Is this the tropics?

This morning I finally managed to show my face at a CR 5km challenge- it was great to meet up with everyone for the last time this year :-) There was no way I was going to be putting in any sort of PB performance... and was very happy to hear Bernie say she would pace Belinda for a sub 27min. This pace suited me- I have said it before and will say it again humidity and I are not good friends!! I was covered in beads of sweat before we even started! After a quick warm up we were off. This was Belindas first 5km and she was keen to do a sub 27. Thank goodness Bernie was there to pace her appropriately!!! I kept creeping up the pace thinking they were just behind me and then I would back off and let them catch me- obviously pacing dutiesis is not a skill I have. The air was really thick and hardly a breeze at all. I finished in 26:52 and Belinda just missed her sub 27 by 6 secs!! So on a good day she will easily break the 27 barrier! Despite the humidity once we got going I felt I had a bit of kick in the legs. I will definately give this a proper crack in January. The run back was not the easiest...... I just felt like I could not get any air- too hot and thick. We were running at sub 4hr marathon pace, so I just kept visualising that it was the last few kms of the marathon.... no stopping! Haha I am sure I will feel a lot more pooped at that stage! We finished off with a nice brekkie at Bowen Island. I hope tommorow is not as humid!!!

So 2005 is almost over... Bring it on!!! Wishing every one a really happy and safe new year!! Thanks for all the support throughout the year... it is really quite priceless! I look forward to sharing the adventures of 2006 with you all. Heres to happy and safe running... *cheers*

Total Distance: 12km
Time: warm up 10:30
1st 5km 26:52 average pace: 5:11/km
2nd 5km 29:18 average pace 5:42/km

One hour easy around the park

No work for me today... yeah! So I headed to Centenial Park about 8am for an hour easy run. I covered 11kms and kept a nice easy pace. It was really hot even at 8am... sweat pouring out of me! I ran the outside loop of the park and included a 2km loop of Queens park.... that was a hard 2kms- no shade and the sun was beating down. Overall pretty happy with the run... no major niggles to complain about and now have a free day for whatever I feel like! I bumped into Kerry who was out running again after a really long lay off from a torn achilles.... she is getting back into things and hopefully will be back with the sweat group in the new year.
Thanks for the comments.... I need to keep the negative side of the brain quiet!! I could talk my self out of anything.
Distance:11km
Time: 61mins
Average pace: 5:30/km

On the road again....

Wednesday 28/12
No running again today... thank goodness it was so humid!!! I would have died running in that humidity. I headed off to the gym- 40mins cardio and weights/abs and glute exercises. The knee is feeling better- but still tugging ??

Thursday 29/12
On the road again.... woo hoo! I opted out of Seans session this morning as it was 10 laps of Big Bertha.... definately would have put strain on the knee. I decided to run this afternoon around home.... but then became really worried and nervous. I was feeling guilty for not running and getting behind in my program, but worried if I ran and hurt my knee that would be terrible! All I can say is I love my husband!!! He puts things in perspective for his slightly neurotic wife. "Is it sore".. no, " Do you want to run"... yes, " will you regret not running"... yes- "well then go for a run, don't go like a bat out of hell, forget about time and enjoy it! If it hurts stop and walk home".... now why didn't I think of that. So I headed out and ran for the pleasure....of course with the pod for company :-) I did not worry about time or pace and just concentrated on running with good form. I felt really good and loved how I felt running today. It felt easy, smooth and relaxed..... and my knee felt fine. I ran an 11km loop in about 59mins. I have iced and stretched and still ok. I have to relax and not get to wound up. I have convinced myself I will not make it to Canberra...... with that attitude I won't make it.

So time for a new year attitude.....
"I think I can, I think I can, I know I can, I know I can....I will, I will."

Time: 59:55
Distance: 11km
Average Pace: 5:25/km

The Christmas wrap (hehe)

Well the past few days have been full of family, food and very little exercise!! We all had a great Christmas... a bit sad without Pa, but also very special with little Alex!!! Santa was very kind with the usual CD's, books and yeah new CR hat and running crop top (much needed after all but one ruuning crop tops were stolen from the clothes line!!!). I was really excited about giving Rays presents this year, because I knew I had picked great presents and couldn' t wait to see his face.... success he loved them :-) Yesterday I had a food hang over and we lay around feeling really tired and sluggish! I kept thinking I will go for a run/swim/walk/anything.... bit we wnet to the movies instead and saw Narnia (which I loved, just how I pictured it when I read it as a child!!).

I have not run since Saturday. I had planned to have Christmas day off, but the tight muscle in my inner thigh which I can feel pulling at my outer knee still did not feel right. There is no pain... just feels like it might snap as it tugs at my knee. Feels weird more than anything. So I decided to just rest it for a few days and stretch. It is feeling much more normal today, but I think I will rest it again tommorow and run on Thursday.

Today I went to the Gym and did 40mins cardo and Abs, Glutes and upper body weights. I can really feel my glutes getting stronger... yeah!! Tommorow I will go for a swim and Gym and get back into running Thursday. I might give the 5km challenge a go this Saturday. It will give me a good idea of where I am at foe the new year.

Now bring on 2006!!! I am going to enter Canberra once the year ticks over and then the fun stuff begins!!! I think there are about 15 weeks to go :-)

It was the night before Christmas.....

This morning I opted for the run oranised through the MTG at Lane Cove National Park over Quarry rd...closer and less hilly :-) I met with Deanne at 5:20 to do a bit extra before meeting with the group at 6am. Well it ffelt about 38 degrees.... the air was really hot and felt oppressive even under the trees. But seeing we are committed to the cause we troted off and managed about 4.5km before we met with the others. We then did a 10km loop through the bush and 7kms on the road through the park. It was a fantastic run, even with the heat. The birds were going a bit crazy and at one point we felt like we were running through a woods in Lord of the rings.... Yes unfortunately I was more Hobbit like than Elf like :-). We finished about 22km is about 2 hrs 25mins running time ( with a few drink stops thrown in!). Then we had a lovely breakfast in the park. No niggles at all while running and am feeling pretty good now. I have still got quie a tight muscle on the inside of my thigh, which joins with the knee. I can feel it tugging.... but was fine through out the run. I will stretch and massage to loosen it up.

I love Christmas Eve.... I always feel a bit sentimental - happy and a bit sad. I remember all the people who are close to me and especially think about those who have past. I get a bit sad about the things that havnt worked out so well and how things could be better. I think it is important to reflect on the year, appreciate your family and friends and all the happiness people bring. I also like to reflect on the not so good...and what I have gained and learnt. We usually float through the year doing the same things day in and out.... I find at Christmas I really appreciate and cherish my family and friends.

I would like to wish every one a really happy and joyful Christmas. Well done to everyone who achieved goals this year... work, personal and running. Congratulations ( or commiserations) to all the hardy souls who have done battle with injury (jen). Thankyou to all the support and friendship throughout the year. Mostly thankyou to adding to the enjoyment of the roller coster ride of my life.... has its ups and downs, I am never sure whats coming... at the time it can scare the shit out of you.... but mostly lots of sceaming and laughing and good memories. Sorry for the long post!!!

MERRY CHRISTMAS..... Be safe and have fun!!!!

Fartlek around the park

This morning was a fartlek session with Seans group. I was curious how I would feel after yesterdays run... but made sure I ate well and drank heaps ast night. After my inital warm up I felt pretty good. I managed to keep a good pace in the surges... between 4:30-4:50/km. I still died on the hill... but no stopping. I really did not feel especially tired after yesterdays long run... but I can feel a tight muscle pulling around the knee. No pain... I can just feel it. SO I will get the elbow into it tonight and see how it feels tommorow. On a really good note... glute, ITB and Hamstring all happy!!!! Woo Hoo!

Distance: 10.7km (including a 1.4km warm up)
Time: 1hr and 3 sec
Average pace: 5:30/km

Mid week long run

I had a great run tonight around the bay. The first lap was a bit hot, but the second lap the sun was down a bit and a nice breeze made it pleasant. We ran 17kms in total in about 1hr 33mins (running time). I averaged 5:22.km pace and felt really strong. I had a lot more energy tonight and was able to pick the pace up in the last 5km.... doing the last few km in 4:30/km pace....with steve pushing me along. Glutes, hamies and ITB all felt good.. yeah! I am throwing out my socks though... they have given me a nice blister :-( Now for some dinner!!!

Distance: 17km
Time: 1hr 33min
Average Pace: 5:22/km
Mood: very happy!

Have you ever had a day like this????

My day started with the alarm going off at 5:30am, I managed to get up out of bed and get half dressed for running. I then stand in the hall between the toilet and bedroom dithering about going to training or back to bed. Bed wins. I do not even change back out of my running clothes. I get up at 7am.... go to put on my skirt for work and the zip breaks- not a good start. I get to work and bumble through... having a blah day. Head off 10mins ealry as I cant stand to be there for one more minute.... then the conversation in the head begins. The idea of doing my 600's on my own has already gone out the window. Now I am debating whether to run at all, just go to the gym or do nothing..... I et home, put back on my running gear and sit on the edge of the bed. Takes a good 20 mins to get my butt out of the house. I arrive at the gym and spen another 5 mins dithering about what I should do. OK this is RIDICULOUS..... I force myself to go for a run. I-pod on...N-trance gangster paradise comes on... still feeling shitty, but ok this was the right choice. "Sing Hallelujia" starts (killer beat) I start to feel brighter and the world perhaps isn't against me....keep running, feeling better, start to smile. Then "eye of the tiger" starts and I really start to pick up, thats right this feels good. Then good old "Dancin Queen" kicks in and there is no stopping me. Followed up with some Blues brothers "shake you tail feather" and "Mickey" and I feel on top of the world. Just as the verve starts I am cooling down and have run my 6km loop in 30mins, averaged 5:02/km and did a negative split. I am smiling, feeling all is right with the world and am a happy girl. So what could have been a shitty day finished off with a nice reminder to not take my self so seriously, pull my head in and just get out there. I need to bottle this for my next no motivation day :-)

Distance: 6km
Time: 30:30
Average pace: 5:02/km
Best Pace: 3:03/km
First 3km 16mins, second 3km 14:30mins- negative split woo hoo!
Mood: Very happy

Ouch!!!

My poor butt is so sore!!! The new exercises that the physio has me doing are killers. They rally hit the weak spot in my glute and they burn. The first two sets are ok... but they are so tired that the third set boarders on unbearable. The thought of Canberra was all that got me through them and the physio's words- "You will not make a marathon on those glutes!". So mission buns of steel is under way!

Today was a no run day... hence the trip to the gym for glutes, abs and upper body. The legs and body appreciated a rest today... felt quite tired when I woke this morning. This week will be a bigger training week... the km's start to increase from this week. My mid week long run is starting to increase in distance- which I find can tire me out. It is going to be really important that I am eating enough and properly... cut out the crap. I am planning on doing my long run on Saturday so I can have Christmas day as a rest day.

As the year comes to an end I have been thinking about next year and goals. My main goal is going to be Canberra. Fistly, get to Canberra injury free, secondly do a sub 4hr marathon and thirdly ENJOY the ride!! My other big goal is consistant training (again avoid injury). If I put in consistant hard effort the improvements in fitness and times will happen as well. So I am going to relax, not set any big benchmarks that I feel I have failed if I do not achieve them and really enjoy running. My theory is that if I relax, have fun and train consistantly the rest will follow. You know what they say " Build it and they will come...". Now theory and practice are two completely different things... so feel free to remind me of this post when I am frustrated and complaining about times and being slow!!

So bring on 2006...I am ready and rearing to go :-)

Clovelly Canter

What a fantastic morning!!! We ran the clovelly run this morning- starting at Queens Park we ran through the back streets to ? Bronte beach and then ran along the coastal path through the cemetary, through Clovelly and Coogee to Maroubra Beach, then back up Maroubra rd, through Randwick, down market st and popped back out at Queens Park. The sky was blue, sun shinning, water perfect... this is why I run, perfect mornings like today :-) The temparature was perfect ... not humid and a nice sea breeze. We ran 22.5km in about 2hr 12mins. We averaged 5:52/km. Apart from being one of the most scenic and spectacluar runs I felt really good this morning. I was able to run at a pretty consistant pace. We started off slow and steady and built up the pace as we ran. The last 6km were at about 5:15-20/km pace and I still felt pretty strong. Lots of concentrating on form and using my butt... all got a bit tired towards the end. There were a few hills in there to keep us honest, but not too bad! This morning I ran with another Strider... Naomie? It was great- we kept up a good pace and did not stop as often. She is training for the 6ft track and is a pretty strong long distance runner. She certainly pushed me along in the last 6k when I felt like backing off. Nothing to really complain about niggle wise... just the usual " I have run over 2hrs " soreness. So skins on, ice any sore bits, shower and then off for a lovely lunch with Lulu, Jen and DJ.

Total: 22.5km
Average: 5:52/km
Time: 2hrs 12min

Trot around the bay

Yesterday was a no running day, which the legs greatly appreciated. I headed off to the gym for my butt exercises, abs/core and upper body exercises. I also jumped on the bike for 20mins. Yeah...I also managed to get all my christmas shopping done... thank goodnes! Now I can avoid the shops like the plauge!

This morning I headed to the bay... despite all the rain and lightening and ran about 7km aroung the bay. After about a 2km warm up I pushed it for about 3km and then backed off for the last 2km. I ran the 3km at about 4:45/km pace and felt really good- I had more than one gear this morning :-) Overall ran the bay in about 37mins... averaged about 5:20/km for the total run.

Then I headed to the physio... who ever said that physio is just a rub and heat pack has not been to my physio!!! He worked me sooo hard for about 1 1/2 hrs! He is teaching me specific drills to warm up and cool down which mimic good running form and stregthen my weak areas. He also added a few new additions to the glute exercises. Now he wants me to work on strength and endurance. He said that any one running a marathon should work on their glutes and hamstrings to not only be strong but to be able to function proerly for a LONG time! So I have to not only do my exercises but now do lots of them and go them when my butt is tired to get it used to working properly even when fatigued. It was hard work! I was also VERY uncoordinated at the drill... so took a while! I am a bit slow when it comes to coordinated tasks :-) Anyway he was happy with my progress... he is a brilliant phsyio.

Tommorow..... long run.

Today:
7km
37mins
Average 5:20/km

WILD WALLY

This morning was wild wally at Centenial Park. This is a session where we do a warm up, drills, strides and then 5 laps of a 600m loop up a hill with a 1min 30 recovery (longer for the faster ones). I like this session... it is hard and intense, but you can nicely get the heart rate back down with the recovery. I planned to do the first three conservatively and then pick up the pace on the last two. We naturally got into two packs to work the uphill section. I always struggle up this hill... it gets quite nasty right at the top and I can feel my glutes worjking really hard to get me there. I always drop off the back of the group at this point :-( The legs felt fine after last nights session and after intially feeling tired I picked up. I managed 3:28, 3:27, 3:26, 3:21, 3:17. I really want to work on not slowing so much on the up hill section. I felt happy with the run this morning especially after last night. I am going to have to remember to use wed night as a longer, slower session and not push too hard and use the other sessions for the speed.... but I certainly didnt feel like I was struggling this morning... although I knew I had worked hard :-) It is so nice running with this group... they are all encouraging and supportive- makes it so much easier and you never feel bad for being last or too slow :-) My quads feel a bit sore after this morning... they obviously worked on the down hill section. I think I will have tommorow as a rest day from running- maby a swim?

Today:

Total distance: 7km
Reps: 3:28, 3:27, 3:26, 3:21, 3:17

Dog leg loop and 1km reps

This evening I headed out with the MTG to do the 10km dog leg loop around the bay plus 4 x 1km reps with 200m recovery. It was a smaller group this week but the ever faithful Bernie and Bec turned up to keep me company :-) After about a 3km warm up we did our reps around Timbrel park. I quite like these reps... the loop seems easy to break up into sections and is over before you know it. My plan was to not push it and do my reps at 5min/km pace becuase I did my reps yesterday. Steve announced he would do about 4:50 pace... so I thought that sounded about right. We headed off and Bec extended the lead as she is getting her fitness back... she was about 10sec in front so my plan became to keep her at a constant distance. It was good having her there in front... I just concentrated on keeping the same cadence as her... I got to knoe those orange and grey sneakers well! So we managed to run all of our reps faster each time and I felt pretty relaxed. I ran 4:41, 4:39, 4:38 and 4:35. The last rep I worked hard trying to catch her but she was obviously also putting in a bit of extra effort. It is so much easier having friends to spur you on. After the strides we still had about 7km to run.... the legs felt a bit jelly like and I was thirsty- so needless to say the second half felt a harder, although chatting to Wayne (JD) passed the time beautifully! It also pays to complain from time to time.... I was whinging about not being able to quite stretch the outer bit of my hammie when psuedo physio to the stars Bec showed me a great stretch that hit the spot!! We also bumped into wild thing on the return stretch of the bay... looking fitter and faster!

We finished 14.7km in 1hr 23mins and I felt really satisfied! I love the feeling when you have worked hard and you feel pooped but content and happy. So I have put on the skins and am hoping for a similar outcome to Sunday where my legs feel fresh in the morning.

Time: 1hr 23mins
Reps: 4:41, 4:39, 4:38, 4:35
Average pace for total distance: 5:40/km
Mood: Pooped and content

400's

First 400 session in a while... and I survived. I was feeling a bit worried abot 10 x 400 that Sean had on my program, so had decided to take them a bit easier initially and build them up if I had any energy left. Sean started us in two groups this morning giving us slower ones a 30sec head start. This worked well and we all sort of finished together...alothough Ewan and Mark created a bit of a whirlwhind as they rocketed by :-). I also found that as the faster ones flew by it spurred me on to try a little harder. I felt pretty comfortable and kept a pretty constant pace.... and my goal of finishing my last rep faster than my forst was achieved! I was a fair bit slower than my last 400's about 8 weeks ago... something to aim for!

Warm up: 3km 16:30 average 5:30/km
10x 400m: 1:48, 1:51, 1:51, 1:49, 1:51, 1:50, 1:49, 1:48, 1:47, 1:43
Cool down: 1km

No pain or soreness today... anywhere woo hoo!!! My ITB doesn't feel too tight either :-). The foot held together fine.... no pain while running. Just a little sore spot, which is improving with massage and deep heat. so I am feeling quietly confident that I should be back on track...TOUCH WOOD EVERY ONE!!!!

Canberra...gulp

Today is a rest day after my long run yesterday. I wore my skins yesterday and slept in them last night and my legs feel great this morning!!! No soreness and the ITB and Hammies do not feel tight... woo hoo!!! I also felt no where near as tired after yesterdays run. The foot is feeling a lot better today... I keep rubbing some voltarin gel on it. One way to take your mind off the pain in your foot is to pull the sports tape off really quickly and tear massive strips of skin off... OUCH!! So I got ray to take a photo... I am going to out gross Gronk!! ( I will add photo tonight!)

I am off for another massage tonight... try out a new lady. Hopefully she will not be scared and dig deep :-)

Also I am very EXCITED!!!! I booked accommodation for Canberra this morning! Now it feels real- and I am feeling really excited! I am a bit superstitious and try not to get too excited-- I do not want to tempt fate BUT I can't help it. It is a funny mixture of woo hoo bring it on and Ohh my god will I be able to run a marathon!

So I will be saying regular prayer to the running Gods, training hard and aiming for a sub 4hr marathon **GULP**

Tommorow is track session at centenial park... I will just ease back into it :-)

A stilletto, a flasher and the seedy sites of sydney....

Friday 9/12
As the wise Tess reminded me "big picture".... so today was a rest day. Three weeks post injury may be too soon for 5 days running, so will settle for 4! Also I felt very tight in the ITB and a little sore after a massage last night so thought rest was the order of the day. Headed to the gym for butt, abs and upperbody exercises... so sort of a rest day!

Saturday 10/12
Headed to Leichardt pool this morning for 20 laps before a beautiful 8.5km run from Brett Park to Canada bay and back. I am feeling like my energy is returning, which is a great. We started this run really slowly and gradually built up the pace- finished strongly with a good 4:50/km pace. I need to practice building up my pace in a run so I can finish feeling strong, rather than go out to quick and just try to hang on.
Swim: 1km- 22 mins
Run: 8.5km, 46mins, average pace5:35/km (started at 6:15/km and increased to 4:50/km pace for the last few kms)

Sunday 11/12
This morning was the Rocks Push run with striders. It should be renamed the seedy sites of sydney...taking in some charming spots around central station and the back of Kings cross. We almost tripped on an abandoned stilleto and were chased for 100m by a young man dropping his pants ( not worth stopping!). So it made for an interesting long run! This morning I found the run really comfortable and the pace easy. My breathing was fine and felt I had energy to spare at the end. It was a pretty cruisy run with the MTG. They take it pretty easy... it is a fine line for me- I feel safe with the MTG, knowing I can manage the pace easily but find I can feel a little frustrated by the stops and sometimes slower pace. I do not quite feel confident enough to run with the 6am group, as they can go a bit too quick and it is every man/woman for themself! Jim keeps saying it is the time on your feet which is important for your first marathon.... and I have no idea! So I will just go with the flow.
The good news is my hip/glute etc feel really good today and ITB also ok... woo hoo! Bad news was that I had a sore spot on my right foot which progressively got sorer as the run went on :-( So fingers crossed it is not something that will turn into a problem! I am icing it right now, rubbed on some voltarin and tommorow is a rest day. So dear running gods... please, pretty please look kindly on my foot and let this be a one off little niggle!

Distance: 21.5km
Time: 2hrs 5mins (turned watch off for drink stops)
Average pace: 5:50/km

Big Bertha

I felt really nervous about this morning session. It was the first hills session with the group since I hurt my hip and Big Bertha is always a challenge, so I was worried about how badly I would struggle. So when the alaram went off I really thought about just doing my own thing- but decided if I did'nt go back today next week would be almost impossible. As soon as I met up with Deanne I felt better and ready to tackle big bertha. BB is a 10 lap course of hill in centenial park. Sean says 10 laps is 5km..... but gandalf says 4.5km. I was pretty happy with my run this morning- I decided to take the first 5 easier so I did not die too much in the final 5. I was able to maintain a pretty consistant pace... with one or two slower ones. I decided today I would be satisfied with 25mins, but I managed 24:02. I worked really hard on the last lap to get a sub 24.... next time. My last BB was a 22:45, so a bit of work to be done..... but not my worst time. The good thing was that mentally it was not too hard to just keep going... despite all the puffing :-) Mark was again running really well... improving all the time ( I think he lapped me twice!). Louise did really well in her first BB effort... putting in a really good last lap :-)

Splits:
2:20, 2:23, 2:25, 2:26, 2:25, 2:30, 2:20, 2:24, 2:23, 2:16

I think we ran about 8km give or take- including the warm up, cool down and strides. So I am feeling satisfied with ny effort and ready to get the times back down. As I said early- slowly slowly :-)

Hot Gatorade....

Tonight was one of those runs where you grit your teeth and just keep going! It was still about 38 degrees this evening when a very small MTG went for a loop around the bay. After 5 mins my gatorade was about the same temp as a cup of tea... gross! Tonight we were meant to run the long bay with 4x 1km reps around Timbrel Park. Given the heat we decided that the 10km loop would be more than enough.... a few dropped off and did the 7km... I wish I had of :-) I started to really struggle at about the 7.5 km mark and just wanted to get to the car. Thankfully a good drink at the dog cafe... shared with a cute Jack Russel perked me up a bit. We finished the run in 57mins... totalled 10.5km. We averaged 5:30/km... but there were quite a few drink stops. It was a weird feeling around the bay... we were about the only ones out there, except a few other runers. It was nice to run with the guys and whinge about the heat... dreaming of a cold shower. My glute, hamstring and ITB all felt tight tonight... so I will ice and strectch ++ tonight. Well if I gained nothing else tonight... I learnt that I hate my gatorade hot!!!

Time: 57mins
Distance: 10.5km
Average pace: 5:30/km
Mood: Hot and pleasantly surprised at the time/pace.... felt like we were running 7min/km :-)

slowly, slowly

Yesterday I went to the gym and did my glute exercises, upper body and abs. Last week I ran 4 days - 51km. This week I am going to aim for 5 days- 55km. Yesterday was a no running day and I am undecided about today. I decided to give the speed/track work a miss this morning.... I will start that agin next week. I thought that might put too much stress on my hip/back. There is no pain, but my glute feels achy and my hip muscles and ITB feels tight- so lots of stretching tonight! I was feeling guilty as I am definatey not completing all my program set by Sean... but am right on track with the marathon training program, which made me feel better. So slowly slowly I will build back up the km's and sessions. Thankfully the marathon program has the long run at 20km for the next 3-4 weeks- plenty of time to build the rest back up and let the body adjust before the long run increases.

This weeks plan- Depending on motivationa nd the body cooperating
Tues: Glute and ab exercises
Wed: MTG run around the bay 14km
Thursday: Seans group- hills at centenial park, Gym-pm
Friday: Easy run, Gym-pm
Sat: program says 1hr run with 25mins hard in the middle- ?? will see how I feel
Sunday: Long run 20km

Going for gold!!!!

What a brilliant run this morning! We ran from the Homebush olympic centre this morning and because it was the Striders breakfast they had arranged for us to do the last 400m around the olympic track. The weather was perfect.... sunny, clear, cool and a nice breeze. I felt fantastic running this morning and seemed to get a second wind in the last 5kms. We averaged about 5:44/km for the run, which I was happy with. Jim had a bit of a job keeping us all together... so there were a few stops to let the group catch up. That suited me as I could squeeze in a stretch. We ran through the olympic site, along the river walkway to silverwater bridge, crossed over and ran back through a few suburbs, past the meadowbank ferry and back across an old railway bridge and then thethrough the back of Rhodes, Bicentenial park and then finished in the stadium! What a buzz... you would think we were going for gold! We cheered and yahood everyone as they finished the lap and then relaxed in the sun. I am sooo pooped! I forgot how much effort it is to run 21km.... I have snuck in a nana nap after lunch :-)

It took a little while to warm up this morning, but no pain throughout the run. I could feel my glutes getting tired toward then end of the run. I need to make sure I do lots of stretching of my glutes and ITB.

Distance: 21.5km
Time: 2hrs and 4mins
Average pace: 5:44/km
Mood: Happy and tired!!

Food Hang Over!!!

Well yesterday I had a terrible food day and I paid for it this morning! All day Friday I felt empty and hungry... so at about 4pm when my self control is at its worst I ate evrything in site....especially if it was sweet or fatty! So needless to say this morning I felt very thirsty and sluggish! I always seem to get a hang over form a bad day of eating... punishment :-)

I did a lap of the bay this morning, which was in particularly fine form after last nights storm. It was so clear and crisp... sun shinning and not humid at all. Perfect runnning conditions.- such a great morning!! We took it pretty easy and ran 7km in about 37mins. We averaged about 5:30 pace most of the way... lots of chatting :-)

After yesterdays food efforts I have decided I really need to make sure I am eating properly. I can not quite get it right! I often just don't eat enough and then feel tired and light headed and EMPTY! Then you have a pig out because your starving! Apart form feeling guilty.. your poor body is not sure what is going on! I am carrying about 3kg more than what I feel my most comfortable and want to get rid of this and feel like I am able to train properly at 100%. So as well as get my pre holiday/injury fitness back I am going to concentrate on my nutrition.

Any suggestions appreciated. When I am non-injured my program has me running 6-7 days/week about 8okm's and I go to the gym 3-4 times a week. This is usually a long run, a speed session, a hills session and some easy/recovery runs as well. So If anyone is doing similar and has some ideas that work... I would be happy to hear them!!

Distance: 7km
Time: 37 mins
Average pace: 5:30/km
Mood: Bloated and piggy :-(

Friday Fartlek... now on a thursday.....

Yeah!!! This morning was my first run back with the sweat guys, which was great! We did an outside loop of Centenial park alternating between surges and easy running. I felt a bit tired in the legs from last nights effort and started to think I would cut the run short with Lulu (who was tapering for her race on Sunday) but felt alright so did the whole run. There were a few new faces which was great to see and Sean was still in Melbourne.... woo hoo he did not have to witness my puffing away (although I am sure cindy will fill him in). I found the run challenging this morning... but yeah no pain! Despite feeling really slow my pace was pretty consistant- althouogh there was not a big difference between my surges and recoveries :-) We ran a total of 9.5km in 54mins. I was pretty slow up the hill, but no stopping so that was good. I actually felt sorer in the legs today from the gym on Tuesday... didn't feel it much yesterday. Sean has changed the days to a Tuesday and Thursday, which fits well with training. It means I can have an easy or rest day on Mondays after the long run... which will be appreciated as the distance increases!

I am so glad I got out of bed this morning to run with the group...depite a few moments of "should I get back in". I was a bit nervous about how slow I would be, but as DJ pointed out I was still smiling when we finished so I was doing alright. Touch wood... my hip and back is still feeling fine, although a massage and good stretch would feel pretty good! I have booked in with a lady on Tuesday who specialises in sport massage and spines... and has a background in physiotherapy- so hopefully she will hit the spot. Otherwise a couple of places in the city got good recommendations. I am sick of getting a massage and not feeling the benifit... I need someone who get to the right spots.

Distance: 9:5km
Time: 54min
Average pace: 5:40/km
Mood: Happy and content!

Long bay...

Tonight I ran with the MTG around the bay- we did the long loop including the canal and Marion st and then included 4 reps up Lillyfield Rd. This totalled 12.6km in 1hr 11mins. It was such a nice night around the bay... not hot and the rain held off. It was great to run with the group... chatted most of the way around. I had no pain in the hip or back, but could feel the glute tightening up towards the end. So lots of stretching and tennis ball action tonight. Tonight I felt like I did not have much fuel in the tank. I have been watching the food while not running and will have to remember to eat a bit more now that I am running again!! We averaged about 5:30/km for the overall run... very happy with that as I was definately slower on the hills (about 6:15/km pace). I am very happy I went tonight, I was feeling a bit flat today and not so motivated. But again running with the striders and CR's always cheers me up and I feel motivated and excited about my running. I can not wait for my fitness to return... I was a puffin billy tonight! I realised that Canberra is only 4 and half months away! So now I need to refocus, get fit and aim for the marathon! Tonight I feel really content... I am so happy to be back doing the thing I love, with a great group of people.

Distance: 12.6km
Time:1h 11mins
Mood: Very happy :-)
Average Pace: 5:35/km

Back to reality

Today I was back at work, after 4 lovely weeks off!! Boo Hoo! I really enjoy my job, but I LOVE holidays!!! I always think that holidays just show you how much work gets in the way of life. Any way I survived, every one was happy to see me and it helps to chat about holiday adventures all day :) After my first long run in 5 weeks I woke this morning feeling a bit sore in the legs... not injury sore, just "ouch we have not done that in a while" sore. So I decided that today would be a no running day... not wanting to tempt the running gods :) So I went to the gym and did some bike and cross trainer and weights for my upper body and glutes/legs. I am going to head off to the park for seans group tommorow... I cant wait!! But I am going to take it easy for a few weeks and not push too much.... just enjoy running with the group again (even if I am last).

So back ro reality again.....

splish splash

This morning we headed out to Mona vale for a 15km run with the marathon training group. I was itching to run with the group and was not deterred by the big black rain clouds! On the way there the rain started and got heavier and heavier... are we mad??? We had driven too far not to do the run, although the offer of breakfast and coffee was tempting!! We ran about 15km in about 1hr35min. We were very slow through the bush sections... very slippery and muddy! I maintained an ok pace most of the way about 5:45/km- the rain and bush really slowed us down in parts. I was very proud of myself as I did not need to stop once running up all the hills... even the really nasty long hill up to the lookout/bush section. I felt really comfortable, chatting and gossiping about holidays and babies along the way- and no hip or back pain... woo hoo! I started to feel stiff towards the end, but the rain and cold did not help.

It was one of those runs where you feel crazy for being out running in pouring rain and thunder, but makes you feel really alive at the same time! This is the stuff that kids do and we loose as we get older and "sensible". I think we should all be a little more crazy and jump in puddles more often. I also really appreciayted just running with a bunch of great people- laughing and joking and not worring about times etc. I kept thinking "AHHH this is the stuff" - I have missed the endorphins :)

I certainly appreciated the hot bath and hot chocolate when I got home!!!

Hot and Humid

I set the alarm this morning to get up for the CR challenge- the alarm went off and I lay there for a few moments thinking about getting up and the next thing I know the clock says 9:45am! I must have needed the sleep! So I went to centenial park about 11:30am just after the rain had finished, so it was sunny and very humid. I ran 7km around the park without any pain in my hip or back. I stopped a few times to stretch my glute and hamstring- but all felt ok. It was such a great feeling to be running again!!! I averaged about 5:14/km which I was really happy with. Hopefully it will only take a few weeks to get my fitness back to where it was 5 weeks ago. Tonight there is still no pain or discomfort- apart from the soreness form the new physio exercises :)

Time: 36:20
Distance: 7km
Average pace: 5:14/km
Mood: Very Happy!

On the road again...

I went to the physio today after having an xray on my hip and back to rule out anything sinister. I am happy to report apart from a little bit of damage around one of my discs all was normal. The physio said that one of the discs in the lower part of my spine was a bit compressed.... he said this was not uncommon with distance runners due to the constant pounding and also because my poor posture puts pressure on that part of my spine. So he is confident that it is all related to my weak glutes and pelvis/hip being out of line. So I just have to keep doing my strengthing exercises and work on improving posture. I went for a 30 min run yesterday and it all felt ok. A little bit of discomfort but no pain. The physio has given the thumbs up to start my training again, but to back off if it flares up and stretch!!! He said now that the inflamation has settled, as long as I do my exercises, it should just continue improve and settle down completely. I felt soooo relieved and happy that there was nothing sinister happening in my back/spine area and that I can start to run again. So the plan is to do a few runs over the next week and see how I feel.... play it by ear and listen to my body. The physio wants me to keep up the gym and swimming to complement the running and he will see me in a week. Woo hoo! What a week! I have really missed not running and can't wait to get back into things.

Welcome!!!!

Welcome to the world little Alexandra Catherine Sherriff- born 24/11/2005 at 1:27pm, weighing 8.4 pounds and absolutely wonderful! Before our holiday I gave my sister strict instructions to keep her legs crossed until I was home!!! Talk about timing... we arrived yesterday at 9am and this morning we get a phone call to get to the hospital for the arrival of little Alex. What a truely awesome experience! I have never felt so overwhelmed and full of love and joy! My sister and I are only 10 months apart and have a very special bond... I am so proud of her!!! I was able to sit with her right up until just before the birth and then mum, ray and I sat ever so nervously waiting to meet the newest member of the family. I have cried all day.... it is a feeling I can not explain- my big sister is now a mum! If we do 1/2 as good a job as our mum we will be doing pretty good! It is ao amazing to see this tiny little person, so innocent and dependent for everything without a care in the world... brand new! So the start of this year saw the death of my grandfather a truely amazing man and we have ended the year with the arrival of another truely amazing little person! I am sure that wherever nan and pa are watching they would be looking on proud and full of happines!
So tonight I am one very happy Aunty Kitkat!!!!

Home Sweet Home

Ahhhh! There is no place like home.... although we had to fly 9 hours through the night and not click my shoes three times! The past three weeks have gone so quickly and feel like a whirlwhind. We have seen so much it is hard to keep it all in the brain! One of the great things about going overseas and experiencing something new and different is it always makes me appreciate home and the usual routine that I grumble about.

After Kyoto we travelled up into Mt Koyasa, which is about 900m above see level and was SOOOO cold! It was about -1 degree over night and I was not really dressed for this! Poor ray had to hear about every possible description of cold! Koyasan was probably the most peaceful and magical places we have visited. It is the spot where Gobadashi, the original monk and founder of the shingon sect of Buddhism set up camp so to speak. He started out with one small temple, which grew to about 1500, now about 250. Today it is a place where monks and believers of this style of budhism make a pilgrimiage to visit his grave and pay respect. At one end of the tow is where he is said to be meditating waiting for the return of budha. ther is about a 2 km road the winds its way through a Japanese cedar forrest to his resting place and it is surrounded by about 500,000 graves, which line the path. It is the most amazing place- very peaceful. Even the most non-spiritual person would find it hard not to be moved. Guarding his resting place is a temple hall filled with about 2000 lanterns- most of them are now electric but there are two there that are said to have been burning for about 700yrs. We stayed in a temple- quite large ran by a head monk who is overseen by his 85yr old mum! This woman was amazing- still working hard running the temple! The food was the best vegetarinan food ever tasted!!!!

From this wonderfuly peaceful place in the mountains we headed south to Hiroshima. This is a truely beautifly city- with a very sad and grisly past. The city has a different feel to other Japanese cities- very hard to put into words. It is hard to imagine that this city and people were completely flattened not so long ago. we spent ages going through the peace park and visiting the A-bomb dome- which marks the epicentre. The city has a peaceful calm feel- dotted with very moving monuments to peace. The most moving statue was a mother protecting her two young children - at the bottom of this sculpture lay thousands of paper cranes that people fold and deliver daily. We headed over to a small island which has the famous Tori gates that are floating out in the sea- amazing to see.

On our second last day we went down to Fukuoka and saw the sumos!!! That was so much fun and sucha specticle to watch! there is so much ceremony that goes on that it often is longer than the match! There are nbo weight classes and often there are sumos up against other guys twice their weight- amazingly the little guys often win... far to quick! Ther top guys were huge and you could hear then crashing into each other....even way up the back where we were! It was a sight not to be missed.

Back to reality..... I had a great time but am happy to be home! If I do not see another buckwheat noodle for a while I will be happy! Now to sort out my hip and get back into training. I did manage a few runs- about 4kms and I was happy to see that my fitness was not too bad. So I am feeling positive and ready to attack the new year! Bring it on!!!

Sayonara!

I will add some photos when we go through the millions we took :)

Update from Nippon!

Konichiwa!! We are currently at Kyoto, which is a really big city which is famous for all its temples! We went to the Nijo castle which was an amazing structure, with the original nightingale floor which sings when you walk on it. We have seen a million temples which are all truely beautiful places, especially with all the autum leaves.... not so peacefull are the hoardes of people that flock to the temples on the weekends! We visited a famous Zen temple with a beautiful rock garden... your supposed to stare at it and your imagination flows away and it comes to you what the rock formations mean.... I just saw a relly nice rock garden- no moving moments for me!! We also just made it to see the Golden Pavillion, which was a temple made from gold- it was spectacular!

We have expereinced the onsens quite a few times... becoming an old hand at the public nakedness! The most recent onsen had an electric bath... It took me a while to work out why every time I got in my pulse quickened and my breathing went a bit funny -and it was not all the naked women :) It is meant to be good for sport injuries... so I kept jumping back in haha hope it works!

Today we experienced being a sardine on the trains... people were pilled in and the doors could only just close. We were in the middle of the carriage and had to literally climb over peple to get out....the amount of people amazes me! Where are they all coming from and where are they going??? I just walk around with my mouth open all the time.... there is so much too see, so much noise, so many people I am in constant amazement! The people are friendly and laught at out terrible attempts at the language eg trying to explain to the chemist lady that Ray is constipated and we need something to help... lots of gesturing, a few attempts from the phrase book and lots of giggling form the chemist! Very funny!

Ray and I could have been picked up for stalking... haha! We were entranced by some beautiful young Japanese ladies in their traditional Kimono... so with Rays great zooming lense we followed them around the castle snaping photos of them! They were so lovely... very graceful and stylish- their Kimonos were so detailed and pretty.

Today we went to Himeji and visited the one og the biggest castles in Japan. It is the original building from the about the 1200's! It has a 5 storied keep and the whole structure was white... they say it looks like white herron...really beautiful! There was also a garden attached and as we have come to see the Japanese can certainly garden.. wow! It had a really nice pond FULL of all different coloured carp. We were also entranced by a traditional japanese wedding in the garden and even more surprised when they asked us to be part of the photos! It was really funny, ray and I looked like slobs and they wedressed inspectacular traditional wedding Kimono... with beautiful detailing and embroidary! Any way they grabbed rays camer and took some photos for us and even gave us a polaroid to keep! What a great day!!!

We are heading off to Mt Koyasan soon and will be staying with the monks! Early to get up and meditate and yummy veggo food! Then we head south to Hiroshima and Fukuokka. Hopefully in fukkuokka we can see a Sumo match- that would be excellent!! Well we are heading into the final stretch! Then back to reality!

Still no running.... had a brief attempt yesterday, but doesnt quite feel 100%. I am hoping that once we are home and not walking 12-15km a day it will be back to 100%- then back into training! I dread to imagine how slow I will be!!!

Konichiwa!!!

Well we are finally here... week one of three! Japan is a truely amazing country! We have seen so much already! Tokyo was sooo big and the rail system out of this world! There are hundreds of lines and stations all intersecting and ALL time!!! I have never seen so many people!! We have seen some amazing temples and shrines.. especially in Nikko. They are so peaceful and beautiful. I am proud to say I have experienced the osen (hot spring) in Tokyo and then in Nikko! Wow!!!! After getting over the initial Ohh my God I am naked with a bunch of Japaned ladies... it is very relaxing and energising! Thank god there was a kind old lady who took pity on the silly naked Australian standing in the onsen looking dazed and cinfused... after much pointing and gesturing I got the drift of the ritual and definate things not to do!

The country is such a bizarre mix of tradition and crazy consumerisim evrything flashes or buzzes or sings! Trucks go by singing and talking... the toilet seats are often heated and you can get almost anything from a vending machine! I love it!!!

Today we are sitting in the shadow of Mt Fuji! The gods have smiled and it has been sunny and clear... so Mt Fuji is sparkling and awesome! There is nothing alse really around it so it dominates the sky line!!!

Tommorow we are heading South and will be staying in a Buddhist temple... I cant wait for that expereince! The food had been fantastic... but a little difficult explaining your a vegetarian by gesturing! We have been practising our Japansese but apart from Hello, good bye and thankyou very much I am not too good!!!

No running as yet... hip still a little dodgy, but much better! I think that all the walking we are doing is slowing its recovery! I have not walked so much in my life!

I will update again when I stumble across free internet (such a cheap skate!!) I will put photos on when I get home!

One sleep to go!!!

Well one more sleep to go! I am very excited.... bring it on! We are all packed, bills paid and house cleaned. Tommorow I am off to the physio in the morning and then just some last minute fiddly things. I find this last day a bit painful... we are usually always ready and organised, so we end up just sitting around waiting for the time to tick by- a bit like Christmas eve for a 5 year old :) I will go to the gym and try to wear myslef out so I will sleep on the plane.

The hip is feeling HEAPs better today... so I had today as a rest day. I figure why tempt fate! I am hoping another week of rest will have it feeling 100%. I have packed my shoes and running gear... if all is well I will venture outfor very easy short runs. I swear solemly that I will not do anything if there is any discomfort! I plan on this being better as quickly as possible :)

JAPAN HERE WE COME!!!!

swim/walk

I was up early this morning for a swim at the Drummoyne pool and then a walk with a friend around the bay. It was a perfect morning and the water felt fantastic!!! I felt really good in the water this morning and there were not too many people at the pool, which made for a nice change. I can not believe how sore my Abs are after yesterdays core exercises! So the physio is right... my major ab muscles are very strong and developed, but the deep stability ones are crap! Obviously given how sore they are... each time I move they remind me how hard they worked yesterday! This is exciting though... I have obviously started to use them correctly... now just practise!
It was great to briefly say hi to a few of the guys at the CR challenge this morning! I can't wait to give this a go.... hopefully next month. I wanted to give my 5km pb a bit of a shake this month before I went away... not meant to be! It was nice to put a few more faces to names. I very briefly met WT...but did not get a chance to chat. It was then coffee and obligitory fruit toast at Bowen with the woodstock runners.

Very exciting... we managed to clean the bed room and declutter in prep for the holiday! Yeah, what an achievement! Also a few socks and undies in the backpack... getting closer :)

Swim:
Distance: 1500m
Time: 32:50 the first 20 laps were a bit cruisy! I am going to have to try to concentrate and put more effort in... I tend to daydream a little :)
Mood: happy and excited

3 days til lift off!!!

Fisrtly thanks for the positive and reasuuring words!! It helps to hear that all is ok... even though rationally I already knew this! It is amazing how everything seems so much worse when you are in pain! Today I feel much more composed and things are not so glum. Fistly, how can you be glum when this afternoon I started 4 weeks holiday.... yes that's correct 4 weeks... woo hoo! Secondly as my newly appointed Yoda (2p ) pointed out I am incontroll of my own destiny ( Destiny you say...hmmm). So I toddled off to the physio this morning.... he maintians that the pain is related to the nerves being all tangled up in my glutes and lower back. He reassured me they will settle, but suggested that I should not do the cross trainer as that may have made it cranky. I am alowed to swim to my hearts content, do my gym work and MUST do all my new core strengthening exercises! But all of this will not matter, as once in Japan it will only be my core exercises I can do (on my tatami mat inn my Ryokan). So as has been wisely suggested..... 3 weeks rest here I come! I am not going to panic about how unfit and slow I will be on return! I am planning to have a butt and abs so strong that I will be back to running well in no time! So my trip could not be more perfectly timed.... and Ray will not have to worry about me running off into Tokyo never to be seen again haha.... no faith in my navagational skills!!

So new leaf..... turning it over!! No more being miserable! I am going to focus on the the positive side, get strong and blitz my first marathon :)

3 DAYS TIL LIFT OFF!!!!

WARNING: self pity follows

I apologise in advance for the following display of self pity!!!
Well today is day 8 of no running, I have been stretching and doing my exercises the physio gave me. I have been keeping a positive attitude but this afternoon I feel miserable! My back and hip have been feeling a lot better so I thought I would try a run. I managed about 1 minute before the pain in my left buttock and lower back was back. It intensified and then started down the left side of my leg. I stopped immediately..... I promised myself to be sensible therfore no running with pain. Then I just felt really dissapointed!!! It is very stupid because it is not the end of the world and there are more important things than running. It is just it is something I really enjoy and it makes me feel good. I was really enjoying my running and training and it was all coming together... I was feeling really strong and confident. So no I feel like I will be back to square one again! I keep telling myself it doesn't matter, just let this get better and start again.... what is a few weeks in the grand scheme of things- but this afternoon I just feel like having a sook and a whinge!
So I am off to the physio tommorw... still on the bench! On a much nicer note only 4 days until we fly out for Japan!!! I am getting really excited about the trip and a bit nervous. We have a few nights booked in Tokyo when we arrive and the rest is open for negotiation :) So I am not sure how we will go... but it will be a bit of adventure. I was really looking forward to running in Japan around some of the beautiful castles etc.... but it looks like that will not happen. So I guess it will be three weeks of no running and then start again when I get back! I feel a bit cursed.... I am soooo looking forward to aiming for Canberra, as soon as the marathon training group started and I started to think about Canberra... injured! Thankfully this time there is heaps of time to get things in order!

So hopefully tommorow after physio I will fell a bit happier! And again sorry for the self indulgent whinge!

4 DAYS TO GO TIL JAPAN!!!! WOO HOO!!!

Intervals at the gym....

Today I decided to do some intervals on the cross country ski machine at the gym. It is almost the same movement as running but without lifting your feet, so there is no impact. I found that this really got my heart rate up and gave my hip and back no problems. After warming up I was cranking up the workload and then sprinting for intervals of 1 min with a few minutes in between on a lower intensity. I found this was an excellent work out and matched the movement and intensity of running. I felt fanastic after I finished... struggled a bit on my weights- I knew I had worked hard :) My hip today felt really good. It was quite stiff by the end of the day... lots of sitting, but it is definately no hurting when I walk or stand on one foot! So if it is ok tommorow I might aim for a short easy run on thusday to test it out before I see the physio on Friday. Fingers crossed!

Today:
30 mins- including warm up and intervals
Upper body weights
Glute exercises
Abs

More of the same...

Nothing exciting to report today. I was meant to swim this morning but opted for more sleep and then headed off to the physio before work. He worked me really hard.... Yes I have glutes! He got me doing some isolation exercises designed to get the glutes firing.... well they did and proceeded to shake like a plate of jelly haha. But they are there... so something to work on!! The gym this afternoon- it was so humid I was drenched! I again focused on my butt and abs- I am sure to feel it tommorow. The hip is feeling no where near as sore, but still very stiff in the lower back- but heading in the right direction. So hopefully another few days and then I will be back into the swing of things :)
Plan for tommorow... more of the same! Off to the pool and the gym :)

7 Days til JAPAN!!! WOO HOO!!!

What a relief......

What a relief that I had a sore hip....I had a great excuse not to run this mornings hot and hilly Maroubra run! I decided to cheer the CR's on this morning especially Lulu as I was not up for running with my hip. I met up with Uncle Dave, Papa Luigi, Horrie, Belinda, Lulu, Steve, Don Juan (mark), John Dawlings before the race. I was boiling just waiting for the start! I headed off to find a spot on the course to cheer just as the gun was going off. Typically Uncle Dave and John Dawlings were on fire flying through the first lap.... then Don Juan appeared looking very fast and not too far behind! Lulu looked great on her first lap around... all was going well! On the second lap Uncle Dave was flying down the hill at break neck speed with another coolrunner close on his tail.... race on!! John Dawlings followed again making it look too easy. Don Juan was next looking very composed... great form and flew by set for a great time! Steve ran by next grtting his teeth... too hot!!! Then Lulu came flying down the hill... as always looking composed... but muttered that she was struggling and no pb! Who cares it was too hot to do anything but finish in one peice! Horrie and Belinda did the 4km with there son... pacer ballon and all!! Despite the heat and the hills the CR team came first.... champions!! I had a great morning cheering and as said earlier was ever so thankful to have been standing watching!

Mum had some hospital leave and we went and saw Pride and Predjudice... Sigh!! She seemed brighter and was really making an effort. Things are looking up :)

My hip is still giving me curry... so another few days of rest. I am not going to run until there is no pain... hopefully by mid week I can get out for a run- I am having serious withdrawals! This evening after my gym workout I was walking home and it was PERFECT running weather and I was busting to go for a run. Patience, patience I know... but nothing seems to hit that spot like a run :)

Itchy feet !!

Yesterday was a nothing day!! I had a really busy crapy day at work and consequently didn't swim or gym as planned. I certainly consumed lots of chocolate to console myself.....which has not worked in the past and no did not work this time either!! The pain in my hip was feeling alot better this morning so I decided to go for a run.... itchy feet :) The pain in my hip was back straight away....D'oh!! I headed off to see the physio- he informed me (same as osteo) that the pain is related to my lower back and glutes. My hips and pelvis are out of line... causing the pain. Basically I have to get my pelvis back in line and really strengthen my lazy glutes to prevent it from occuring in the future. This is the same cause of my previous ITB problems- as my foot strikes the ground my hips and pelvis twist all over the place because my glutes are not doing any work- freeloaders! Haha I have always thought I was a lazy ass!!!

Anyway he said I can run.... but I think I will stay firmly on the bench while ever there is pain. So my plan is swimming, gym for my glutes, core and upper body and start running once the pain goes. I will see the physio and the osteo to get the hip/pelvis back in place and cross the fingers this sorts itself out failrly quickly :) I figure this is a good time to have a rest because I will be in Japan for three weeks, so will be limited in my running anyway. It is a timely reminder that I need to get my butt into gear and get it nice and strong for Canberra. I am a bit dissapointed that this has happened just as I was feeling like my speed was getting faster... hopefully it will not take too long to get back into the swing of things. The physio reckons it will only be another week or so at the most. So does anyone know where I can get buns of steel....maby venus williams has some advice??

Today:
Gym- upper body, glute exercises, abs and 20mins cardio

Tommorow:
Cheer girl for Lulu and other CR's at the Maroubra Fun Run
Swim

splish splash

I had a great swim this morning with AK. We met at the pool at 5:45am and it was already like pitt street! We picked a lane and jumped in. I don't know if the salt water makes a difference, but I felt like I could swim forever this morning... except for the gross taste ( I know but I seem to drink the water). At one point I felt like I was swimming in the surf as there were about 20 people in the lane next to me practising BIG kicking :)

Swim:
Time: 32min 50sec
Distance:1500m

My hip is still sore, but feels a lot looser after the osteo. It usually takes a few days for the soreness to go away after it gets inflamed. I still feel I need a really good massage... might look into that over the weekend! Fingers crossed I will feel ok to run on Sunday... I am really excited about running with Lulu :)

Thanks for all the positive comments about mum... I will have to tell her that she is getting a heap of good will sent her way through the CR community- she will love that! She has always been supportive of my running and loves to come along... I have trained both mum and ray to yell out go Cool Runner and Go Striders! They have a ball! So next time your racing and an unkown voice yells out it could be my mum :)

Twister....

Well I am happy to say that my hip and glute was not as sore today... but still discomfort. It definately feels better when I stretch and roll on the tennis ball. I went for a swim this morning... the cold water felt really nice on the legs. I swam 30 x50m laps without stopping in 34mins. I felt really relaxed... must work harder to get the heart rate up. This evening I saw the osteopath who said my lower back was so tight it had started to twist... hence the hip pain. It never ceases to amaze me how they always know exactly where to prod innocently asking " is that the spot ?" ... peeling me off the celing I muttered uh huh! Anyway he gave it a really good crack.... and instantly it feels a lot easier to move. So I will have a few more sessions before it rights itself and he suggested a visit 6 weekly as a prevention. So hopefully tommorow it will feel even better! So swimming is on the agenda for Thursday and Friday morning and Gym in the evening. If all feels alright I will test it out on Saturday.

On another positive note, mum had her first ECT treatment today and sounded quite bright all considered! It is amazing how this treatment works so well for people with severe depression...... the doctor thinks she will only need half the amount she initially thought. Yeah mum!!! She is working hard and doing all the right things, that is all you can ask!

Benched!

I woke up this morning with a really tight feeling in my lower left back and glute. I did some stretches and rolled on my tennis ball which helped. It has progressively gotten tighter all day. I started out for my run this afternoon but stopped after about 5 mins because my left hip and glute felt really sore and tight. I have had this problem before where my lower back gets really tight and pulls my hip out of line which causes pain and tightness. The osteopath gives it a really good crack and twist and hey presto... better! So I have had a team meeting with my body and all the various bits agree that a few days rest is needed and a trip to the osteopath. So I have benched myself for the next three days and I will see how I feel on Saturday! So it will be a perfect opportunity to do some swimming- I was only thinking yesterday about how I could fit a few more swim sessions into my week. Although there are better time managment strategies than aquiring a sore hip :)
Not sure why this has happened?? I make sure I stretch and do all the right things. There has not been any changes to my program in the past 6 months. The physiotherapist and osteopath said that unfortunately I have biomechanical problems or weak spots that make me more likely to certain problems . The only thing is I have slacked off on my core and stability exercised meant to keep my hips etc stable! D'OH!!!

So the plan for the next few days is swimming and my gym/core exercises, visit the osteopath, stretch and then I will see how I feel on Saturday! three days of not running is not going to kill me :) Hopefully this is just a minor niggle that will be easily ironed out!

Mondayitis!!!

What a Blah day! It started with not getting out of bed for my hills session this morning and I have struggled to feel motivated or interested in much all day! I am desperarte for my holiday... so work is painful! I forced my self to put on my running gear and ran 6km in 30mins on the treadmil at the gym... now that was punishment for not getting up this morning! I found the treadmil sooo boring! Give me the outdoors any day. I finished off with my weights and ab routine.... tick- done. It was certainly more of an effort than something I usually really enjoy..... I am putting my flatness down to mondayitis and stress related to mum.
Time 30min
Distance: 6km
Pace: 5min/km
Any way enough whinging!! The lovely lulu taged me so here goes:

Here are the rules:
1. Go into your archives.
2. Find your 23rd post.
3. Find the fifth sentence (or the closest one to it)
4. Post the text of your sentence in your blog along with these rules.
5. Tag five other people.

"Hopefully they will all gradually come down rather than only managing 1 or 2 fast ones and dying!" Wed Sep 21st. Here I was talking about my 400m reps and my usual problem of starting too quick! I am pleased to report that they are :)

Now I tag: Aunty Karin, Roys world, Tesso, Clarie and Wildthing!

14 days til JAPAN!!! WOO HOO!!!

Climb every mountain!!

I got out of bed at the obscene time of 4:30am to trek to Berrowra for the Striders Star this morning... but ohhh so worth it! This has to be the hardest long run I have done, but by far the most enjoyable! This run looped around the suburban streets for a while and then headed into the bush for what can only be described as bloody tough! This was a VERY hilly run.... both steep ups and cliff like drops. At one point I was nearly on my bum trying to scamper down a really steep section. It did occur to me as we were going down, down, down that we would need to come back up again, but shuddered to think. Any way needless to say the 4 or 5 kms straight up certainly made me aware of muscles I had forgotten existed :) It was also at this point the 6:30 fast group caught me and effortlessly ran past me... was I stuck in one spot??? Head down bum up so to speak I just kept going and was very pleased to have made it to the top with only one brief stop. The views of the valley were fantastic and all the birds and bush smells made this a wonderful run! I really love running in the bush and was very envious of Gail who proudly announced that this was basically her back yard and was able to do most of her runs in the bush- also gave me a running commentary on the area which was really great. Definately beats King Georges Road :) I have sore feet and heels after this mornings effort and am hoping a bit of a nap and massage will fix that up! It goes without saying the rest of me is also a little sore and sorry :)

Overall I covered about 20km in 2hrs and 5mins- give or take as Gandalf cut out a few times in the bush. I averaged about 5:20/km on the road sections and averaged 6:15/km for the whole run.... some of the bush sections were difficult to scramble, let alone run. I did not need a gu on the run and felt strong when I finished... except my muscles were definately tired and sore form all the hills. The pace of the run was pretty easy to maintain... breathing was even and not puffed (except going up that awful 5km hill!)

The plan for the rest of the day... nothing :) I am feeling really warm and fuzzy... these runs always give me really happy glow (endorphins I know). I was also really excited to read that Ewan did an awesome time at FF marathon yeasteday 3: 12 or something close too it. I was so happy and excited for him... reading his race report and hearing about great runs like this just make me more determined and excited about Canberra.

Great way to start the day!!

I did not make the FF 10km.... too hard to fit this in and visit mum- so the decision was an easy one :) I headed off to Brett Park this morning and did an 8km loop through Drummymone and along the water. My plan was for a really easy run but was feeling really good -so I really worked hard in the last 3 kms, putting on a bit of a sprint at the end. The last 3kms were about 4:40/km pace and we tried to maintain that up the hills. My poor glutes were yelling out after all the squats I made them do yesterday! As always finished this run at Bowen Island with yummy fruit toast and a capacinno!

Distance: 8.2km
Time: 43min
Average pace: 5:20/km
Fastest pace: 3:50/km (for a few split seconds!)

I am planning to do my long run with Striders tommorow at Berrowra..... this one goes through the bush, which I love! I will have to force myself out of bed early for the 6am start :( I will definately need a nana nap tommorow!

Friday Fartlek

This morning was our fartlek session around Centenial Park. I was not sure how I would feel this morning after a late night and some particularly yummy Indian... still had my masscara on (how gross!). We started off at a nice slow pace, but pretty soon into the first surge. Surprisingly I felt quite strong this morning and was easily doing about 4:20/km pace. I try to do my surges around 4:20-4:30/km pace and then a slow recovery. I still died on the hill... I am sure this is in my head!! Sean really worked me hard on the next section... about a 400m surge and I was running at about 3:15/km pace ( yes there is a downward slope!!) . I LOVED the feeling of running this fast... although I was pretty much stuffed for the last 2 and bit kms :) I can always tell when I have worked hard because I get tingles in my hands and my abs feel like they have done a million crunches! Needles to say I felt like a nap about 2pm this afternoon. Headed off to the gyn tonight for upper body and abs.

Distance: 11.8km
Time: 1hr 4min
Average Pace: 5:25/km
Fastest pace: 3:12/km
Mood: Happy and pooped

I was also excited to see Lulu do her first loop back to collect a slower runner.... yeah Lulu, getting faster!

Rest Day.

I have made today another rest day...the sleep in was beautiful! I decided to make this week a lighter training week to give the old legs a bit of a rest. I am wanting to have a lighter week about every 6 weeks to give my body a chance to rest. Seans program currently has me running 7 days- 3 harder sessions (hills, speed work and fartlek), two medium runs ( not all out, but not easy), 1 easy run and my weekly long run (about 2hours). I am also trying to make it to the gym 3 x week for strength and injury prevention. If there is any extra energy I am trying to fit in a swim or two. All of this extra training is helping a lot with my strength and speed.... but it is a fine line. So needless to say I am paying attention to my body and having a rest day when I can feel a niggle. Prevention is better than cure- and less expensive!! Also happy to report the injury kg's are almost gone... 2 to go Woo hoo!!
Tommorow off to the Park for a Fartlek session. I am also thinking about doing the Fitzroy Falls 10km with Bernie as a training run.

18 days to go until Japan!!!! WOO HOO!!!!

Thankyou!

Thankyou for all the supportive comments! I felt a bit stupid and self conscious for blogging about mum's current situation... not really running related, but it was one of those days! All of the supportive comments made me feel all warm and fuzzy- no sarcasim intended! It is amazing how a simple kind comment can lift your spirits. Well I met with my sister- we regrouped and re formulated our plan of attack... you know one day at a time etc. We saw the doctors and they are planning a bit of ECT and a change in med's... at least they have a plan. I am feeling much more positive today! We have been here before and always come through the otherside... so all is ok! My sister and I have an amazing bond and we always just refocus, tweak the plan and keep on going :)

Yes the running definately helps to keep me sane ( as well as my family and wonderful husband!).... I can usually always reframe a situation more positively after a run- My healthy dose of perspective! I am really enjoying running at the moment... it is all starting to click together and I am seeing results!

So thanks for the support..... I am feeling back to my usual happy, positive self :)

800's

I felt a bit flat this morning and had to really push myself out the door! By the time I got to the park it had started to rain lightly. I did about a 2km warm up and stretched... I am still feeling a bit sore from my massage! We did the usual drill and strides. By the time we started the strides I was feeling a lot better and happy to be out in the rain.... although a hat to keep the rain out of my eyes would have helped. All the usual suspects were there... Steve looked ready for a good one with LuLu egging him on :) Well I was programed to do 3 x 800's and due to my muscle soreness thought this would be enough. My first one I tried to take a bit slower... but I am terrible at pacing myself. I did a 3:30 which was of couse faster than I wanted.... but thought I will just try and maintian that pace. Deanne was back today and I could hear her just behind me... this spurred me on to keep my pace for the whole 800 m. My third 800 I put in a really big effort and really worked really hard in the last 200m. I could hear Deanne just behind me and I was determined not to let her pass. I came in 2 secs in front and did 3:21... yeah my fastest 800 on the track! My heart rate was through the roof and was trying top catch my breath when sean tells me I had to do another one.... ooops I had nothing left! I managed a 3:34 for the last one... next time I will check with him before we start so I don't peak to early :) I really enjoyed this morning session and I feel that I am getting stronger on the repeats. My breathing is a lot better and my times are coming down. It is good to really focus on your form over these short distances and practice running with good form. My big goal at the moment is to get my 10km time under 48mins and would love to do 105mins for my half..... so this has to be helping!!!

I am feeling more positive today... had my "feeling sorry for myself" day yesterday. I don't like those days... never actually helps the situation and just makes you fell crapier! As ray always says "were ok" he can always make me feel good :) I have a day off today to go the the hospital and talk to mums doctors.... so we will see how long the endorphins keep my spirits up :) and I may head off to the pool this afternoon for a swim... I love swimming in the rain :)

warm up and strides: 3.2km, 16:50, average pace 5:19/km
4x 800m: 3:30, 3:28, 3:21, 3:34
cool down: 1.5km

Frazzled

I decided to make today a rest day.... no exercise at all! My legs felt sore from my massage and decided to take my own advice and listen to my body. I am also feeling very drained and frazzled.... non-sport related! Unfortunately my mum is back in hospital. She suffers from chronic depression and over the last few years has been unwell more often than well. It is really tough to watch and My sister and I feel quite powerless to help. Any way we just plod on and keep supporting and loving her... feels like it is not enough sometimes. I would give anything for a cure... such a cruel disease! It is such a emotional rollercoaster.... from sad, to understanding, to frustrated and angry and back to a sort of happy place where we are all ok just struggling with lfes challenges. Don't get me wrong there are plenty of worse situations and we are lucky to be a close little group (me, mum and my sister) I just wish that she could be happy and comfortable in her own skin. She has given so much to my sister and I..... one very strong woman in some respects and in others so fragile. Any way she always picks up... just needs a bit of time and TLC. This is what family is about... being there when things are tough. I tried to tell her to start running... the endorphins are amazing- haha she wasn't convinced :)

Tommorow off to Centenial Park for 800's and a bit of sanity :)

Monday massage

Went out and ran my usual 30min loop, but did it in reverse for a change. It felt like a completely different run in reverse... houses even looked different. Ahhh the new shoes felt fantastic... the feet say thanks!! It was still pretty windy today... and again always in my face. I felt good, not as tired as I thought after yesterdays run. After my run I headed to the gym for upper body and abs and finished with a massage. The massage guy was GREAT!!! No fear he really dug in and got out all the little knots and niggles. They have that nack of inding the one spot to send you through the roof.

Time: 29:45mins
Distance: 6km
Average pace: 4:56/km
Mood: Happy- not as tired this week :) Hormones back in check!

Tommorow is programmed for a long run....1 hr 20min- we'll see :)

Windy long run

I headed out this morning to Centenial Park for my long run. It was a perfect morning- crisp and sunny. Once I got going I noticed the really strong wind blowing directly at me. It did'nt matter which direction I was running in it was right there! At one point it almost brought me to a standstill! I planned to do an hour on my own and then join up with Seans younger squad for an hour. It took me a while to get into a rhythm but then I felt pretty good...maintained a constant pace and enjoyed just being out in the sun. I was a bit disapointed to realise I had left my Gu at home because I knew the greyhounds would fly and I was sure to need an energy boost. Yes, as predicted the greyhounds took off at a million miles an hour and a few of us ran along just glimpsing them in the distance. Mark and Ewan were running well and left us for dust :) The second hour was tough but not as hard as I had predicted. By the 2 hour mark my legs were feeling very tired and I was sooo happy to finish! I felt really happy with my effort - overall ran 1hr 55min covering 21km. The great thing running with this group is that they never stop so it really helps to build your endurance. Now that I am home, eaten, drunk and had a hot bath I feel human again :) Also popped into Myers to see if they stocked my Asics- in luck! So I am very happy to have saved $52 on a new pair of shoes! I can't believe I have done over 800km already in my old ones... mine never seem to last much beyond the 800km mark, I must be rough on them :) I can always tell when I am due for a new pair because both feet get sore and I start to get niggles in my calfs ( thats my excuse anyway!!) Nothing like a bit of retail therapy!!

Time: 1:55
Distance: 21km
Average pace: 5:25/km

Swim/Run

This morning I decided I would run to the pool, go for a swim and then run home. This would be the first time I have run with a bag on my back and the first time I run after a swim. I did a 3.5km run to warm up and then jumped in the pool for 30laps. It felt so nice in the water today, the sun was out but the pool felt really nice and cold.... beautiful on the muscles after a run. I tried to start off slower and then build up my speed each 10 laps. I finished my 30 laps in 34mins. Then the run home... It felt weird running after a swim! It felt like when you get of a boat or a rollercoaster... took a little while to get into a rhythm. Ran a different loop home... avoiding the hill :)
This afternoon was a trip to the Lindt Cafe... the hot chocolate was to die for! YUM!! I will definately be back for more :)
Tommorow is my long run... 2hrs. I am going to try and maintian a good pace tommor insttead of just plodding. I will do an hour on my own and then meet up with Sean and his squad for the second hour. Most of these guys are under 18 and are little grey hounds... so no doubt the second hour will be tough!
Run: 6.7km
Time:35:05
Average pace 5:15/km
Swim: 30 laps -34 mins


23 days till JAPAN!!!!!

Friday fartlek :)

This morning was a fartlek session around the park... there was a big turn out which was nice (and easier to hide). It was great to see all the usuall suspects and Deanna is on the mend! I felt pretty good this morning and planned to attack all the surges and take the recoveries easy.... trying to maintian a good pace on the surges. After a quick warm up we were off and the legs felt really good. I felt that my form was not too bad and getting good knee lift. I tired a bit at about the 6km going up the long outside hill! I need to work on maintiaing the speed going up the hill....instead of dying half way :) I practiced just keeping the arms pumping with the idea that the legs will follow ( advice from steve!!).... this helped a bit. Then I seemed to get a second wind... I felt like I was flying back down towards the duck pond and kept up the pace. Our last surge I really dug in and tried to give it a strong finish. I really enjoy this session! It is helping to improve running fast even when you are feeling tired and your body wants to slow down. I was really happy... I managed all of my surges at about 4:20/km pace and cracked 3:20/km for my fasted sprint. I tried to keep my recovery at about 5:45/km.

Time: 1hr 1min
Distance: 11.5km (including warm up and cool down)
Average pace: 5:20/km (including warm up and cool down)

Plan for a really easy run tommorow before my long run Sunday. I am giving the internal half a miss... I just don't want to race a half and I know I will not "just do it as a training run" ( that little competetitive Katie takes over!) So I am trying to think of somewhere new and scenic to try out on my own with the i-pod. Maby the national park??

My upcoming goals are the 10km at Smithfield before I go away and then the Central Coast half in December. I want to try and do a few more 10km races and get my times down and then settle in for Canberra training! That is all going well and touching wood, crossing fingers and praying to the running god to keep me injury free :)

1km rep's

I woke up this morning turned off the alarm and went back to sleep for another hour. I piked on my session at the park... we were meant to do 7 x 400m reps. I was still feeling really tired and have very sore inner thighs thanks to a new gym program. That little voice in my head though naged away all day until I gave in and decided that I wasn't that tired and headed out to met the striders group for a run around the bay including 1km reps around timbrel park. I really enjoyed this and met up with the usual suspects :) I started off feeling really stiff and sore and thought that this was a bad idea, but by the time we reached timbrel park I was all warmed up and ready to go. Allison asked what time I wanted to aim for and I though 4:45 would be good given my sore legs. The first rep we did 4:30 on the dot and I felt really good. The second rep I managed 4:22 and still felt ok... this is good! My final rep was 4:12 woo hoo a new 1km rep pb!! I also noticed that I went through 800m in about 3:15... my best 800 has been 3:29. I felt that I could have suqeezed out a few more at that pace... which is very exciting! I am sooo pleased I forced my self out the door this afternoon! I also followed AK advice and scoffed down a banana and some gatorade as soon as I was in the car :)

warm up 3.7km- 20:13
1km rep 4:30
1km rep 4:22
1km rep 4:12
3km cool down- 15:10
mood- content and happy

A hard run

This morning I took off to Centenial park for my run. My program has me down to do 1hr20 relaxed.... well what a tough run! I felt tired and crappy form the minute I started. I felt really heavy and had nothing much in the tank. I ran the outside loop of the park,including the yucky long hill outside the park (ocean st) and then an inside white fence loop. All up I ran for 1hr and covered 11.5kms... there was no way I could face another 20mins. I felt like I was going a lot slower than I actually was and felt a bit light headed when I finished. ?? maby I have not been refuelling enough after my runs... I just flet like I had nothing to draw on. So I have just had some sports drink and a couple of crumpets (yum) and I will make sure I have some carbs with my dinner. At least the rest of the day is mine! I am planning on a bubble bath and reading up on Japan and not a lot else. Back to work tommorow ... boo hoo

Time 1hr
Distance 11.5
Average Pace 5:20
Mood- happy with my effort, but feeling pooped!

Pooped!!

What a weekend!!! I think I need a medal for cramming as much as possible into one weekend! It started with Striders run on Saturday, then shopping and a movie and then a great night out with the CR's for Owl and Tesso's birthday. The food was fantastic and the company better! I really enjoed meeting some new faces and laughing with the usual characters! They are all a great bunch! I piked on the retro dancing, mainly due to the committment I made to Maria for a 6am start on Sunday at Wahroonga... which meant a 4:30am rise- groan! So I fell into bed at midnight feeling pretty happy with myself and then a moment later was torn out of my deep sleep... surely it was not 4:30 already! Sunday's run was beautiful and I was very happy to have made the effort! I almost did not get there after day dreaming (as you do when driving) and suddenly noticing I was no longer on the highway and had gotten myself onto Epping road heading towards the M-2!!! Thankfully I alway leave enough time to get lost :)

We headed out for an 8km loop getting back to the start in time to meet up with the 7am MTG. Then I headed out with the MTG for about 12km. I love this run it is scenic, HILLY and we covered about 6km of bush. I love running in the bush... although you have to go a lot easier and look where you put your feet! We totalled about 20km in 2hs- maintianed a good pace on the road sections... pretty slow through the bush. The legs felt pretty tired after Saturdays effort and I was happy to finish! After the run I flew home and then headed out for the MTG BBQ and then off to my sisters to watch the grand final... Go the Tigers!!

I decided to give the hill session a miss this morning... opting for SLEEP!!! I went for an a 6km run this evening and then a gym session. I ran my usual 6km loop from home in 30:16mins- averaged 5:02/km. I felt pretty good in the legs... but it was sooo hot!! It would have been smarter to have ran this morning!
Tonight I am feeling pooped and so happy for my extra day off tommorow! I am planning on a run at the park in the morning- then maby a nap and a day of relaxing!!

Only 27 days until we go to Japan!!!! WOO HOO!

Houston we have air!!!

I awoke this morning feeling a little bit nervous and apprehensive. I had two goals this morning, firstly I wanted to feel really reaxed and enjoy my run and secondly finish in 48:??. The past few weeks it has all started to click and I have been really loving running. I was so miserable when I couldn't run canberra and felt like it would never get back on track. Once the pain was gone I just felt fat and slow. I had a terrible run in Canberra... the 10kms to console myself. I hated every minute of it and finished in 55mins... worst 10km ever!! I had just started with Sean and my aim was to get my 10km back under the 50 min barrier. The times have been SLOWLY coming down... my last 10km effort 2 months ago was 49:55. So this morning I had psyched myself for a good run. I have been talking myself up all week ( to myself) and felt confident. Typically last night I started to talk myself out of the run... I can't do it blah blah.
Perfect morning for a run- cool, clear and no humidity!! Any way the i-pod worked a treat! I warmed up with Kashmir slowly winding me up and took off to Queen's don't stop me now! Today the legs felt great, my breathing was good and I felt really comfortable. I freaked out a little bit thinking I should have started slower, but I felt fine so I decided I would just try to maintain and hang on at the end. I was able to run pretty consistantly and went through 5km at 23:15... woo hoo on target! I started to struggle at about the 8km mark second time around the gravel section at the Green... Dancing Queen again saved the day and spured me on ! the last two km's were hard but I thought all I have to do is hold on an maintain my pace. I felt really crap coming up onto the bridge for the last 400m but remembered that Ray was there taking photos... now what girl isn't going to pull herself together for that ohh so glamerous shot after running 10kms. I finished with a sprint with Ray and Steve cheering me on. So woo hoo I crossed the line with 48:50 and a big smile on my face!!
So I am pleased to report that both goals were achieved this morning- had a blast and did a PB! Now poor Ray has to put up with me blahing on all day about how happy I feel!

Oh and the added bonus was the photo Ray took ..... finally I am air born! High knees are paying off!!

From the garmin (a.k.a Gandalf)

Distance 10.37km
Average pace: 4:43/km
Time: 48:50
Splits:
1. 4:29
2. 9:16 (4:47)
3. 13:59 (4:42)
4. 18:30 (4:31)
5. 23:15 (4:45)
6. 27:51 (4:36)
7. 32:45 (4:54)
8. 37:37 (4:51)
9. 42:25 (4:48)
10. 47:06 (4:41)
370m 1:48

Well that was a long rave from me... off now for some shopping and a movie, then Owl and Tesso's birthday!! It should be a great night! Tommorow will be a long run... but nice and slowly :)

Friday Fartlek

I had a great run this morning! We were doing the outerloop of the park- alternating surges and floats around the park. Sean instructed me to take it easy so I will be fresh for tomorow. I decided to run with Lulu- I had a blast being that annoying little voice that says come on keep going, pick it up, blah, blah. It was fun trying to encourage her around the park.... and great to see her improving all the time :) I ran 10.1km in 57:30 (including my warm up and cool down)... averaged about 5:54/km. I finished feeling full of energy and ready for tommorow. It was great for my confidence to have a really positive, fun run and finished feeling ready to have a good one tommorow. I have made about 10 different race plans... so I am just going to relax and see what happens.

Hot and Humid!

Thankfully this morning was going to be an easy run! I dragged myself out of bed... only because I had agreed to meet Lorraine and my conscience got the better of me. The rain stopped, but it was so hot and humid around the bay... Yuck! We did a 7.2km loop... including the nastly little hill up past the fields heading back to Leichardt pool. I am not a big fan :) Despite the humidity it was a beautiful run.... the bay is at its nicest early in the morning.... minus all the people!

Time: 36:30
Distance: 7.2km
Average: 5:15/km

Yeah... only one more day and then a LONG WEEKEND!!! I just love that :) I am also very excited as Sunday is the first oficial run of the Marathon Training Group! Gosh... 6 months worth of training for one race... am I mad??? It is only a 10km run ( so I am going to a bit extra early) BUT Its official... Katie's attack on Canberra begins (take two)!!! For all those poor souls who had to listen to me whinge and carry on about falling to bits last year... not again! You will just have to listen to me whinge and carry on about other things :)

600's

We did 600's this morning..... I was lacking in motivation and could have easily stayed in bed. I decided today my aim was to try and maintian my reps at the same pace for the whole 7. I am trying to stop running my first few too quick and then dying at the end. I was pretty consistant with my pace, but found it a tough session. It is getting easier mentally doing these reps... I am not wanting to stop as often :)
Warm up
Drills
Strides
7x 600m - 2:37, 2:36, 2:37, 2:38, 2:37, 2:39, 2:36
Coolldown
Mood- pretty happy with my times and effort

Now I will take it easy tommorow and friday... yeah :)