A tad warm!!! Even at 8am

Firstly Day 3 of the cricket was excellent and as Em mentioned the MCC sells 'heavy' beer and so does the Cricketers Arms at 9.45am and the Royal Hotel has some good entertainment during the lunch break and after the match too... So basically I am trying to state the obvious, I was VERY drunk when I got home at midnight!!!

Yesterday I promised Jo I would run with her for her LR as she was thinking of swapping her Sat & Sun sessions around due to 'hen's night'. Hmmm running with a BIG hang over is not my idea of fun, but a promise is a promise. Jo met me at my place and then I took us out to the YY, we arrived about 8:15 and it was HOT HOT HOT, 31 degrees already and the sun had a real bite to it. Taking into consideration the need for water and toilets, I worked out a course in my head, but this would involve a few trips up a very steep path up to the Turntable carpark...I knew this would not be popular.

The intended session was 90 minutes of running, but the conditions were not ideal. We started on the Branding Yard Trail which was nice as we were under tree cover for the first 3.7km. The last 400m includes a very steep path upto the carpark, Jo struggled and walked a part of the path, I also had to walk as I was very much looking forward to the toilets. After a toilet stop and drink we ran along Rockwell Dve, a few rolling hills, I took the opportunity to talk running form along here but basically I just got to listen to Jo tell me about how she needed a drink, she didn't like my hills and she didn't think I was a very nice person anymore :-)

We walked a few times, esp up some of the hills, then with approx 2k before our next drink stop we went down the Saddleback hill (very steep, hoping Jo posts the elevation piccy) and then back onto the Branding Trail and we both appreciated the shade of the trees. Back up the hill for Turntable, I jogged ahead and tried to test my fitness, I didn't make it (about 80%) and Jo struggled waslking. We both enjoyed the water stop and when I came out of the toilets I found a very wet Jo, I think she had a bath in the basin :-)

Back down the hill, and then finished the Branding Trail (clockwise) and got back to the car, not 90 minutes, too hot, all up just over 11km. As I said to Jo, it was very hot and today was not ideal, but its a tick in calendar and a few hills in the legs, walking or running it was tough work!

Today: drink water, drink water and maybe a bit more again, currently it is 39 degrees (3pm).



Thanks for the pic Jo, I really should start using my Garmin's capabilities more. I wanted the graph to show the other coaches some of our running courses. Western Aths have four distance coaches; but I am the only one who is still running, so I get to experience the hills and the courses that we send our athletes on. Some of the courses both Burkie & John ride their bikes, but in the YY some areas you would need to be a very accomplished rider. The hill from the 6k area is approx 900m long and has an elevation change of over 100m, I'm rapt I can know show this hill to the other guys. The hill uptp the Turntable carpark can be seen at the 3.5km area and then again at 8k where we went up and then back down.