Downhill all the way!

[Malcy]

It's another long story from Malcy ...

Yesterday I mentioned that I had managed a 5.5km run uphill from the waterside in Lisbon to my conference hotel. Well, today I thought I'd treat myself. Running from the hotel to the waterfront would be downhill all the way. A pleasure trip. A piece of Pastéis de Nata. (showing off now - it's a little cake)

So my usual 5k time is around 28 mins but today I passed the 5k mark in 25:34. I did put in a bit extra effort to try to break the 25 min mark but wasn't quite good enough. Excellent! Except I can't record it anywhere - it would become my best time & I'd never be able to match it on a normal run. In fact the full run was 5.4km & the clock stopped at 27:38

Phew. But ten mins later, having got my breath back, I'm now 5.4km from my hotel, dripping with sweat & starting to chill. B*gg*r. Nothing for it but to head back, so I might as well jog. S**t - the Lisbon air was pretty foul at this point. Why couldn't I have thought about this? So off I went. Uphill all the way. Not a happy bunny.

The gods of exercise must have been on my side though. Checking the distance as I went, I was just waiting to see how far I got before running out of steam. The first km - all OK, but this was the flat bit before the climb started. 2km - heading up hill but keeping going. 3km and still moving forward. Goodness - that only leaves 2.5k left. 3.3km came at that really steep bit I mentioned yesterday, & that was it. Walking became the only option. But only for 200m or so to the top, then it was back to a run - all the way back to base.

WOW! How incredible. I'd done 11km. I'd never done that before, or anywhere near it. Well, maybe Mount Lofty on the outskirts of Adelaide ( couchto5k.healthunlocked.co... ) was close. But that was also an exceptional day.

Right - so anyone who has read my inane ramblings will know that I'm constantly amazed that we are capable of achieving much more than we think. And you'll agree that today's story just proves it again.

Except there's more. You see I did the 11k in the early evening. And I had already done a 5k before breakfast. So that makes 16km or ten miles in one day. So the 10k in June that had worried me? Nae bother. And the Great North (30 years since my only previous entry) now looks achievable. I know it's not the same as doing the distance non-stop but ...

ISN'T THIS RUNNING MALARKEY BRILLIANT?

[Khrissy Graduate]

Newbie graduate here and smiling from ear to ear to hear such enthusiasm from a more experienced runner! What a bloody fantastic journey we've all embarked on

[Malcy Graduate in reply to Khrissy]

Congratulations on graduating! You're right - it is fantastic. You know, I've lost over 30kg since starting C25k a year ago, & gone from maximum dosage of blood pressure pills to no pills at all. So there are loads of side benefits.

[AliB1 Graduate]

Well done malcy sounds like a fab run. You have plenty of time before the GNR to get up the distance.

[wilmacgh Graduate]

Well done. There's something special about running in new places. I found myself looking for routes now when I'm booking a hotel.

[SBG356 Graduate]

Absolutely brilliant malcy; I loved reading this! I loved reading your Mt Lofty experience too - amazing! How great to have the opportunity to run in such different locations. Truly inspiring for us all, especially in helping us to overcome our fear of hills!

I can't quite believe how you managed to do this AFTER a 5k morning run....fantastic! You will rock the GNR no problem!

Sue

[Malcy Graduate in reply to SBG356]

Being away from home and having time to fill is a big help. I was a bit stiff this morning but plucked up the courage to go out for a final 5k round the local streets. My last conference session runs until lunchtime then I'll be flying home. Here's my next problem though - from hotel to airport is only 6k. Do I take a taxi? Or I could just go on foot ..... Taxi sounds good! (:->)

[notbad Graduate]

Well done Malcy, you will be fine with the gnr - just keep plugging away and upping distance gradually (that's my strategy, & it's my first gnr). Think it's really great that you will run it again 30 years on.

[paulbirch Graduate]

Sounds like you had great fun that day! Would you call it a 'fun' run perhaps not at the time but you must be amused and chuffed now!

What interested me was your comment,'Why couldn't I have thought about this?'

I was always told that if you think about exercise your mind will persuade you not to bother, best just to get on with it and see if you can achieve a distance never dreamed of before. That's what you did!!

Well done.

Interesting to see that only graduates have commented on your blog??

[jbroox Graduate]

I'm almost exactly a year behind you, but your posts definitely give me something to look forward too. When I saw the heading of your post the first thought in my head was, "Uh oh, how's he going to get back — up hill all the way." It honestly didn't occur to me that you'd run the whole way. Ha! I'm hopeful that could be me a year from now.

I'm still thinking about the dreaded W5D3, so the thought of running 5K up hill after running one down hill isn't even something I can fathom right now!

Thanks for your continued inspiration!

Oh, and all these great posts with words like "chuffed" and "brilliant" are really enticing me to make a trip to the UK for a "holiday." Maybe it's the bit of English and Irish blood flowing through my veins, or the thought of pulling my MGB out of the garage in a few weeks, but reading posts about running from all of you makes it seem all the more fun! Maybe I'll be able to make it over and join you all for the Great North Run some day!

[jbroox Graduate in reply to jbroox]

err "forward to"

[Jeddahpm Graduate]

Wow malcy, awesome blog! You made me chuckle I love and share your sense of wonder at what we can achieve. Best wishes for your upcoming events, I'm sure you will enjoy them

Jems

[greenlegs Graduate]

Very entertaining blog Malcy! (I really like long posts with lots of details - yum!) Sounds like you'll be absolutely fine for the GNR.