I took a couple of days off running - Tuesday and Wednesday, hitting the steam room and a 1km swim on Tuesday and a 5km walk on Wednesday (work not allowing me to get to a pilates class as I'd hoped). This morning, I headed out for my first slightly longer run - 9.5km. It was great to run again with Shannon - it's been so long. We did it nice and easy, though the far side was like running on the spot with the wind. We started out with a big group and ended up with Shannon, Delia and myself, going around at a pleasant 6 min KM. Aside from a slightly tight right calf, I felt pretty good (though I think if we'd tried to run faster my body would have protested). It's a great first step, gives me confidence that I'm coming back from Perth without too many problems and can potentially aim for a decent Rottnest. I'm taking it slowly, though, and will aim for 12km in the hills on Saturday.

The great part of the run was being able to really catch up with Shannon and hear how she has been going. She was nervous about pace, but she managed it so easily that I think it won't be long before I'm pushing to keep up with her. But we'll be rebuilding at the same time, which is great. And Trish and Kate and Viv will also be rebuilding now, so we'll have a wonderful running group again. The joy of running returns!