in its rannge. I would have to say this is my sleeper of the year. Just keeps getting better with each play.








Elephant - The White Stripes (USA)

I don't usually go seeking contemporary rock music but every year a couple seem to make there way on to my CD player and into my heart. This is the first and only White Stripes I have heard.












OK Computer - Radiohead (UK)


I must say I still think The Bends is the best Radiohead but this is a very worthy collection just the same.

No more classes for a week or two (Part 2)

My holiday running continued. Still can't seem to get uploading of photos working. Maybe the firewall on this computer is blocking them??

Week 3 1 - 7th January
Monday - Rest Day. If you call walking, surfing, swimming and tennis as rest.
Tuesday - 16.6k in 90:15 (HR 148 Pace 5:14)
Wednesday - 10.1k in 55:14 (HR 137 5:28)
Thursday - 10.1k in 53:11 (HR 143 5:15)
Friday - 16.6 K in 89:39 (HR 143 5:24)
Saturday - Rest
Sunday - 33.2k 3:09:23 (HR 145 5:41). Woke up at 4:00am to get this one in. Conditions again were great. My longest long run since GC Marathon.

Week Total 86.6k. Really happy with that. I also would have walked at least another 5k a day on top of this. All these runs have been early in the morning which is a real change of lifestyle for me.


Week 4 8 - 14th January

Monday - Rest
Tuesday - 10.1k in 53:00 (HR 148 5:14)
Wednesday - Rest . I woke up early and put my gear on but for the first time on the holiday was feeling tired, so thought I could afford a day off.
Thursday - 16.6k in 83:54 (HR 152 5:03). As I had rested yesterday I pushed it a bit harder today. The humidity has returned and I was completely soaked by the end of the run.
Friday - Time to leave the Coast and head back home. It is certainly a bit warmer in Brisbane. Run 11.0k in 57:33 (HR 149 5:13) in the evening.
Saturday - Rest
Sunday - 31.5k in 3:08:02 (HR 144 5:58). Again up at 4:00am. It is overcast, hot and humid even at that time. 26C and 80% humidity in my lounge room. I take the run easy but the last hour is tough as the humidity is really draining.

Week Total 69.2k. Not a bad follow up after last week. Back to work next week and evening runs by the river.

Monday, January 15, 2007

No more classes for a week or two (Part 1) now with photos

I am back from holidays and back on-line (just). So I will quickly go through what I have been up to over the last 4 weeks.

Week One. 18 - 24 December.

Monday to Thursday

The first week of the holiday started off with a camping trip up to the Bunya Mountains some 3 hours drive north east of Brisbane. The first morning, I was off at 6:30 am for a run along the road from our camp ground at Burton Wells heading east. The drive in the day before had not seemed very hilly but once I was out running, I found it very up and down. I turned aroung at the aptly named Paradise and headed back. All up just under an hour for the 10.5 K with 300m of ascent along the way. After breakfast, we went for a 9k walk through the rainforest. Here is the family at one of the eastern facing lookouts.

And this is Dory the photographer.


There has been a long standing prank that I play on my wife whenever we go bush walking. If I find myself in front of her, I will hide behind a tree and jump out and scare her as she passes. As I say I think I have done this on every walk with her in the last thirty years. So this day I was walking with Ducky and Kewell, out in front of My Wife and I was telling them how she must be expecting it. Strangely when the act was done, once again she was not expecting it and was scared witless. In fact she was very pale and quiet for the next half hour. It was then that she sprouted horns as this photo shows and later warned me that if I ever, ever do that again it would be instant divorce.




By that afternoon, I knew my mountain run had had the same result it had on last year's camping trip. My legs were so sore and there would be no more runs on this trip but I did manage a couple of more walks which helped with the recovery.

Thursday Evening
Back home and 11k on the Gap Cycle Path in 57:16 (HR 152 Pace 5:12). The legs seemed to have recovered.

What hasn't recoverd is my home computer. After coming home it would not start. Not even go through the POST test.

Friday Evening
11k on the Gap Cycle Path in 59:53 (HR 138 Pace 5:26). A nice easy run.

The computer is not being so easy. After much stuffing around, I suspect it is the power source or the motherboard. Saturday I go out and get a new power supply but it makes no difference.

Sunday Morning
Long Run. 25k from home to Bowen Bridge and back in 2:24:57 (HR 141 5:47). The conditions this week have been as good as you could ask for at this time of year. Not too hot or humid. Took it very easy.

Week 2

Christmas Day

The traditional Christmas family get together at our place. We have a Chritmas present draw so you only have to give to one other person. I scored a copy of the "Love" album by the Beatles which is a remix done by George Martin. Some of it is very clever and I have found it to be very enjoyable holiday listening. It is fun trying to pick the source of all the bits of songs you hear. I believe there are bits from 130 Beatles songs on the album. I was puzzled by the guitar solo in Lady Madonna and have since found out it is from Hey Bulldog. No wonder I didn't recognise it. Must be one of the few tracks I don't have. I suppose it helps that I was a huge Beatles fan as a kid. The first album I ever purchased with my own money was "The Beatles" (aka The White album).

Tuesday Morning
6.6k on the Gap Cycle Path in 34:57 (HR 138 Pace 5:22). The run this morning was a bit of a suprise. After about 500m, I was acutely aware that the tendons on the top of my right foot had a sharp pain as if my laces where too tight. I stopped and loosened them but this didn't help much. After about 2k, I stopped again and loosened them even more. After that it was worse. I decided it wasn't going to go away so turned back for home and completed the run with a fair bit of discomfort in the foot. Afterwards I remembered that towards the end of my long run on Sunday, I had felt this on my right foot but had just put up with it as there was not far to go.

I have officially abanonded my computer. Luckily, I have another that is the kids computer and I can use this. I have removed the hard disk from my computer and installed in their computer and also attached the cable modem to it. The only problem now was that all the internet quota has been used up and so we were limited to 28K speed. Gosh how did anyone ever exist at these speeds. It is almost impossible to get anything loaded.

Wednesday
The right foot hasn't been toubling me just walking around, so decide to give it another go. After 400m, it is just the same as yesterday, so I abandon the run. That evening I decide to go out for a walk as I seem to be able to do that pain free. To make it more of an effort, I do 6 repeats of my monster hill. All up it is just under an hour of exercise.

Thursday Morning
Another attempt at a run. This time it is relatively pain free. 11k in 56:56 (HR 144 Pace 5:10).
Today I made two decisions. The first was this year I would go to Womadelaide in March. The lure of seeing Salif Keita , Femi Kuti and Lila Downs was too great. The second was that after such a great time at the Canberra Marathon, it was also impossible not to go back this year. So on my super slow net connection, I made the necessary plane and hotel reservations for these two events.

Friday Morning
11k on Gap Cycle path in 55:22 (HR 148 5:02). After the run, we headed up to Caloundra for our usual two week beach vacation.

Sunday Morning

26.7k Long Run. I am out and running just before 5:00am. This run takes me from the Calounrda Headland all the way down to the boat jetty at Pelician Waters and back (16.6k) and then a 10.1k lap only as far as Golden Beach. Again very favourable conditions for running. Passed Parmy from the BRRC on the run this morning. No problem from my right foot, so hopefully I can put that behind me.

To be continued ...