Training, training and some more training

The past two weeks have been great and super busy. Not only did the fitness really kick up, but I also found my times improving significantly. I've now started the last of the serious weeks and found mid-week training runs getting harder - mentally mostly - while running the races on the weekends keep me honest, it is kinda lonely to get up at 3:30am and trot of to some distant spot in Jozi. But, I ran my best ever 32km and matched my second best 21km in the last two weeks, keeping the motivation levels up when times are tough. Amazing how persistent training of 40-60 km a week can change one's fitness in merely 6 weeks. Hope for all. Most weeks I make up the distance with plenty 5-9 km runs in the week and one or two longer ones on the weekend. Hey I know plenty more running is possible, but I also have a job and a life to manage. Remarkably, my two training partners both "fell" due to obscure accidents and I have been stuck with resorting to dragging my injured partner out at night, him following me in the car, me running in front. As winter approaches the evening runs are harder, and it is not a great strategy to run after dark, on your own, in Joburg suburbs. But the night runs - with the entourage - have been a revelation to the soul. No stress and plesant beyond my expectations. So when the going gets tough, the tough gets the 4x4 to be my wingman!

Progress is so good.

I spoke to someone who's run 14 Comrades and 50 marathons and is obviously a real runner. A gentle, modest guy, not one of those people that make my little dream small because they have done so much.
I like to remember how hard the first 10km race was AND how amazing the accomplishment was for me. Running a marathon, and the Great Wall Marathon, is huge for me and what I am doing is running against the odds - for me. Easter weekend saw me run my longest training run yet 32km (as part of the Randburg Harrier's Easter 100). I felt amazing. In a mere 6 weeks I have run 267km. Suddenly I am contemplating running a marathon this Sunday and the mere thought is not frightening me silly. I need to decide and either do it or just run China. Sometimes it is just hard to know what the right thing is to do.