Run 2:30:00 [3] 31.0 km (4:50 / km)
Where did this one come from?
With hot weather forecast several days ahead, I decided not to attempt to get to midnight on New Year's Eve for the first time since I was a small child (discounting 1989/90, when I was flying back from North America and went in and out of 1990 three times before settling into it for the duration) - a decision which was made easier by a lack of alternative offers.
Nevertheless, I expected this run to be a battle - as regular readers will know, I've been struggling with my long runs in the last few weeks, the conditions were challenging (the forecast morning cloud failed to appear, although it didn't heat up quite as quickly as I'd feared and was mostly in the mid-20s), and I didn't have any company this time for the first time in a few Sundays. Knowing the distance would be quite challenging enough, I didn't add anything else to the degree of difficulty and plotted a course which was mostly either near the Yarra or in leafy suburbs (down to the Studley boathouse, then east to Camberwell).
The Achilles was a minor nuisance but by the first drinks stop, 35 minutes in, things were feeling quite encouraging, but it was the second hour which was the special part of this run - totally in the zone, something which occasionally happens on a long run in the cooler months but it's a long time since I've experienced it in summer. It wasn't until after the two-hour mark that fatigue started to set in at all, but only modestly so, nothing like the can-I-squeeze-out-another-five-minutes stuff of recent Sundays.
This was a very encouraging start to the year and should build my confidence on a number of levels, both with respect to distance and (relative) heat.
There were plenty of runners (and walkers, and cyclists) out early - I obviously wasn't the only person to think that the middle of the day was worth avoiding. Very few cars which is a good thing - you can't really count on the sobriety of drivers at 7 on New Year's morning.