This deserves a longer post

But I'm exhausted, so this will have to do for now. Will elaborate later ...

Anticipating showers on Saturday I booked into two RPM classes in a row, only to have it turn out to be a stunning morning and perfect for riding. I passed Lauren in the car park as he was untying his bike from his car. Gutted! All the same, Stephan was in fine form and the music was loud. I went hard and didn't spare my legs. For the first time I really felt like I had some strength back in them. I'm not coughing any more, although my throat still needs fairly regular clearing. The germs are finally leaving the building ...

I was supposed to run with Emma and co in Belmont Park this morning. Oh, and there was another storm on the way. It poured all night, rain so hard that it beat anything else we've had this winter hands down. Around 5.30 a.m. it seemed to be lightening up a little. At 7.30 my alarm went off. It was by now only drizzling but it looked pretty miserable out there. I wanted to be hardcore, I really did, but a few minutes before I was supposed to leave it really started pelting down again. All I could see of the city was water and trees buckling under some fearsome Northerlies. Today was not the day to start exploring trail running. I knew I would be cold, wet and miserable and that the trails would be mud. So what did Mad Dog do? She took off her running gear, slipped back into her pyjamas and crawled back into bed. Yes, really.

Let it be said that I made the right decision. The wind and rain died away, the sun come out. Driving to the supermarket I dodged a huge landslip that had blocked half of Farnham Street and buried some poor guy's car. Water was pouring from hillsides and the whole city was busy draining.

After a lunch of brown rice, veges and Teriyaki marinated tofu I got back into the abandoned running gear and headed into town. It was warm and there was the slightest of Northerly breezes. There were people everywhere and I ran 11 wonderful kilometres around the Bays and back through Newtown. My legs didn't fell fatigued from the prior day's spinning at all. I marvel again at the wonders of B12! Or perhaps I really am just that much stronger.

I stopped briefly in Penny Farthings to take another look at the EMC2, but am now tossing up the next model up Genius from the one I was sold on a couple of months back. I'm getting a bit of an unexpected cash bonus in a couple of weeks, so I might just have to be a little selfish ...

Back to the gym, in the shower and off to the Gearshifters workshop with no time to fit in any weights. This Taupo training is going to be sooooo much fun. We've got a great bunch of trainers and several returnees from previous squads. I totally need a new bike to keep up with them all! I deserve it ...

Straight out of the Gearshifters workshop and into a film festival shorts screening. By the time we got home it was after 7.30 and I hadn't eaten (other than a Horleys Replace drink after the run) in around seven hours. So not good .... The healthy chicken burger and salad I cooked for dinner went down darn quickly, as did the non-local, non-seasonal Californian peach I ate for dessert. Yeah, I've been doing really well at eating consciously, but when these little drops of sunshine are selling at $2.95 a kilo, sometimes a girl's ethics go out the window.

Walking back to our friend's Mt Vic flat after the film the smell of flowers was in the air and the temperatures were mild. For a short while it felt like spring. There is hope, people, there is hope.