The Last Long Run

Well, this time next week it will all be well and truly over. I headed up to Wandin to meet the ESRG crew at 730 this morning, good to catch up with the group again, Tony, Jay, Michelle, Mark, Paul, Beki and Marty on the bike. Great to run with the group as you can pick any pace you feel like on the day and there will always be company. All up I did 20km at a pace of about 5:30, probably a touch fast for a long run but there were some slow 6:00 Kms as well as a handful of faster 5:10-5:15 Kms, in particular the last 5Kms were quite quick. Very amusing moment after the run, I was changing out of my sweaty running top (don't get excited I run in a Triathlon style crop top, not a sports bra so my modesty was preserved), just at the moment a family of Kookaburra's choose that moment to start cackling their little heads off, gee, thanks fella's, I don't look that bad. Got some great advice today, along the lines of, If you go out and have a good race that's great, but if you go out and have a shit one it's not the end of the world. So very very true :-) Beki sent me a link to a blog report from 2004 and from a guy who ran an Ironman Triathlon, and did it bloody hard. It was a great read and really gave me a boost, I mean, what's the worry over a piddling 21 Kms? I am feeling reasonably good today, still a bit tired from this "cold" that is still thankfully refusing to turn into a COLD but apart from that pretty good. Just looking forward to getting up to the GC tomorrow and really relaxing. Especially as I have a big pile of books to get into, bought 2 more today so now I have about 8 unread books piling up and not one of them in about running! It occurred to me today how unconcerned about my appearance I have become since taking up running. Now I have always been a pretty casual sort of girl, tomboy wouldn't be an unfair description as I am pretty low maintenance. Don't get me wrong, I am not a total lost cause, I do comb my hair and wash my face :-) but generally don't muck about getting too done up on the weekends, definitely no make-up. But today really took the cake, we headed up to Glenferrie road for a late breakfast after my run. I was wearing my Skins around the house after my shower and I wanted to keep them on. So out of the draw come a baggy old pair of cords that are too big for me now, over the Skins they go, just a JJJ T-shirt and a hoodie on the top. Well, walking down the street I realise that I probably should have worn a belt, there I am, little tum bared to the world with the Skins waistband poking over the top of the jeans, WHAT A TOTAL DAG, even I hung my head. Breakfast was great though, the best bowl of porridge I have ever had with honey and lot's of strawberries.