*snore*

I'm listening to an immensely boring lecture at home today, resting and relaxing before my long, slow run tomorrow, which at this stage looks like will be to Monash University.

I'm happy to say that my right hamstring has calmed down significantly today, which is great news. My theory is that the rest and ice was good for it, and it was just a matter of time. Ellie thinks it is because we had a bottle of wine and a beer last night. Both are just as likely to be right.

I also discovered a blog called 'Run Like Crazy', located here. He is running 52 marathons in 52 cities in 52 weeks; it's great stuff that I would never have thought to do. A fantastic achievement at the end to tell your kids about.

I'm going to go back to trying not to nod off on the couch, and keep thinking about how much I am looking forward to this run tomorrow.

Dencorub on face.

I'm currently sitting at my desk at work with tea towel full of semi-frozen ice cubes under my right hamstring. I think I may have progressed from 'tight' to full blown 'strain' this morning, and with a (hopeful) 1 hour 30 minute run on Sunday to come before week o' resting, I'd like to be up for it.

I set my alarm for 5:55am last night, with a hope that I would roll out of bed in a sprightly manner, whack on the shoes and bound down the round with the vigour of an 8 year old on his way to football training. Alas, it was not meant to be, and while I staggered out of bed ok, I didn't leave until 6:25, owing to my iPhone deciding to be retarded and not sync up with my computer in a remotely timely fashion. (Visual: I am now stroking my iPhone gently so it doesn't think I don't love it anymore).

I was very proud of my run this morning, less for what I did, and more for what I didn't do. I had my PB time for 10km in the back of my head for most of the run this morning, and ran the first 7km or so as if I were trying to break it. At that stage however, it occurred to me that I am training to run 42.2km, not 10km, and backed off to a more reasonable pace. I am still running a fair way above my 'marathon' pace of 6mins/km, in order to finish under 4 hours (I'm running at around the 5:35/km mark pretty consistently over the 8-10km range) which is nice, but not the be all and end all. I will break that 10km (that I set at the Nike Human Race in my first fun run nearly two years ago) in the course of training, but it doesn't have to be this week.

In the meantime, I reassure myself with the knowledge that someone on the streets of Melbourne this morning most likely got a view of a pasty, short, bald man in a singlet rapping out loud about the vagaries of life being a Maori rapper from South Auckland, confused by my enthusiasm for 'representing my crew'.

Word.

In the beginning.

If you've come this far, it means that you have most probably done one of two things:

1. Read all of the (hopefully entertaining) posts above in reverse order to find out how the story began.
2. Scrolled down to the bottom to see how the story began because of some kind of possibly perverse need to see things in order.

Either way, I have to say - thank you, but, really? It's probably not that interesting.

The title of my blog is 'From Nobby Beach to Nea Bakri', which is because I am hoping by the end of 2010, to have run two marathons. Which is two more than I have currently run. I am hoping to run the Gold Coast Airport Marathon in July (hence Nobby Beach), and then run the 2500th anniversary Athens Marathon in late October (and Nea Bakri). Neither of those places are major markers on either of the marathons, I'm just a big fan of alliteration in titles.

I hope to list my trials and tribulations here in this blog, tracking the ups and downs of the experience, so that at the end I can select all of the entries, paste them into a Word document and print them off to be placed in a box somewhere at home. Don't ask me why I don't just write into a Word document. I wanted to start a blog, ok?

I began running in earnest last week to prepare, about 16 weeks or so out from the Gold Coast. While it may seem a short preparation period, I felt I had a pretty good base, since I have just returned from time spent hiking in the Himalayas, so it's not like I've been sitting at home eating potato chips.

I ran about 15km last weekend, and I've done two 40 minute sessions over the last two days. I ran 7.8km for both runs, and felt pretty good, though not great. One involved a PB for 5km (25:20), which I was very proud of this morning. I'm hoping to crack 25 minutes for 5km, so I'm pretty close.

I also want to document an injury watch - I've had problems with possible compartment syndrome in the past, so I want to keep an eye on it. I figure this is a good way. This morning's run was pretty good (a rare occurance), although I am very tight in the hamstrings and calves, so I may head off and get a massage later this week. I also have a blood blister under my right foot, middle toe-nail, which has actually grown so big that it is peeking out of the side of my toe-nail. My wife, Ellie popped it for me last night and put some disinfectant on it. Now that, my friends, is love.

Well, I think this will suffice for the time being. I have a rest day tomorrow, then 50 minute run on Friday to round the working week out. I feel great, I'm loving the run, and feel confident that I can pull this off. For now.