Sorry, no surprises. I do however have updates!

Tuesday: 9 miles in I - cant- remember - anymore.

Wednesday: 600 double stair sprints with a weighted pack - I dont know why I do this to myself. 2 hours it took me.

Thursday: 7 miles in a slow 70 minutes and a half-assed weight routine for 15 minutes

Friday: 10 miles this am with the last 2 leaving me a bit breathless.

That is all.

Endurance...

I think my birthday run the other day achieved one thing - I am not afraid of distance anymore. Not that I ever was - but running 12 miles, 16 miles is a whole lot different than running 28. Without any training, tapering, nutrition, hydration. Not that I am a careless athlete. I am not, but I do take my fitness for granted and am maybe not as respectful as I should be. I do however respect distance, and I do respect the roads I run.

So tempted to run for 7 hours on a weekday before work just for the heck of it. Why not? I have this body and these legs can endure. There is no point having endurance and not really *enduring* anything. Make sense?

Anyway, I hauled myself out after eating copious amounts of batura channa yesterday (hey, I ran 28 miles the day before!). Being in India has been so good for me. I cannot believe I used to turn my nose up at spicy food. Now I say, bring it on! The fuel carried me through 8 very humid miles.

I have a suprise for you tomorrow - hope I can deliver!

Its my birthday :-)

There are so many things I want to say. They will have to wait.

I remember I once said that I didnt want to tip-toe through life and wanted to arrive at my destination bruised and saying "what a ride". Well, no kidding :-). I lived and survived another 12 months and today I am 28.

I ran 28 miles this morning. The whole morning was so dramatic and saw me changing my clothes 3 times, plus a shower in between!! This is India and the temperature is in the late 30's and it is so humid. Summer in India has made me stronger - and hopefully a better person and runner overall.

I was at it for a total of 5 hours and 40 minutes - but this included a 20 minute weight routine and a 30 minute shower. The run was comfortable and I am happy. So happy.

A couple of thoughts. I have this belief that I could run for hours and hours if my mind is in the right place. There is just so much to say. But I dont want to. I think what drives me to do these distances is this: it is not a talent at all. Nor is it a physical gift. I am painfully ordinary. It is an unflinching curiosity, a desire to seek out the best in myself, no matter the odds. It has driven me into solitude for most of my life. The motivating force is inessential and inconsequential. I am the underdog - and if I lose, I only lose to myself.