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 F 19th Nov ACT Thanks for the beautiful accomodation Hotel Heritage, Narrabundah, ACT.
We've had a busy day jam-packed full of action with a tad of tourism added in. Starting with a complimentary breakfast from Hotel Heritage, I stocked up on fresh fruit, while the others got stuck into the full English, cereals and coffee. I introduced Shannon and Vivian to the ideal crumpet, melted butter all through it, raining honey! They loved them! But I felt bad not telling them really what makes a crumpet so good, have you ever seen the list of ingredients in there... half of them belong back on the periodic table! Vivian was indulging in her last "Hoorar" anyway, as she has seen first hand with my 10days on Organic Raw Vegan way of eating how vibrant I feel, she too has decided to take a 4 day trial (starting at noon!!!)
We went up Black Mountain, the crew had a quick look around while I sat in the carpark advising the media about the ACT part of my trip. I had planned to start a 20km run at 12 noon from the War Memorial. I also had to find a school to speak at. The girl down at the WIN TV Office this morning had suggested her School; St. Clares College.
The run went without a glitch, the motorsits were very sharing with their roads, tooting and waving. As it was around lunchtime, there were plenty of others out for a jog. The run took a good 2 hours, we followed up with a talk to students and buying postcards! I took my hardworking champion team to the Art Gallery. (Believe me, that's where they chose to go!!!)
The Canberra Times just scraped in with a phone interview before 5 and gave me til before 6 to email them a photo for tomorrows paper. Done by 5.54pm! We're going to hang round to see the story on WIN TV just after 6.45pm. I have seen hardly any of the interviews I've done around the country, so it'll be a rare treat, usually I'm out for my 2nd session of the day about that cooler time of day. Back down the mountain to the coast to continue north up to Sydney. Only 8 more sleeps!
Sa 13th Nov. 48km Genoa(Vic) to Kiah (NS
W)
Oh what a feeling... if only I was doing an add for Toyota! I swear nothing has felt this good on the whole trip than feeling NSW in the air. It was very warm at 6am this morning, but there has been plenty of shade with strong gum trees growing either side of the road. The cicadas where up early, chirping consistently for the bite size 22km run from Genoa to a smidge over the Vic/NSW boarder, they provided backdrop to the song I had in my head this morning: "All I need is the air that I BBBBrrrreeeeee----yeeeeeettttthhhhheeee." Still on track for getting to the Opera House for the morning of the 27th Nov, I now only have to run on average 43km (bit over a marathon) a day. I'm going to head straight up the coast from here.
Evening run:we got started at 6pm, even though it had sort of rained in the afternoon, it had cleared away and was just terribly muggy. I couldn't believe how much water I was drinking, sweat was pouring off me. Shannon was doing the support driving, waiting up ahead with some water for me, camera poised more often than not, hopping out the car to give me a drink as I ran past, then waiting in the car for 5 mins, before catching me up, driving past and handing the bottle out the car. Then she continues driving on and waits 1km up the road. In theory this should give her a few moments to read a page of a book, but in reality this doesn't eventuate. I had some support girls on the west coast who would use the few minutes it took me to catch up to do some sit-ups or exercise, even run towards me and accompany me back to the parked car, again and again. Oh, the unsung heroes. I couldn't have done this alone. On and on these windy, hilly roads went towards Kiah... was Kiah ever going to be there? Or was it only a place on the map and too small to have sign? I pushed on, dreaming of eating lamb shanks... (I'm on the 5th day now of only eating raw/organic vegan food, it's not as bad as it sounds. It's actually refreshing, eating only salad, fruit, nuts and some veges uncooked, honey, I don't feel weighed down by the volume of pasta and rice or meat). A sign for Kiah eventually arrived, I ran on a bit more to an intersection, Upper Kiah Road turnoff. We stayed at Eden Big 4 which is 7km south of Eden, not too far to drive from the end of the run, 8.8km... I should have just run there, but 8.8km of unknown hills is more dauting than just finishing off 8.8km on the flat.
Su 14th Nov. 46.6km Kiah EdenBroadwater Pambula Yellow Pinch Wolumla turn off
8.30am start. Back 8.8km to Upper Kiah Road turnoff, and ran back down ast the caravan park through Eden. It all looks and sounds very tame on paper but flat maps do no justice to the incredible undulations that slowed me right down this morning. Back into first gear for the up-hills and on the brakes for the downhills. My poor quads don't know if they're coming or going. I took 40 minutes for the first 7km. We've spent a hot, now rainy day in Eden, bought a few groceries and done my blog, really could do with a 20minute nap before I face the hills again.... I just know I'm not going to find a rhythm to run at tonight, I'm not looking forward to it. We're just about to move the bus and cars up to Pambula, not far from where I finish tonight.
Mo 15th Nov. 50.9km Wolumla turn off Kingswood Bega Brogo Quaama
My poor legs. Runners know that if they want to increase their milage weekly, it should be done gradually in safe increments. I think it would be the same rule for introducing hills into a training routine. My legs have run only flat ground for months, at least nothing like the hills around here. I feel I've been thrown into a scene reminiscent of a Saturday morning hill-training session. There's no escape from them, my quads and calves feel torn up :( I can't find a rhythm to steam along at. My only saving grace is that my milage has been cut considerably. This morning I ran 24.5km from (corner Hwy 1) turnoff to Wolumla to corner Numbugee Rd (just past Bega) then went back to Merimbula to pick up the bus, drive it into Bega for a 10.30am appointment with the ABC Radio.
Evening Run: 26.6km into Quaama. Hilly, late start, rained the whole way, poor support car had to squeeze into tiny safe parts on the side of the curvey roads to wait for me every few km's. The bridges were narrow and there wasn't a flat kilometer in the whole run. Obviously I didn't need much water along the way. It was freezing. I got totally saturated, there was no option other than to embrace it. At Quaama I'd left the bus in a road side bay, there were no showers so I just got out of my wet rained-on clothes and into warm pj's. I was too tired and cold to worry about dinner so I snuggled down into bed with my 2 sleeping kids.(10.30pm finish)
Tu 16th Nov. 48.3km Quaama CobargoCentral Tilba Narooma
The alarm was going, it felt like 2am, but no, it was 6am already. I am going to sleep for a month when I get home. I was so hungry this morning, I mashed up 4 bananas and sprinkled ground-up nuts onto it and a tea-spoon full of organic raw cocoa powder, YUMMY chocolate banana split!. This raw diet is amazing. I'm getting so many nutrients form the raw organic food in every mouthful. I was just about to leave for my run, Shannon was putting the signs on the car and getting my water/apples/towels etc ready when she discovered that the little blue support car has accumulated a flat tyre overnight. Amazingly it's only our 2nd flat tyre in 8 months! The first was on the 3rd day in Swansea between Gosford and Newcastle. As the weather was still overcast I decided to go off by myself, no support car. I asked Vivian to drive up in 2 hours time to get me. When she caught me up I'd done 19.8km f hills terrain. I asked her to go to the 24.5km mark. I was so glad to see that ute up ahead :) near the top of a rise, so a downhill start this afternoon. Better than that though, it only 23.8km to Narooma. It's good to get more than half done in the morning, makes for a good day.
W 17th Nov. 42.3km Narooma Bodalla Moruya
Th 18th Nov. Moruya Mogo Batemans Bay Benangarah (Drive to ACT)
If anyone wants to join in on any of these days, feel free to call 0409 4409 27.
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