Back on the horse

With a little over 6 weeks to go until we leave, it's time to up the training! Easier said than done. The combination of later sunrises, family chaos, and after effects of that awful jab, have taken their toll and things are not as they should be.

I have given up karate for now - I was getting too many injuries and they were lasting for quite a while, and so felt that they weren't worth it at the moment! Will re look at karate after the Wall.

Managing long runs on Sundays - between 10 and 15km, but they are slow as have been doing them on the mountains of Mt Coo-tha. And a couple of runs during the week.

The cycling has also dropped off: Megan and I finding it difficult to get out onto the mountain as the sun is coming up so much later. We actually drove out at our usual time a few weeks ago, only to realise as we arrived at the Gap Creek parking area that it was still pitch dark! And so we had to sit in the car for about 15 minutes until it was light enough, but even then, it was a tad eerie - did get to see some Wallabies though! And leaving later has it's problems, as I'm then not home in time to feed and water the kidlets!

But today I finally made it to the stairs. So far my stair training has consisted of me running up and down the stairs whenever I catch the bus into the city. Have also promised myself that I will run up and down any flight of stairs which I encounter out on a run - I seem to make sure that my runs never take me past any flights of stairs (actually, I have done one set of 10 and that nearly killed me!) But today I headed for the Greenhill Reservoir in Indooroopilly. It across the road from a Mt. Coo-tha access trail, and so I parked and set off across the road and into the forest for a warm-up. Have I mentioned before that I have shopping centre legs? And not mountain goat legs? Well, mountain goat was what was needed, but I managed without any dramas - up to the Summit lookout and back and back across the road and up to the reservoir.

There is a staircase which leads to the top of the reservoir (but a gate blocks you from actually getting on top of the reservoir) and so I climbed at a trot. Only 3 flights, but small steps and quite steep. Not too difficult, but it's the going down which leaves me cold! My eyes start to play tricks with me, and I'm sure some kind of stair vertigo kicks in, but I find I am really struggling going downstairs at any speed.

Got to the bottom and darted across the garden path to descend another stair case going down to Russel Terrace - and then all the way up to the top of the Reservoir again. Rest at the top and down again - no rest and back to the top. Managed the whole process 3 times before retreating to the sanity of my car.

To the wall - via the stairs - and beyond.....