Shortest day gone!

Distance 40.2km [total: minimalist 285.6km: Barefoot 3036.3km] Week 25

Monday, 18-Jun. 10km

A cool wet day at the start that cleared to sunny by the end. Despite the rain the temperature was a bit above average and the bit of sun at the end made it better. The sun wasn't enough to dry the ground and as I ran along the path following the beach I had some good fun splashing through the puddles. The sun started to set as I hit the half way point and after another few kilometres darkness began to creep up on me. I decided to take to the beach for the last 2km for a bit of speed that I can't get on the footpath in the dark. There was a runner in front of me who was running with his dog, I couldn't catch him though, even going at a faster pace. The challenge is good though. More wet weather is on the way by Wednesday.

Saturday, 23-Jun. 22km

A very chilly start, just 8C when I got to the beach today. A slate grey sky with rain threatening and a cold headwind to contend with. I brought my Vibram Sprints with me today as I was a little tired of freezing feet. The overnight temperature had got down to 5C and the sand wouldn't have been much warmer now. As I ran north the wind picked up from 15km/h to 25km/hr and it cut right through me. It took me around 7km to warm up. I must admit, I'm not keen running in the Vibrams, I could feel a bit of ankle soreness, they must alter the way I land. At around the 10km mark I took them off and carried them for the rest of the run. Within a few kilometres the ankle soreness stopped, umm. Running now with a tailwind was better but the cold had started to get to me and I had to run the last 3km back into a headwind. I was so glad to climb into the shelter of my car in the end, I just sat there for 10 minutes feeling a bit of warmth from the pale sun shining through the windscreen.
It has certainly been a wet week, showers and heavy rain for 3 days. One positive is that the evenings will now slowly get lighter, the shortest day passed on the 21st, now minute by minute the longer and hopefully warmer days will return. I don't like winter, I like heat.

Sunday, 24-Jun. 8.2km

A much milder night and some sunshine in the morning made today far more tolerable for a run. Your spirits are lifted seeing the sun and feeling a little warmth on the bottom of my feet. The concrete was still fairly cold but running along the lake I was sheltered from the winds that would be blowing along the beach. Even in this cool weather I still sweat like crazy by the halfway point, how much more can I sweat when the hot weather returns. I didn't see many runners on my lap around the lake this time. Even the model boat enthusiasts were absent, the water must have been too choppy. I did my 1.28km sprint and amazed myself at knocking about 8s of my time, it took me 5:58.5m or 4:46.8m/km. After the run I headed down to the gym and did a light workout, just arms, one back exercise and plenty of stretching.

Neil