There is good news and at the right time. Lots of errands in the morning, and getting to the Customs run by the skin of my teeth. I appreciated Wombat's advice not to run, however it was the anniversary of Aki's first 5km run ever, and I needed some social contact.

It was the start of the altered Floriade course, and there was some consternation at the start. With many not aware of the route. My handicap was 13:15 , however Adrienne was looking for someone to run with. Easy decision! Aki, Kim, and Joseph also came along for the ride at 12 minutes. We left at 12:00, and rolled down the hill at the start (knowing full well that it just needed to be run up at the end!). I felt like a rabbit at the start, with a line of runners behind me. I mentioned this to Joseph, who usually had a handicap of 14:00 and he replied that he definitely did not feel like a greyhound. On the western side of Commonwealth Avenue I ensured that he knew where the course went, and slowed down (running backwards at times) to wait for Adrienne, show her the course, and hopefully pace her to a good run. This turned out to be an excellent strategy for me, I found the run delightfully easy, keeping to around 4:40-4:45 pace for most of the first 4kms, including 'Hospital Hill'. On pace to bring Adrienne to her first sub-23:00 finish, she slowed on the final k, with us ending up with a 24 minute run.

This was a real confidence boost for me looking forward to Sunday: I felt very, very strong; the fatigue which has been dogging me for weeks dissipated as I ran (who knows how long I will sleep after the marathon though!); and a 4:40-4:50 pace (much faster than marathon pace) felt easy. All in all, a great confidence boost.