Dilapidated Beauty

It was part of his standard morning routine, Michael stumbling weary-eyed down a darkened hallway so that the cat could be let outside. Afterward, it was water in the old red kettle, bread in the toaster and then typically a return to doorway so that the cat could be let back inside. This morning was no different than most. Avoiding a minefield of shoes and the cat, now underfoot, the door swung open with an accompanying sound not unlike a train thundering through the London Underground. Two sets of eyes strained to look beyond the front steps, out past the shrubs and into the stormy morning. Neither would be overly eager to head out there today.

Yesterday was a homecoming of sorts. A day that saw the return of a multitude of familiar faces to a location that is hallowed for most runners in Victoria. A day that brought out the best in everyone, under conditions that could not have been much worse. And yet were so welcome. Allyson and Isla were there, wrapped up in Gore-tex and wool and under skies that continued to ensure an appropriate level of saturation.

There were 170 teams of 4, and their accompanying support crew milling around the lake front. Everyone trying to stay dry underneath insufficient shelter. For a rare few it was a damp muddy hell, but for everyone else competing in the 12th annual Harriers Thetis Lake 20-k Relay the day was just the thing, wonderful.

Training:
Monday: day off (scheduled)
Tuesday: 50:54 with 5-k Thetis Lake Relay in 18:36
Wednesday: A.M. easy 39:51, P.M. 37:42