Answer:When waking at 2am one duck starts to plan long runs to do and doesn't bother going back to sleep!

With Bob away, I got caught up in 'sorting things out' and was surprised at the time I ended getting to bed. I woke a couple of times to go to the bathroom, and feeling good, starting thinking and planning long runs through the cork oaks, the prickle trail, up Stromlo . . . this was so engrossing that I couldn't get back to sleep. At 4 am I gave in and got up. Felt great, although by late afternoon it really started to tell on me, and I really wanted to crawl under some covers and snooze.

This evening was to be my first Thursday at Geoff Moore's School of Running at Dickson Oval under lights (with 1,001 soccer players). Feeling a little seedy, I was yawning constantly at the start and was rather less enthused than I hoped to be. However, after an extended two lap warm-up of the playing fields, I felt better, although was amiss in my stretching following this. Aki was there and a wonderful example of flexibility. Good habits to get into.

Note to Self: Must stretch more.

After this, a collection of batons appeared along with some initially confusing instructions. Three runners of roughly equivalent ability form into teams. The first runner (R1) sprints 200m (in lane 2) and then hands the baton to runner two (R2). R1 then jogs 100m in lane 3 to a witches hat, and then does a 180* to jog back to the 200m finish. R2 does the same, handing the baton to the third runner (R3). R3 sprints the same 200m course that R1 ran originally, handing the baton to R1 again for the cycle to continue.

This was great! No confusion in it's implementation, and plenty of recovery time on the 200m jog for the next sprint set. I was impressed. We repeated this 12 times, and I for one was tiring at the end, although very satisfied. A single lap of the still practicing soccer players was it for the night.

Having made the first step and turning up for a Thursday session, I am very keen to return, and look forward to next week.