rail trail tour

It’s been completely unplanned, believe me, but somehow I seem to have done a bit of a tour of Victoria’s rail trails in the last few months of running. A month or so ago I ran along the South Gippsland rail trail, last weekend was down at Bellarine, and today I ran on the old faithful – Lilydale-Warburton rail trail.

That wasn’t really the plan, but somehow my family arrangements meant I could be dropped at Mount Evelyn at 10am and picked up at Warburton at 12:30. Pretty good luck really, and the kind of luck you have to grab with both hands whenever it comes.

Still, it meant I had to be able to cover the distance (33km even) in 2 hours 30, including breaks and it also meant I would be without water, food and out of phone contact in case anything went wrong. Still, I was quietly confident.

The first 10km was gloriously downhill and comfortably cool, though noticeably devoid of runners. I guess it was too late in the morning for the hardcore. I had only previously been as far as Killara station, so it was all unknown after that. But I shouldn’t have worried. It was all gentle, beautiful and comfortable the whole way. I even managed to amuse some older ladies on bikes when I overtook them somewhere near Woori Yallock.

I made the distance in 2 hours 27, not the same pace as last week, but fast enough to give me time to buy a powerade before jumping in the car back to town.

Rail trails are really good for running. Long, without traffic, and any hills are of the long and gentle variety. Are there any more I should be aware of?

Movies
The lovely wife and I went to the movies on Friday night. Wow. I know, actual time out at night that didn’t involve entertainment designed for the under-fives. We saw Animal Kingdom at the Nova (very good, if you like grim, crime stuff, it’s a little like the first series of Underbelly without the uplifting family values). Unfortunately, my lovely w. decided she should remove her boots and make herself comfortable on the couch, which provoked an intense discussion about movie etiquette.

My point was that the cinema is not your living room, and that one should deport oneself in a manner befitting a public place. Her point was that I was a silly old fuddy-duddy and should just be quiet and watch the movie. An informal poll on facebook conducted in the last 24 hours would seem to support the shoe-less side of the argument, but I stand by my position.

running on mother’s day

A veritable orgy of Mother’s Day related activities yesterday. I counted 3 events before 1 o’clock: breakfast in bed with presents, brunch in Brunswick Street then family lunch at the in-laws.

I was a bit fed up with things by that stage, so I suggested I’d run to the in-laws instead of taking the car. I neglected to mention I’d be taking the long route, a REALLY long route.

It turned out to be just over 30km and it took me 2 hours 20, by which time the worst of the lunch was over. My stomach was a bit queasy so I got out of eating roast beef.

Not so, the cake.

Anyway, that night I took myself out to the local multiplex, looking for something stupid and blokey and full of explosions (a movie, preferably). Something to soothe the soul.

It came down to a choice between Star Trek and the Wolverine movie. Star Trek would have meant waiting around with a bunch of feral teenagers for an extra half an hour, so Wolverine it was.

It wasn’t a bad choice, in the end. I don’t think anyone connected with the movie will need to worry about preparing Oscar acceptance speeches, other than whoever it was who was responsible for Hugh Jackman’s pecs, but there were plenty of explosions and yelling and screaming and a bare minimum of quiet bits in which one might need to think.

Running
I’ve already mentioned a long run. It was 30km in 2 hours 20, including the time it took to buy some gatorade from the fish and chips shop in Montrose. The run was largely on the Dandenong Creek Trail from Boronia road to the bitter end at Liverpool Road. Then up an even more bitter hill on Canterbury road heading up into Montrose, down the hill and then around the back streets in the open areas between Montrose and Mooroolbark.

90km for the week. It would have been more, but I missed a run on Saturday recovering from a slight cold I picked up on Thursday night.

facebook: the movie

Oh terrific! Just when you thought Taken Out was the worst thing ever to “grace” a screen, Aaron Sorkin is allegedly planning a movie about Facebook.

I can’t for the life of me figure out how he’s going to fill 90 minutes let alone make it entertaining. I mean, what could the story be? Guy wasting time at work, looks up hot chicks he dimly remembers from high school. Repeat.

Yawn.

Sorkin is quote as saying:

I have very strong feelings about the Internet and its effect on our national culture, but frankly those feelings are being countered by the sophistication, kindness, curiosity and wit of the posts in this site. You people are screwing me up with your civility and intelligence.

Sorry Aaron, I think you must have stumbled across Arts & Letters Daily. Biting people with zombies and clicking “yes” doesn’t qualify as civil in my book.

Running
An alarmingly stiff and sore 15km limp around the streets near me tonight.

run fatboy run

The JH family, or at least those old enough to appreciate such things, all trooped out to our local multiplex last night to view this particular piece of cinematic culture:

Run, Fat Boy, Run

It’s not so bad, as movies go.

Basic plot: our hero leaves gorgeous pregnant wife at the alter and, surprisingly, no-one’s pleased. Some years later, in a futile attempt to win back her respect, he enters a marathon, having never run before. Amusing jokes ensue about running shorts, chafing, KY jelly on the nipples etc.

It was directed by David Schwimmer, who I believe was Ross from Friends in a former life. Thankfully, “Ross” managed to keep his face out of the movie.

I grumbled a bit, as expected, at the factual errors in the film. The most glaring was the way the marathon organisers kept the course open for 14 hours or so. That’s not going to happen in a major city….

Running
12km this morning, in bright crisp cool sunshine. It was a lovely morning and a good time was had by all. Well, by me. I’m not sure what A/M thought of it.

Heckling
I’ve noticed a rise in the JH heckling rate in the past week. P’raps it’s the new shorts, I don’t know. I was favoured with that wonderful old witticism “Run Forrest Run!” shouted from the back seat of a car in Kilsyth (I believe that’s the natural habitat of the runner heckler). This morning a man in his 60s on a racing bike shouted at me as I lumbered up the William Barack bridge “buy a bike!”.

Buy a bike???? Why??? I have a bike. I’d just rather run. I don’t understand his point. Oh well.