Two hours of insanity

Those of you who live in Brisbane know it was raining on Sunday morning. Not lightly, either.

I'd arranged to meet Speedy Reidy at the Powerhouse at 7.30 to accompany her on the last 15ks of her 35k long run. When my phone went off just after 5am I went downstairs to check it, correctly thinking it would be Speedy Reidy. I incorrectly predicted the contents of the message - 'Am running. See you at the powerhouse, AP.'

I went back up and announced to KKB, "this is going to be two hours of insanity".

When I parked at the Powerhouse, it was raining. I thought about it for a moment, then got out of the car and ran towards the City in search of Speedy Reidy. I'd worn my pink compression socks for extra visibility, so it was Speedy Reidy who first spotted me and waved as she rounded the corner near the New Farm Citycat stop.

"I didn't think you'd come in the rain - you're still sick!" she exclaimed.

We set off in the rain, wondering how many other people we would see running in this downpour. I'd seen six runners since leaving home, which didn't fill me with much confidence at all. Before too long, though, I'd forgotten about everyone else - I was wondering how much longer I could keep up with Speedy Reidy, who was still powering 20ks into her run. What a champ!

Not long after that, the sloshy conditions overtook all other thought processes. Although we were wet through, we picked our way gingerly around puddles on the path. (Why, I'll never know.)

It was my first run for a few weeks. Last time I donned the running shoes I'd struggled through 5ks. Sunday felt much more promising. Although I still had a cough like someone who's smoked a pack a day for the last 20 years, I could breathe. And despite the four hours on the mag trainer on Saturday, my legs felt fresh.

Before I knew it, I'd gotten through 11ks and opted to accompany Speedy Reidy for just a bit longer, rather than take the shortest route home.

I ended up with just over 17ks in my legs. Even if I get through a half marathon this weekend, I know it's not long enough to properly get me through my next race. Perhaps it's fitting that, for me at least, the Run Like Crazy marathon is shaping up to be just a little bit more insanity.