(21-12-2009, 10:46 AM)El Gordo Wrote: Wow, how did I miss this thread? It's like discovering a previously-unknown Bob Dylan album from 1964.
Golly EG, I'm not sure it's
that impressive, but thanks.
I have now surprised myself with five runs in five days, including a genuine first for me:
three consecutive very early morning runs on work days. Only shorties, to be sure, but at 4:45am on 13-hour work days, it's new territory for me.
Faced with the prospect of a run-less Christmas week, I struck an uneasy compromise with myself and got up 15 minutes earlier than usual to throw in a quick 3km run first thing in the morning. I've now finished the three of these, and I have to say I'm greatly surprised at the results...
Normally when I'm working my long days I just write off a run, as I'm too tired to even consider it when I get home around 8pm, and am up again at 5 anyway to get ready for work. But getting up just 15 minutes earlier and squeezing in a 3km jog around the block has been something of a revelation. Certainly the weather has been very kind - around 20 degrees C and gorgeous - but I've been astonished at how revved up I've remained for the rest of the day. It's been a real boost and frankly rather enjoyable.
Whether this trend will continue I can't say, but as half of my battle with running is just finding some routine, I'm keen to explore all possibilities, and at least now I know it is possible to run on work days.
My times too, improved steadily over the three mornings: 18:11, 17:43 and 17:29, which I'm not unhappy with. I find it hard to get moving in the mornings: stiff knees, cold legs and a groggy head don't generally make for smooth, fluid running, and I'm glad the streets are empty at that hour as my running form is patently atrocious. So the times are OK, and the warm fuzzies that kick in around the half way point seem to last most of the day, so it's well worth the effort.
As I say, the weather here has been conducive to early running, but more generally, the weather patterns here, as in the northern part of the globe, have been absurd. Perhaps the planet is showing its opinion of Copenhagen, I'm not sure. We've had wild storms in many parts of the country, inlcuding a category 5 tropical cycone on the Western Australia coast, which has very unusually moved well inland. It's currently about 800 kilometres inland, heading towards South Australia and
holding up as a cyclone, which is very, very unusual.
South Australia today is anticipating 40+ degrees across large swathes of the state (42 in Adelaide, the capital), with
catastrophic bushfire alerts (the highest level) before experiencing torrential rains and flooding as the cyclone weakens and moves across the border sometime early tomorrow morning as a massive rain depression.
All very strange and very dangerous, and so very far removed from the weather in Europe and North America at the moment!
Attached is the latest weather satellite pic clearly showing tropical cyclone Laurence about 800 kilometres inland of Western Australia.
Have a safe Christmas, everyone.
Desperate in December
