Went out last night. Got drunk at a leaving do. Wanted to vomit. As did everyone else in the gym as they smelt the cloud of noxious stale beer fumes seeping through my pores. It didn’t help that I chowed a garlic pizza either.

Running notes
Route: Treadmill
Time started: 6:45am
Total time: 45 minutes
Total distance: 8km
Temperature: 20˚
Runner’s condition: Sweaty

A blow by blow account of how crap my Wednesday (thats the hill repeats) mornings are:

1. Alarm goes at 5am and I open eyes and stare at ceiling until I feel myself drifting off, at which point I get up and stand indecisively in the bathroom thinking about what to do next.

2. Put half my kit on and then sit back on the bed to tie trainers which then turns into lying back on the bed and thinking about what to do next.

3. Cat is now awake and wants feeding.

4. Apply rest of clothing to body and wander over to the window to check what the weather is doing in the inky blackness. Think about what to do next.

5. Its raining!

6. Think about whether I can use this as an excuse not to go out, but realise that as I am now half ready I might as well carry on.

7. Tie hair up, find iPhone, headphones and go downstairs.

8. Get downstairs and think about what to do next (which now is blatant procrastination).

9. Feed cat.

10. Prevent myself from opening laptop to read work emails.

11. Go onto balcony to check what weather is really doing and think about what to do next.

12. Find door keys and leave house.

This entire process wasted 45 minutes of my life. I have heard tall tales from other runners who claim to get their stuff ready the night before and manage to get out in ten minutes. I don’t believe this is possible at 5am in the dark.

Running notes
Route: 1km hill repeats at 30% x 7 so as the motor is being fixed (again) I ran there and counted that as two ups.
Time started: 5:45am
Total time: 1:58
Total distance: 16km
Temperature: 17˚
Runner’s condition: It was dark for the first hour, but was treated to a stunning winter sunrise, and then it rained.

Running notes
Route: Kloof Nek car park to the Lower Cable Station turn at the end of the tarmac on Tafelberg Road and back
Height climbed: 180m
Time started: 17:45
Total time: 1:25
Total distance: 12.5km
Weather conditions: Cool
Temperature: 20˚
Runner’s condition: Fabulous sea mist below us in the City Bowl, was like running above the clouds.

So the 3:30 marathoners suggested I join them today for an easy 24km run. So I proceeded to enjoy a 2:25 hour run watching everybody’s back whilst I struggled to keep up and not cough up the remaining portions of my internal organs. I did, on the other hand, get in an early run so I could fall asleep in the running club meeting I was forced to attend at 12.

Running notes
Route: God knows. We started in a car park, ran through Claremont up to Constantia Nek via Kirstenbosch gate, down through Constantia and then to the car park.
Time started: 7am
Total time: 2:25
Total distance: 21km (it took them longer than expected as ‘they’ had to wait for my sorry arse)
Temperature: 17˚
Runner’s condition: It was dark for the first hour, but was treated to a stunning winter sunrise, and then it rained.

They lied and made me run 31.5km. And then I said I’d run with them tomorrow. Idiot.

Running notes
Route: Camps Bay to Hout Bay, halfway up Chapmans Peak and back
Time started: 7am
Total time: 3:25
Total distance: 31.5km
Temperature: 24˚
Runner’s condition: I knew I shouldn’t have had that last beer.

Running notes
Route: My flat to Keizersgracht Street for the 40 mins fartlek session and back
Time started: 07:00
Total time: 40 mins
Total distance: 5km
Weather conditions: Calm

No car meant I had to run there, so I deducted two of the hills off the total.

Running notes
Route: 1km hill repeats at 30% x 6
Time started: 6:15am
Total time: 1:45
Total distance: 15km
Temperature: 20˚
Runner’s condition: Slog, slog, slog

Running notes
Route: Kloof Nek car park to the Lower Cable Station turn at the end of the tarmac on Tafelberg Road and back
Height climbed: 180m
Time started: 17:45
Total time: 1:25
Total distance: 12.5km
Weather conditions: Warm
Temperature: 25˚
Runner’s condition: Fine

When I got to the top of Kloof Nek and saw the fog on Signal Hill I still decided to run it which was a bit of a mistake when the visibility went down to 5m and I was running on the road with the oncoming vehicles. Still here though, so lesson learned.

Running notes
Route: My house to Kloof Nek, Signal Hill and back, down to Camps Bay and back over the Nek and into town.
Time started: 7am
Total time: 2:30
Total distance: 21km
Temperature: 18˚
Runner’s condition: A bit scared

Nice and slowly, had a good chat with Carl on the way back.

Running notes
Route: Camps Bay to Suikerbossie and back
Time started: 7am
Total time: 2:10
Total distance: 18km
Temperature: 22˚
Runner’s condition: Fine

Running notes
Route: My flat to Keizersgracht Street for the 40 mins fartlek session and back
Time started: 07:00
Total time: 30 mins
Total distance: 5km
Weather conditions: Calm

Running notes
Route: 1km hill repeats at 30% x 5
Time started: 6am
Total time: 1:20
Total distance: 10km
Temperature: 20˚
Runner’s condition: Drove there so a bit easier

A big fat 25 minutes! Now thats what I like.

Running notes
Route: Treadmill
Time started: 06:45
Total time: 25 mins
Total distance: 5km
Weather conditions: None
Temperature: 20˚
Runner’s condition: Very happy

The weather is definitely on the turn. A distinct chill in the air on the mountain tonight.

Running notes
Route: Kloof Nek car park to the Lower Cable Station turn at the end of the tarmac on Tafelberg Road and back
Height climbed: 180m
Time started: 17:45
Total time: 1:25
Total distance: 12.5km
Weather conditions: Mild to cool
Temperature: 25˚
Runner’s condition: Fine

I’m %$£@ing tired of this now. A 30km race yesterday and pretty much the same distance this morning, by the time I get home its lunchtime and half the day is gone – not to mention I can’t %$£@ing do anything today because I too tired to move.

I wore my race shoes out again today, because yesterday they rubbed my little toes. Seriously? I don’t have time for this before Comrades, and now I’ve got another worry I don’t need. I thought that I might have inadvertently bought the wrong size as I got them in New York, but no they are the same as my battered Nikes (same model different look). This morning I re-laced them and tried taping the small toe, leaving the other foot untaped as a control. After inspection the tape had moved so its not going to work. I’ll try again next week taping two toes together. I’ve done over 100km in them which is all I planned before race day (so as to keep the cushioning) and now I’m going to have to make a decision – wear them in more or buy a new pair. If I go with the second option I need enough time to wear those in which I probably don’t have. Crap.

Its Argus day today and the cyclists are out and about. My route took me through Camps Bay which is relatively close to the finish in Greenpoint. As the pelotons swooshed past, I wondered what it must be like to freewheel down hills and not have the sodding chafing that I have to put up with. Lucky buggers with their skin tight lycra, drinks on hand and road bikes that cost more than my car*.

Running notes
Route: My flat to Kloof Nek, down the Glen, left through Camps Bay, back up Camps Bay Drive to the Nek, out and back along Signal Hill and back to Chez Moi
Time started: 08:55
Total time: 3:05 mins
Total distance: 25km and yes I did walk a bit
Weather conditions: Slight breeze and sunny

*1979 Mini