Back on track

Week starting Monday 12th December
Monday 10k

Occupy Adelaide!

I’m working in sunny Adelaide today and tomorrow and catching up with my pal David – I saw the picture above in Hindmarsh Square. For those that don’t know Adelaide (and outside Australia, I suspect there may be many of you), it’s not really on a par with Wall Street or the City of London – for that reason, it struck me as a somewhat incongruous spot for an ‘Occupy’ protest.

Training

I ran to and from work yesterday (33km), setting out around 5:45. I weighed my pack when I got home in the evening, but was a little discouraged to see 6.5kg on the scales; I’m expecting around 10kg for MDS...

I had an early start today too, up at about 4:50 - thankfully before the alarm went off so didn’t wake Blain. I did the ‘300’ workout in the gym here– I’ve brought my running stuff but didn’t really have the energy this evening, plus I’m working through some sample exams to prep for Saturday. Tomorrow’s another day! My hotel is right next to Adelaide’s Botanic Park, so I’ll make a point to check it out.

Btw - My pal (and Resources Guru) Nick texted this morning with some inspiration – he did the run from Crow’s Nest to Balmoral Beach – go Nick!!

MDS Video

Someone sent me a link to a video about the MDS today - it's 47 minutes and online here.

The Blog

Thanks to my friend Kourosh for his help today in getting the blog online and linking through to A Glimmer of Hope. Training is still taking a back seat to my final exams for the year which are in six days...can't wait to get them out of the way! That said, I worked in Melbourne and Canberra both for a couple of days last week and managed to squeeze in 10k in the South Pacific gym in Melbourne and then a little jog around the lake in Canberra with my friend Kit. He's an ex-army guy and always up for keeping fit. This is the route we took.

Oh, and in case you were wondering, I did run back from work last week Friday, kept the same gentle pace (about 10kph) and had no issues aside from a bit of a stitch on the way home. The next day though I really felt it in my shoulders, good to learn that now...

Brooks - Pure Grit

I decided on and ordered my shoes today, the Brooks PureGrit. Made with input from none other than the  great Scott Jurek!

I evaluated a few different pairs, but PureGrit took the biscuit. There's a lot about them that I like. They're the new kids on the block - part of Brooks' new 'Pure' range which came out last month.

For one they're incredibly light at only 250g.

They're also one of the few 'minimalist' shoes that I can fit my orthotics in (I have seriously flat feet and overpronate - since I got the  orthotics, I've had no more knee problems).

Finally, they look like something the hulk would wear! There's a full review from the guys at 'iRunFar' here.

First run to work

I'd promised myself I'd run to work at least once this week; as today was Friday, it had to be today. While the weather initially looked a bit uninviting, the rain actually made it quite pleasant. I left home in Sydney CBD a little before 6 and got into work (Macquarie Park) at 7:20, I took the same route that I take when I cycle - over the harbour bridge (wow!), through North Sydney and then along cycle paths under the M2 freeway.

I think because it was still  early and the weather was lousy, there were only a handful of cyclists and a couple of runners on the way. I ran with my Raidlight backpack, fairly lightly loaded with about 5 or 6 kilos in it (laptop, clothes, towel). I ran with my Skins tank top for the first time and it meant there was no chaffing of the backpack straps - it actually worked really well. That along with the Injinji inner socks and heavier duty padded outer socks meant feet were really comfortable too. The run is about 16k and I took it nice and easy over about 95 minutes. Legs still feel fresh so as long as my gear dries out, planing to run home too.