safe and sound

km: for the weekend 27, for last week 60, this week 10 so far

Yes I made it back safe and sound from my adventures in the countryside on the weekend. You can all breathe a sigh of relief.

For those of you who missed my last missive I planned to run from Inverloch to Venus Bay on Saturday. True to my word, I set off from the roundabout at the edge of town in Inverloch at about 2pm for my “25k” run which subsequently turned out to be 27.

The first 22k into Tarwin Lower were quite comfortable, and quite strong. I had to keep an eye out for traffic, upset cows, snakes and dead animals on the side of the road, but this was all achieved with some aplomb.

There was a particularly nasty hill at about 17k which conveniently had a cemetary at its peak. I did consider checking in (it was a really nasty hill) but kept going, mainly because my mobile had no reception. I couldn’t perish without a last text message….

A brief stop in Tarwin Lower for a drink and to scare the locals and then the last 5k was an easy trot. So all up, it was 27k in about 1hr 50, which some quick arithmatic on the back of a coaster says is just over 4 minute ks.

menace 2 society

km: 11, for the week 37

It’s always the way: I write a beautifully crafted blog entry, positively brimming over with exquisitely phrased rage at minor breeches of train etiquette. Then the very next day my own lack of etiquette not only makes me known far and wide as a byword for all that is crude, uncouth and buffoonish, but puts the general public at serious risk of sudden verlent death.

“What on earth are you talking about?” I hear you ask.

Yes, well, I was getting to that. Hold your horses.

This morning, as I was huffing and puffing my way around the eastern suburbs I saw ahead of me a female runner, with long blonde hair. I was going to overtake her so I did my usual thing of stamping heavily, coughing and weezing so she’d realise there was someone behind her. Thinking about it now, having a heavily breathing, stamping bloke running up behind you is probably pretty scary for a woman at 5:30 in the morning. I may have to reconsider my approach.

Anyway, my “advanced warning” system had absolutely no effect. When I got level with her she jumped back, no – make that “recoiled in horror” – and displayed all the symptoms of a serious coronory.

I panicked a bit myself at that point, mumbled something like “sorry about that. YoooooOK?” and then sort of beetled off on my way.

I hope she’s okay…

Anyway – a good run otherwise. Tomorrow I’m going down to the seaside. More importantly, I’m going to attempt to run from Inverloch to Venus Bay (where I’ll be staying). It’s about 25k, well within my normal long-run range. I haven’t done this course yet, and I’m a bit concerned about traffic and/or being bitten by a snake and being out of mobile range. I’ll let you know how I go.

If I haven’t posted again by next Wednesday, can someone send out a search party? Look for a tired runner passed out, and possibly in advanced stages of rigor-mortis, somewhere on the side of the road around Tarwin Lower.