All the roads on which I usually run Friday's Tempo Run are either being repaired, widened or in some way dug up.  A change of plans was in order, so after 1.5km warm-up I headed for Old South Road, which wasn't being dug up,  where I ran hill repeats.

Without having any idea of its gradient, I ran 9 x 90 seconds uphill and walked down after each.  Garmin says 200m.  It wasn't too difficult and in fact I enjoyed the change.  Next time I decide to do this I'll go further up the hill where it gets much steeper, but today was OK for starters!  I finished with 1.5km cool-down and some stretches on the grass in the soccer field.

A very satisfying session......for me, I thought!

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A MAGICAL MOMENT!

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 These beautiful twin lambs were born a few minutes before I took these pictures!  I've come to know the staff, students and farm animals at this school very well over the years that I've been running and taking my dogs for their daily walk there and in the surrounding paddocks..  I see new calves arrive, but never on the day they're born.  The two most recent calves I've named "Fred" and "Ginger" (!) and I feed them bread by hand each afternoon.  As soon as they see me or the dogs, they come galloping across the paddock, knowing well what I have for them!

This afternoon, a very happy teacher called to me that twin lambs had just been born.  Well,  I was never so excited and, forgetting about the dogs, rushed to the paddock to see them.  They were so tiny and stumbling to get on their feet, with mum nudging & licking them upwards!  I think that was when I started to cry and didn't stop until the teacher asked me if I'd like to come with him and pick up one of  the lambs and, with their mother following and bleating loudly, carry it to a shed where they would be safe and warm for the night.

I picked up this tiny, still wet little thing and held it close all the way to the shed! It was just one of those beautiful, never-to-be-forgotten moments!

In today's mail!  The certificate for my Canberra Half Marathon Australian Record, 2nd May 2010 at the ACTCCC Road Running Festival.  I am so excited and proud to have achieved this recognition!  My third Australian Record too!

..........finishing with today's long hilly run of  32km in 4 hours 12 minutes.  All going slowly but well so far!

  If there's one single thing that I've felt with every marathon I've ever run,  it's that I feel I've never run enough long runs in training and the long runs have never been long enough.  In other words, not enough kilometres in the legs.

......and that's what I'm especially concentrating on this time round.

So.....36km yesterday!

3 x 12km loop : the first on Old South Road, 7:15am before the traffic started; second, to Inkerman Road and the third loop on Diamond Fields Road.

This took me just about 5 hours.  A gel, water and sports drink at the car after each of the first 2 loops. Lots of hills and quite 'done in' by the finish.  Yes, I did have a nap after that one!  Feel good today though, Monday.