Time: 105 minutes
Distance: 18 kilometers
Comments: I knew this week was going to be a mess and it sure as heck lived up to my concerns. I cranked out a nice run in the sweltering horror of Arizona early but things went to hell in a handbasket after that. First off, I lost a full day to crossing the International Date Line not to mention the 19-plus hour travel time. Jet lag then ensued and, as happened last time, my sinuses finally rebelled and delivered a nice big infection. So I spent the first few days stumbling around in a daze, unable to talk cause my voice disappeared trying to get on a decent sleep schedule. Heading out for a training run really didn't seem that wise a move. All that said, I pretty much saw it coming and I deliberately set my travel to Sydney more than a week prior to the race in order to have time to recover. I have been feeling better and the run today wasn't too bad. With luck, I'll be good to go in seven days. This week is just a bunch of half-hour runs when I can squeeze them in to stay sharp for the effort. The plus side here is the view when I run can be its own inspiration. Training-wise, though, I think I am as ready as I will be at this point. My last long run felt good strength-wise but not so hot on the respiratory side. That said, the sinus infection has eased off quite a bit (the cough is still hanging around though) and I think I'll be good on that score come raceday. So now it's just nerves and jitters to contend with.