Long weekend love

Four day weekend! Happy times!

I was counting down the days until this mini-break and I have loved, loved, loved every minute of it.

I kicked off the weekend with a run along the Maribyrnong. According to the Training Plan I was supposed to do 2 x 2km repeats plus 10 minute warm up and cool down runs. Unfortunately, the shin splints were not yet feeling good so it became 10 minute walk warm up and cool down with 2 x 1.5km repeats instead. The walking wasn't my good focused walking either, as I was assisting with looking after my dad's new children...

These aren't my dad's actual dogs but you get the idea...

I'm not sure I got what I was supposed to out of that run but it was good to get out and walking with the boys always makes me happy.

I backed that run up with lots of DVD watching. I'm calling it part of my recovery because I'm sure sitting and lying on the couch is recommended shin splints treatment.

Because my legs still weren't feeling great, I decided to postpone my long run from Sunday to Monday - one of the many long weekend benefits. And then I didn't quite manage to get up this morning with the alarm to do said run before a scheduled breakfast date. But there was no way I wasn't getting the run in. So, today, I achieved a new first:

Midday long run

I let breakfast digest and left home at about 12.30pm. I had planned on running the Tan in the morning because it's lit and despite the fact that it was now the middle of the day, I continued with that plan. I eased in to the run, as I started pretty close to the bottom of the dreaded Anderson Street hill, and my first km was pretty slow. After that, km number 2 was sub-7:00 min (so excited! this now becoming the norm!) and then, it started raining. I've commented before that I don't mind running in the rain, and I stand by that assertion. Unfortunately, 10 seconds later it started hailing. I'm willing to put on record that I do not like running in a hail storm. It was only little hail but it stung and it was cold. Just as I made it to the end of my first lap of the Tan, the storm ended. I was very tempted to just pack it up and go home but figured I was already wet and unlikely to get any wetter so persevered.

Two more laps (including eight sub-7:00 min kms!) and a couple more showers later, I headed home. Feeling very smug - I'm sooo hard core, I ran in a hail storm (everyone else disappeared quick smart). Also feeling very cold and very wet. I was super happy to make it home to a nice hot shower.

Now, it's 5:00pm and I'm trying to work out if it's too early to go to bed...