Tim goes on the Lamb, but is entirely outdone by cute animals.

Day 30. 9/10/11: Simmonston to Kanyaka

It's a wide open road. Yes, it's a really goddamn very wide open road. Beautifully so.

Tim's bit:

After a long, beautifully restful night's sleep, we got up and packed up quickly and smoothly. On the drive out we had a chance to watch two young Yellow Tailed Rock Wallabies playfight - pretty special. Drove the run/ride from yesterday to get to the start of today's run. We were able to go through Willochra Creek, which shortened the drive by about 80kms. Got to where I'd left the bike at Simmonston and found it had a flat front tyre, so it was great to be able to just chuck it in the van and keep going, avoiding the frustration of getting to it after running 20kms and then realizing I had to fix a flat and ride back on a repair-job!

I'd decided to ease back a little on my plans of the last few days and just settle for running six kilometre sections, and it worked a treat. Had the iPod set to play all 54 Lamb tracks (including repeats on different albums) and nothing else, and found a song ("Sun") which is a bit "un-Lamb" but was a cracker to run to.

I am always this serious.

I mentioned in another post that running is all about monitoring little injuries. So getting ready for running is all about gear. I wear Merrells and the front of my right foot is a little worse, so I wear FiveFingers. The FiveFingers hurt the base of my left big toe, so I go back to the Merrells, but the Tough Gloves, not the Trail Gloves. The socks seemed to pull my feet in, so I ran without. Then I felt a bit sweaty, so I used more talc. Then I got a bit of rubbing, so I went back to socks, but business socks, not low-cut running socks. I keep changing, trying new things, and with each change my stride gets a little bit better, too. I could write for pages about technique - especially on the precise way and the exact moment to put my foot down and pick it up - but suffice to say: it's getting better. The big winners from all this are my heels, at the base of my Achilles. Touch wood, they're going okay.

So: eased back, had the music right, was running in the morning, didn't have to do the ride, the run itself was across the Willochra Plain, and slightly but generally downhill and had awesome support from Lily, meaning I didn't have to carry a backpack and could get a drink and a highfive every forty minutes or so. Wicked. End result: best run of the trip so far! Added to all those positives was the fact that, after yesterday's dismal aches and pains, it was a surprise. It was like going to the movies expecting to see a dud and getting a corker instead. Extremely satisfying. It was great to have a chance to stop and chat with Lily, have a drink and an orange with her, have a toilet break and even change my underpants (thankfully, the only car that drove past during the whole run came five minutes later!), and still be able to cover 20kms in under 2hrs, and feel fresh at the end!

Lily Attenborough on the job. "It's a crazy bug!"

Lily's bit:

I'd first heard about Yellow Tailed Rock Wallabies at the fossil presentation at Rawnsley Park. They're endangered, so for us to see two having a play fight and manage to get footage was a pretty special thing! It was a great start to the day, anyway. And I got to splash the van through Willochra Creek on the way back to Warren Gorge, which was a treat for me, too! Weeee splosh!

Run

Time (hr:min:sec): 1:56:53

Speed (kph):

I have two poses. Left foot forward,
or right foot forward.

Distance (km): 19.9