Until yesterday my legs had felt heavy since the City to Surf, with no zip in them at all. Then yesterday, and this morning too, they felt full of energy. Admittedly, I had been running in training shoes, and yesterday I changed to racing shoes (training in racing shoes is not an issue for me these days, since I changed to forefoot running). But it’s hard to believe the change of shoes has led to such an improvement. I guess I just reached that stage where I had fully recovered from the race.

So I used the occasion yesterday to hit out over a short distance, deciding to time myself over 300 metres. I hadn’t done any really fast stuff for more than a month. I covered the 300 metres in 50.4 seconds. It’s not really very fast, but I can’t expect too much too soon. In fact, that 300 metre time is roughly my PB for 400 metres (51.2) although that was 38 years ago. Had the two ‘me’s been racing over 400 metres together, the young me would have been finishing when the me from yesterday was just entering the home straight. I’ll get better, but not to the level of my 16 year old self.

Today’s world run photo is another from New Zealand. This was taken in the South Island town of Oamaru, which has a lot of really well preserved buildings from the 1800s.  This one even had an old train engine out the front.

On This Day

Aug 22, 2012

Distance today = 45.34 km; Total distance = 10,416.26 km; Location = Holly Springs, Mississippi (7 km east of) – 34 43.065′ N, 89 24.584′ W; Start time = 0929 Finish time = 1657

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/213814496

I awoke this morning feeling like crap. Not sure why, but I did have a very bad night of sleep. I was very low on energy right from the beginning of the run, but was pleased to get through 45 km. It was a bit less than I’d have liked, but the late start to the day and the way I was feeling made it a sensible decision.

The landscape here in Mississippi is different again. I am encountering lots of gently rolling hills, lush forests, and significantly less roadkill. I am not sure if this latter fact is due to a lower density of wildlife, or if it’s just smarter wildlife?

I’m looking forward to a good night of sleep and, hopefully, a much better day tomorrow. It’s heating up again, but the humidity is, thankfully, staying low.

Aug 22, 2013

Distance today = 45.32 km; Total distance = 25,193.00 km; Location = Broadmeadows, Victoria – 37 39.139’ S, 144 57.116′ E; Start time = 0900, Finish time = 1658

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/363060640

Another short day, with lots of media commitments. I headed into the city during the morning, stopping for an interview with The Age, before running on to the MCG for an interview with Channel 7. I received a surprise visit from one of the Tour Bois late in the morning, Davey Drew, who rode his bike alongside me for an hour or more.

Later in the afternoon, I was joined by, Brad, a friend of Hannah’s, who ran the last 6 km with me. Brad’s parents, Margaret and Roger, came along too, and picked us up at the end, driving me back into the city.

Tomorrow I will be back in the countryside, as I head north towards Sydney.