350!

only more like a marathon :)

instead of doing 35 symbolic kilometres, we took a wrong turn and pushed it to 43. the funny bit was that i struggled so much for the first 30km, and the last bit saw me getting my wind back and thinking i could do it again!

waking up at stupid o'clock on a non-work morning was a bit difficult, i just couldn't get it together and i was one of the last to arrive at the cinemateque :/
the ride there was fantastic, though - the streets were clear and the morning beautiful, with a wonderful breeze. the bus ride didn't give me much opportunity to nap, though, as we were all being very school-tour-ish.

i had a good laugh when i woke up the guy behind me as we arrived in beit shemesh. he asked me who i was, and i told him - i wasn't as surprised as he was because i'd already overheard that we share the same name, and he thought i was having him on :P

getting prepped for the actual run was strange - everything through a haze of sleepiness and the incredulous state of "am i really about to do this? i trained hard yesterday and the day before" :S

the uphills were killer, the downhills great, the group was a lot of fun, there was a point to it all... the sense of achievement was palpable. i really didn't feel bad that i missed helping the neighbour because i had to eat and shower - i had cereal for breakfast, a pastry when we began and an energy bar about halfway, and i needed just a *little* bit more than that... [yeah, i did have coffee and an energy drink, too]

amusing incident: on the coolest downhill, a policewoman took an interest in us and demanded that we remove our rollerblades and walk until the highway.
yeah, right.
when she eventually realized that that wasn't going to happen, she took to screaming at us to stay on the shoulder of the road - was she that bored?! i think i heard her telling someone to keep his balance, i'm not sure if that meant she was developing a sense of humour or not.

realization dawned on me: the last few weeks i've been suffering from a stuffed nose and a weird chemical smell, and that smell bothered me while on the road. it's the first time i've been able to pinpoint it as being a sensory problem and not something external - i'm fairly certain the el-cheapo [i didn't realize it wasn't my brand until it was home and opened] toilet paper that i bought and use as tissue is the source.

the orange juice at the end was the best i've ever tasted :)
i did sleep on the bus back - unfortunately i awoke with stiff legs and a hurting neck. there were plans for a bunch of us to mission to the port for lunch and a beer, but then people started disappearing and i did that at my place, alone, instead. while watching the rest of final fantasy: advent children (incredible! but last night i passed out in the middle), and i've just watched the pilot and episode one of being human, which is absolutely exquisite - although i have to admit, i prefer both the ghost and laura from the pilot.