‘Tis not often anymore that my gob has a permanent grin, but it has one tonight.

What a fabulous day we’ve had doing Mt Somers.  I felt like I was ‘home’ again, running on that sort of terrain.  Graham and I talked about it on the way home and agreed that road running, cycling and swimming just doesn’t have the element of adventure or achievement that a decent offroad run has.  I used to come home from a six hour run doing Goat Pass feeling shagged but with a grin on my face, whereas there’d be no grin on my face after a six hour cycle!

The net time for today’s run was around 2.57 hours (I tried to remember to pause it each time I stopped for pics and the like).  I’m really happy with that as I went into it doubting I’d have sufficient run endurance to do it justice, but tonight my legs don’t even feel like they’ve done anything.  Also, the last couple of times I’ve done Mt Somers, my net times were 4.01 hours (24km) and 4.06 hours (20km), so today’s run was done at a quicker pace (and the previous two times were while I had been training for the Coast and had lots of long runs under my belt).  Paul’s aerobic intensity training pays off!  I also think doing some offroad runs at night have helped maintain my proprioception - the Mt Somers track can be pretty draining if your co-ordination is wanting.

The conditions going into today were looking a little dodgy, as it had been raining heavily in the high country. But the stream on the way out was at a good level and there were no dramas apart from a pretty wet track from the saddle down to the end.  It was also a gorgeous day weather-wise up until the saddle, but some light snow flakes were falling at Pinnacles Hut, and it rained pretty steadily until we got out to the Sharplin Falls carpark.

In part, today’s run was a way of testing whether Ella was up to that sort of terrain over a reasonable distance.  She was just fine, and feels no ill effects tonight, so it looks like I need to follow through with taking her over Goat Pass as a run/tramp;  something she’s been asking about for a while.  Deo suggested we do it tomorrow – I’m up for it if you are Deo!

I really feel like I’m just going through the motions of the South Island Half Ironman now.  Graham and I screwed up our noses on the way home when we talked about it.  It really doesn’t spin our wheels after today, but I’m committed to seeing it through.

Now I feel like a fraud – I have a rest day tomorrow, and a recovery cycle on Monday.  But I feel fine (not that I’ll say that out loud).