Nothing august in August here.

[Mid Life Crisis Marathon Man]

No good running news here I'm afraid. In fact no running news at all. I should have been inspired by Michael Shelley out-gunning the Kenyans to win the Glasgow Games marathon gold medal, but to be honest it didn't even inspire me to put on the running shoes, which would be gathering a thick patina of dust under my bed if I hadn't already put them back in their box so as not to suffer the feeling of pudgy guilt each time I looked at them.

I am missing my running, and will get back to it, but for the moment I am too tired, too busy and too ... well, too everything.

Life! It's just one damned thing after another...



But hey, how disappointed and embarrassed must those Africans feel?

[Mid Life Crisis Marathon Man]

I was finally shamed into it. Firstly all my old race numbers began falling off my man-cave wall (surely some serious symbolism there), then someone unknown to me used my race entry in the annual City To Surf and posted a really terrible time.

There was nothing for it, therefore, but to lace up the old dusty runners and hit the streets again. But after another night of no sleep at all, a penance for crimes unknown that seems to hit me out of the blue every couple of weeks or so, I was up at 4 a.m. feeling at odds with my lot. Still, the fire of new-found enthusiasm burns bright, and so under the equally brilliant light of a supermoon, I headed off into the night.

Straight away it felt brilliant to be running again, and creaky, wheezy and as slow as it was, I can honestly say I enjoyed every second of it. Just a gentle 5.2km outing, but after weeks of no running at all, was as refreshing as a plunge in a sparkling pool on a stinking hot day. Just lovely.

And so a line, not just any line, but a firm, thick, black heavy one has been ruled under the training log and we start again. Once more. I don’t know how many times I’ve been here, but too many. It’s a joy and a privilege however to be able to do this – to just dust myself off and start again. I’m all too aware now as the knees get creakier and the aches and pains of simply living seem more pronounced and less inclined to disappear, that the day will come when the line under the training log means “never to run again”. I hope that is still some decades away, but in the meantime I don’t take my relative good health and general fitness for granted, and so I carry on, and cheerfully so.

I’ll see how the body holds up over the next 48 hours, but assuming all is well, I can still perhaps salvage a half-marathon at the up-coming Sydney Running Festival on September 21st. But we’ll see. For the moment I’m just happy to be running again.

[marathondan]

Great to see you back MLCMM!

[Bierzo Baggie]

And so a line, not just any line, but a firm, thick, black heavy one has been ruled under the training log and we start again. Once more. I don’t know how many times I’ve been here, but too many. It’s a joy and a privilege however to be able to do this – to just dust myself off and start again. I’m all too aware now as the knees get creakier and the aches and pains of simply living seem more pronounced and less inclined to disappear, that the day will come when the line under the training log means “never to run again”. I hope that is still some decades away, but in the meantime I don’t take my relative good health and general fitness for granted, and so I carry on, and cheerfully so.

I think we can all identify with that, very well put indeed.

So, more early morning escapades to look forward to, maybe even a possom or two on the way! Great news to hear that you are back on course, just need Sweder to get through his op, and El Gordo to finish his Alpine Chronicles, hell, maybe even Seafront Plodder will make a comeback...

Also good to hear that the Aussie marathon running tradition is still alive and well. Any comments from De Castella?

[Mid Life Crisis Marathon Man]

Also good to hear that the Aussie marathon running tradition is still alive and well. Any comments from De Castella?

'Deek' does keep poking his head up from time to time as he heavily promotes his marathon training program for indigenous Australians which takes a group of aboriginal runners to the New York marathon each year.

Actually he was in the news just a few weeks ago for another reason when the Kenyan Silah Limo broke Deek's record for a marathon on Australian soil which had stood for 32 years! Limo's time was 2h09:14, and as the big man said, it was a record that was long overdue for breaking.

Yes, Australian marathonners are undergoing a resurgence at the moment, but they're still a long way behind the top Africans.

[Mid Life Crisis Marathon Man]

So, more early morning escapades to look forward to, maybe even a possom or two on the way!

In fact there was a possum encounter on that run. After causing a minor stampede of rabbits which are in plague numbers this year, I nearly trod on what I initially thought was a rat, but which turned out to be just a slightly panicky baby ring-tailed possum, which are quite common around here (possums generally, not panicked ones in particular).

No such fauna was to be seen on this morning's run however. This was a slower, stiffer and less pleasant run than the previous one, but I did cover slightly more distance (6.1 km) and so it goes down as a positive experience in the running log. Other than that, there was hardly much to say about it, other than I am happy to be hitting these streets again. With a possible half mara in six weeks on the cards and being (again) in the ballot for a place in the London mara, there are a couple of goals to head toward.

Watch this space.

No, not that one. This one.

[Mid Life Crisis Marathon Man]

Another run, just a humble 5km, but on the back of a night on the booze it was a worthy effort. And it was both hillier and faster than the previous outings. Go figure ... this running game is as puzzling as ever.

Must be the booze?

[Charliecat5]

Another run, just a humble 5km, but on the back of a night on the booze it was a worthy effort. And it was both hillier and faster than the previous outings. Go figure ... this running game is as puzzling as ever.

Must be the booze?

Welcome to my world. And there's nothing humble about a 5km if they're done often enough. I really need to get back to some longer runs tho'

[El Gordo]

Another run, just a humble 5km, but on the back of a night on the booze it was a worthy effort.

Re the devil's bodily fluids -- tut tut.

But more generally, Hurrah!!

[Mid Life Crisis Marathon Man]

Re the devil's bodily fluids -- tut tut.

Sorry but I seem to follow this general rule of ageing...