Run 2:43:00 [3] 30.4 km (5:22 / km)
Wanted to do something long today to round out a heavy training block, setting out with my sights on 2.40-2.45. I've been reasonably happy with how the longer stuff has been going lately and had the confidence that I'd be able to get through this, something which hasn't always been a given in the last couple of years.
Headed east as far as Mont Albert, taking on the old Rostrevor rollercoaster in the middle. Gradually built into it after an indifferent first half-hour and was feeling pretty reasonable on a sequence of hills, but just at the end of them, around 14k, my back started playing up - first time in a while. This called for a bit of a reassessment. It wasn't bad enough to pull the pin (and in any case to do so would either have meant a very long walk or taking a chance on getting a train without a ticket), but I decided to find the least hilly route from there, which focused on the Anniversary Trail. Was still functioning OK from there away from hills, but definitely feeling the strain about 25k. Unexpectedly, though, the back trouble disappeared as abruptly as it arrived around 26k (maybe it was just the revitalising properties of going back into Yarra Bend Park), and the last section was pretty good - to the extent that the 30th kilometre was my fastest non-downhill kilometre of the whole run.
Not terribly energetic through the afternoon.
I'm pretty happy with how this month has gone; it's my longest month for three years (even if I didn't quite crack the 40-hour mark), I completed pretty well everything I set out to complete, and got some long distance races under my belt which were good in the physical sense (even if my navigation let me down in Canberra). Hopefully this base will serve me pretty well for later in the year.