On a weekend when fires devastated Victoria, killing over 100 people and destroying two towns including one of my favourite holiday destinations, Maryville, where no buildings were spared, I booked into Merroo, inland from Richmond NSW, where I thought I might have time to jog, to walk, relax and have a break. Well, the unit had no air conditioner or fan, the centre however was air conditioned and that's where I parked myself each day, although on arrival there had been an extensive power outage in the region and the air conditioning wasn't on for a while and when it did return it struggled. On the Saturday, the maximum in the shade at Merroo was 47.5 degrees! That's no typo. That's celsius. Fortunately there were no fires in the area, but I had an hour or so on Saturday afternoon where I was unwell with heat stress; most of the other people gathered in the relative cool of the centre were quite OK.
I will have to resume normal activities gradually; I am not going to risk ignoring how I was feeling by pressing on regardless.
Plans for this week: however far I feel like, including
Monday 9/2: a run at 4:30pm and Parliament House intervals at 5:30pm. I will be taking it very quietly. But the first phase of a cool change has arrived, hurray, and cooler weather is to come.
Tuesday 10/2: I was set to race at the Summer Series at the Boathouse but I will probably give it a miss. A quiet jog from home instead might be better.
Wednesday 11/2: I may head out for a longer run from home if all is OK.
Thursday 12/2: I have entered the 1500m on the track and I see no reason for missing it; I need to test to see if the longer races are still sensible to run and 1500m at 3000m pace is a good idea. Maybe.
Friday 13/2: another jog
Saturday 14/2: there's a 3000m in the morning I want to do well in. After that I may feel like a longer run later in the day.
Sunday 15/2: I think I will run at Stromlo with the 8am group as usual, for a long easy run, even though there is an event on at Dunrossil Drive I could visit.
As well as the running I will be seeing medical professionals on Wednesday and Thursday, and all being well, doing a long stretching work-out on Friday after Thursday night's race.
And staying cool.
