Champagne urinals. And friends. (aka Week 7)
11 June 2023
Spoke too soon. 52kms and down a couple of sessions this week on account of some solo parenting. Ah well! Only got in the one tough session, being a Variable Intensity Intervals Run, which is a saucy little run involving three sets of alternating between 30s sprints and 45s just-under-sprints five times (got all that?). You get 2.5 mins between the sets to slow run and catch your breath. Took that one down to an oval on the Bay Run to knock that out. Ordinarily I couldn't think of anything more torturous than running laps (actually, treadmills… shudder), but the fact this session moves between the changes so quickly keeps the mind occupied. Oh, and the pain, that helps too. Strava told me afterwards that I got a 20:03 5km on this which I was pretty stoked about. That helps keep my dark thoughts about aging at bay.
Stayed on home turf for the long run this week (and contrary to the title of this tome, ran predominantly on paved roads). It was a delightful 24ker taking in the Glebe foreshore area, before cutting through the Sydney CBD, down into the Domain, past the Opera House, through Circular Quay, under the large bridge and headed back home through Barangaroo. The champagne route I call it. It's just bloody stunning. Too many obvious highlights on this course to point to, so here one less obvious one: Sydney Opera House sits at the point in this run where you're generally ready for a gel and some water. Conveniently, it has a beautiful golden (ok, maybe bronze) water bubbler there for all your hydrating needs. Less ideal is the fact it looks like a urinal. And you only get to truly appreciate its urinal-y-ness once you get your head right in there for a drink. Swings and roundabouts.
Had a buddy come along for this run with me. I don’t do it often enough (surprisingly it’s tough to find people who want to knock out a lazy 24kms on their weekend mornings), and it’s so nice to do. Makes the time fly by and jeez you can cover some topics as you go - the fam, what’s happening this weekend, work news, footy and, of course, a little bit about running. Cruise and chat.
Till next week, keep running and chatting.