The Verve got it wrong....

Today: 10km
Week: 25km
Month: 280km
Year: 1499km

....the drugs do work! I woke about 1am with a sore throat and stuffy nose and couldn't get back to sleep, until I got up an popped two cold and flu tablets~ hey presto I slept like a baby. Today was our hills session.... I had 6 laps of big bertha on the program instead of 10 *smile*.... the advantage of the half marathon on Sunday. Once I warmed up I felt pretty good. There was a good feeling at training with Ali and Deanne gearing up for the Marathon. I managed the 6 laps easily and ran really consistantly. I felt pretty good on the uphill today, which is a nice change. I averaged about 2:15 per lap and finished in 13:20.... woo hoo about another 30 secs quicker than a few weeks ago. So tommorow and Saturday will be easy 30min runs and then the half on sunday :-) Can't wait!

Easy run

Today: 6km
Week: 15km
Month: 270km
Year: 1489km

I had a nice easy 6km easy run today... which was much appreciated as the legs were feeling tired today courtesy of the gym session last night (all self induced!). Once I warmed up the tiredness went away and it was a really nice run. I finshed back at the gym doing my core/glute exercises..... I wish they would get easier. I think I need to trade my lazy ass in for one that does its fair share! We fly to Gold Coast on Friday morning which I am really looking forward to. It will be nice to spend a weekend away with my mum and Ray and yeah.... run! I am a bit nervous about the half....... had a funny dream last night that I had missed the start and couldn't find my shoes. I always get a bit nervous~ haha I can always set a pb for worrying! The other really nice thing will be going for a run with Ray along the beach ** insert sigh and volin music**.... should be a great weekend!

A bad Aussie!

Today: 9km
Week: 9km
Month: 264km
Year: 1483km

I had intentions to get up and watch the soccor, I even went to bed early... but enjoyed it so much I stayed there :-) I felt great today after 2 rest days. I could not manage to fit a run in on Sunday becuase I was on a steam train all day and Sean has given me Monday as a rest day for the next 4 weeks. So I had more energy this morning, which was nice! We had longer reps on the program today.... I had a 2.2km rep and a 2km rep, with an active recovery. We did the usual warm up run, strides and drills and then got into it. Now I usually have someone to tuck in behind on these sessions but due to races on the weekend gone by and coming up people were having an easier session.... so I was on my lonesome. So I just ran how I felt with the aim of getting quicker as I progressed. The first rep was 5.5 laps and then 5 laps. I felt really focused and was able to keep good form... I am getting used to these longer reps and concentrating for 5 and 6 laps. Sean was encouraging this morning telling me I was running well with 'good form'... not sure if he was just being nice though. I felt really happy with the session today and am now looking forward to the weekend, but a bit nervous.

Today: 2.2km 10:25 (1km 4:39), 2km 9:26 (1km 4:34)

A new level of excitement!!!

Today: 21.1km
Week: 76km
Month: 254km
Year: 1475km

Now for those of you who know me may not think it possible, but yes I have found a new level of excitment!!! Due to family committments I can't fit my long run in tommorow. So the plan was to do extra before and after the cross country race today. Then Ray asked me to run with him this morning~ up until now he has not wanted to run with me. So I jumped at the chance. He has been runnnig 3km very easily so I decided to take him on my 5km loop from home and then I would keep going to do my 20kms. Now I have to say there is something very special about being able to run side by side with your soul mate! Now that sounds corny, but Ray is my other half and together we can do anything. I was SOOOO excited to running with him and cant wait to watch him continue to improve! We did 5km in 25:30, which he ran with ease..... even chatting along the way. This week has been a hard week for me, with a few tough runs and Thursday and Friday night lower body weights. So I was surprised how comfortable the first 5km felt this morning..... haha although a little worried about how the other 15 would feel after a quicker than usual start to my long run. I left Ray to go home and I headed off to finish my long run. I settled into a nice rhythm and just enjoyed being out in the sun. I sought out evry hill in the hurstvile/bexely/kingsgrove area in my quest to make hills my friend. I did not look at my watch and just ran how I felt. I got the shock of my life to see I was at 19km in 1hr 45mins.... certainly did not feel that quick. I finished the 21.1 in 1hr 51min 20sec.... average pace 5:17/km. I can not believe that I was able to do a hilly 21km in that time. The plan now for the rest of the week is to just do easy running and not trash the legs too much and fingers crossed I can do a good time at Gold Coast... especially seeing it is flat :-)

I got my new program from Sean... and it will be interesting. He is giving me Monday as a rest day with the expextation that I start to concentrate on my speed for the next 4 weeks, then he said he will give me 5 solid weeks of training for the marathon. So the next 4 weeks I have built up my Snday long run to 3hrs, but I get mondays off and a shorter mid week run. I will be interested to see how that all works out. I should feel I have more oomph in the legs to put in more effort in my speed work. I can feel all the excitment again.....bring it on!!! I am really looking forward to the next few months with cross country runs, striders 10km, the city to surf and the marathon.

Now we are off to buy Ray some new clothes as his pants are all falling down. Now while I appreciate this ;-)... it could lead to trouble at work!

foggy friday.

Today: 11km
Week: 55km
Month: 233km
Year: 1454km

Met some friends at Leichardt for an easy run. I thought we were going to do a nice easy lap of the bay, but three against one decided on the Balmain loop.... which was hillier and longer than I had planned. It was a great run, not too cold due to all the fog. We couldn't see the water or bridge as it was a sea of mist. My legs were tired today after yesterdays efforts.... they were ok on the flat but the hills were a killer! There were quite a few long gradula hills which just burn the glutes, especially when they are already tired. We were running along calling aout to all the pubs for updates on the World cup score.... then all the horns started honking and lots of cheering and people were calling out to us "were through!!". It was a bizzarre atmosphere~ heavy fog and all these people running around waving flags and calling out. So overall a great run, but the legs feel tired. Average pace 5:40/km.

A change is as good as a holiday....

Today: 11km
Week: 44km
Month: 222km
Year: 1443km

Today was meant to be our Fartlek session around the outside loop of the park. Sean decided to do something different because it was dark and wet. So he plotted out a 1km loop and marked sections where we had to surge and float. We had to do 7 reps for a 7km effort. There was lots of chatter... we were all a bit excited about something new. We did a warm up and then some drills and strides. Sean was standing calling out times for each 1km split, so there was a bit of pressure to perform. We started out and I fell in behind Kulinda and we went through our first rep on 4:42.... a bit quick I thought so we slowed a little conscious we had to do 7 reps. I really enjoyed the session, it was much tougher than the usual fartlek and I definately worked harder. Kulinda and I worked together and encouraged each other to keep up the pace. Heading into the final lap I had to pass all the quicker guys who had finished... they gave us an encouraging yell but I felt a bit self conscious. I put in a good last lap and wored really hard to keep Kulinda just in front. We finished 34:26 for 7.1km and I averaged 4:50/km overall. Today I felt like I had put in a good effort, not a lot left over. I felt mentally strong today, determined to put in a consistant hard effort instead of slowing when it feels uncomfortable. I need to practice this for races as I tend to back off when it gets a bit uncomfortable. So I am a happy camper today, I can feel mysef improving again :-) :-)

Wednesday long run.....

Today: 16km
Week: 33km
Month: 211km
Year: 1432km

I met Ali and Deanne this morning at Centenial park at 5:30am for our midweek run. I had an 1hr 30mins on the program and the girls had an hour. So we ran together for the first hour and then I put the i-pod on for the last 30mins. It was raining really heavily on the way, but thankfully it stopped and cleared up and it was a lovely morning. We ran at a nice comfortable pace and chatted a lot about their upcoming marathon debut.... all very exciting. The glutes and lower back felt tired by then end of the run.... as a result of doing all my core exercies last night. Due to a packed Sunday I am trying to fit my long run in on Saturday... but I also want to race the 6km cross country. So I might do a longer warm up, the race and thena really long cool down :-)

1200m reps

Today: 10km
Week: 17km
Month: 195km
Year: 1416km

I slept like crap last night, so I had to drag myself out of bed. I have been getting awful headaches with my period **sorry for the deatails** the last few months and it wakes me up at night- yuck! I had 4 x 1200m reps on the program with a 1:30min active recovery. Once I had warmed up and done the drills and strides I was feeling a bit more human. I made sure the first two were a bit on the conservative side and then picked up the pace for the last two. The last rep was a bit weird.... Sean had initially said 4 x 1200m but then on the last one said if you want to do 1600m thats great but if not thats ok. So I did the first two laps trying to decide what to do.... I was still umming with 200ms to go, but then decided to put in a sprint and finish at 1200m~ so no extra credit for me :-) I felt great today, and finished with a bit extra left over. It is a fine line between putting in a hard effort but not too hard that that you blow up. I felt like I had put in a consistant hard effort today, but never to sure if I should be working harder. There was some exciting squad news with one of the girls announcing she is pregnant..... no not me!!!

1200m- 5:45, 5:44, 5:34, 5:36 (Averaged 4:35/km split)

Hot Stuff....

Today:7km
Week: 7km
Month: 185km
Year: 1406km

Relaxed 7km run this evening, felt really great! I ran a loop from home, covered the 7km in 38mins which was really comfortable. The legs felt great, thanks to a great massage from Easy Tiger.... he found a few sore spots and sorted them out. Nothing exciting to report... it must have been a bit chilly, once I stopped to stretch I had steam coming off my entire body! I always knew I was hot stuff ;-) pitty about the sweat though!

Clovelli Canter... I mean plod!

Today: 20km
Week: 76km
Month: 178km
Year: 1399km

Today was the Striders Covelli Canter, which is one of my favourites. It starts at Queens park and heads through Centenial Park through the back streets of Lcovelli and then onto the Caostal path which meanders its way around through Clovelli, Tamaramma beach, Bronte around towards Maroubra. We cut up one of the streets before we hit Maroubra beach and then headed back into Queens park. This run has lots of hills and steps and can be a challenging one on a normal long run but today we were all a little sore and tired from yesterdays efforts. But no complaints from me... running along the coast with cear blue sky and sun life couldn't be better! I was not as tired as I thought I would be, but was more than happy to stop at 20km. We coverd the 20km in just on 2hrs.... so not a bad effort.

As promised some photos from yesterday. There were a heap more so I will get Ray to put them on the Cool running folder.

Nowra State Cross Country

Today: 14km
Week: 56km
Month: 158km
Year: 1379km

What a fantastic day!!! Ray and I met Bernie and Wayne and drove down to Nowra for the state cross country champs. It was a perfect clear blue day and it was nice and cool. The course is a 4km course around a farm in Nowra. It is a hilly tough course, with one particularly difficult hill at the 1.5km and 5.5km point. i had been warned that this was a tough course... so I decided to not worry about time and just run the best I could on the day. Bernie and I did a 3.5km warm up on the course and thank goodness because we had a chance to check out the nasty hill! It just confirmed this would be a tough run. We lined up with a good sized female field and we were off. Now to give you an idea of the quality of the runners we did our first km in 4:39 and we were at the back of the pack. Bernie and I both backed off as there would be no way we could maintain that. I felt pretty good and settled into a rhythm quickly. The course was a 4km loop which we did twice and the scenary was spectacular. I felt really lucky to have the opportunity to do this run ..... well worth the battle with the hill. the second time around I started to reel in a few runners and set my sights on a Randwick Botany girl up ahead. I passed her heading down to the nasty hill and then she passed me back towards the top of the hill.... but she must have used all her energy as I ran past and never saw her again. I had walked the 30m or so at the top of this hill because I had come to almost a standstill and was not able to lengthen my stride as my shoes kept slipping. So I just walked for about 30m and then took off and tried to make up the time on the downhill. Now I just told myself the hard bit was over and to maintain my pace and make use of the down hills. There was a really steep down hill section at about the 7km mark and I just leant into it and ran hard.... it is the first time I have completely let go on a down hill and it was a bit scary. The last km felt like I was running through mud and there was another mean little hill with 400m or so to go. Another lady I had been tossling with passed me at this point and I just thought "you win" I did not feel I had much left. I put in a slight sprint for the last 100m and finished in 42:40. I was so happy with my time. Not my quickest 8kms but I loved the run and felt I ran the best I could have. My best 8km time has been 40mins on a flat road course... so when you add the hills and grass into the equation I was thrilled. Taking time out of it I just loved the run, it was tough and challenging and a really rewarding run. So Bernie and I had big smiles on our faces and walked around feeling really happy with ourselves :-) so it was a great day spent witha great bunch of people. Ohhh how could I forget Eloise Chocolate Brownies!!! Amnanda had given me a heads up that they were not to be missed and she was totally on the mark... YUM!!!!! Ooh all the other muffins and biscuits were great also.
I did a cool down run with Bernie, Naomie and Amanda and cheered the boys on their tough 12km run. There were some great runs out there again today and the Striders boys picked up a gold and a silver... not too shabby! Ray took some great photos and I will put some on the blog tommorow! Finished a perfect day with some yummie vego pizza with Bernie and Wayne.... now off to bed!!!

When you feel like a fraud...

Today: 5km
Week: 42km
Month: 144km
Year: 1365km

I went for an easy 5km run this evening after work. I felt really comfortable and found it a really relaxing run. I covered my 5kms in 26:55 which was a bit quicker than the 30mins I had on the program. It was a run where I completely zoned out and ran as my body wanted to. My breathing was relaxed but I will confess that my mind was churning a million miles an hour. *apologoes* the rest is not run related. I had one of thosed days at work that gets the mind ticking. A few months ago I was ionvolved with a client who was psychotic and at risk of harm to her self and others. so she was scheduled under the mental health act into hospital. This was a really horrible schedule that involved the police and ambo's. she would not go voluntarlily and was carried out by the cops. Needless to say that is the part of the job that I hate and has me pondering on alternatives. Well she is now home from hospital and she had a followup appointment today. Now this was a lady in her 80's who was completely independent, immaculately presented and full of spirit. Today she was a frail looking lady, thin, depressed and completely zapped of spirit. Now yes, she is now no longer psychotic and at risk of harm but it begs the question of quality of life. I felt like crap and again was questioning the whole point. I firmly believe in the principals of people's right to choice, right to take risks and live their life as they wish~ free of paternalistic judgement about what is the most appropriate. I strongly advocate on peoples behalf to have this maintined. Today I felt like we had failed this lady.... where is the ideal of 'do no harm' and 'least restrictive care'. There is a fine line between maintinaing people's individual right to autonomy and choice and the need to protect those whose capacity to make appropriate decisions is impaired by biological, cognitive or psychological factors. My head was spinning around thoughts of chemical restraint and how a person can be lost behind a haze of medication. It is such a difficult issue because medication is so essential for some people to be able to function in life and to stay well and safe. I know this first hand with mum.... without it she is depressed and suicidal. But at the same it is so intrusive and overriding in peoples life. Power over people never sits comfortably with me which is a good thing. As long as our practice with people is always questioned and reflected on hopefully people won't get too lost and forgotten . the family were so thankful for our involvement and I just felt like a fraud. Sorry what a rave that was.... I just felt I needed to get it out or else I know what I would be dreaming about tonight. I have no idea what is right or wrong ... one thing I know is that there is not one clear nice neat answer. On a positive note the psychiatrist was decreasing the medication a and trying a new one with far less sever side effects.... so fingers crossed in a few weeks the sparky, independent lady will be shining again.

Hills...

Today: 8km
Week: 37km
Month: 139km
Year: 1360km

This morning was big bertha, our hills circuit at Centenial Park. We usually do 10 laps, but Sean let those of us doing Nowra on Saturday do 6 laps.... very nice :-) We warmed up and did the usual strides and drills~ Sean added a new drill which I was a bit directionally challenged! We started off up the hill and before I knew it 6 laps were over. I felt stronger than 2 weeks ago when we did the same session. It took me 14:05 mins for 6 laps two weeks ago, today 13:35. All good :-) So tommorow will be an easy run and then the 8km cross country at Nowra. Now I have heard this is a tough, horrible course~ so hopefully my expectations are far worse than it actually is. Hopefully I will not be too embarrasingly slow or last... I will just clock up some participation points for Striders.

Today is the first World Elder Abuse Awareness Day and I spent a great day at an elder abuse symposium and am feeling really energised about work. There were great speakers especially the legal eagle from the Guardianship Tribunal. She was a really articulate, powerful speaker! I would love to combine my social work with law and get involved in the Guardianship Tribunal or The Office of the Public Guardian and advocate for the really vulnerable members of our community. Hmmmm that would involve some hard study, but still a thought!

Another perfect morning!

Today: 11.5km
Week: 29km
Month: 131km
Year: 1352km

Another perfect morning for a run... although my hands have only just defrosted. It was about 5 degrees this morning and I could not find my gloves.... so it felt very chilly. I know that those south of Sydney have it far worse, but I am a wus. I met Deanne, Ali and Bernie for a lovely run around the park. We covered the 11.5km in 64mins, averaged about 5:39/km. No niggles or dramas to report, just a great run with good company.

Windsprints....

Today: 8km
Week: 18km
Month: 120km
Year: 1341km

Well this mornings run was spectacular compared to last week in the rain.... but still very cold!! I had lots of layers on, which took a while to come off. I felt really " not in the mood" this morning and put in a crappy effort for the drills and strides. This was my first windsprints and Sean explained we had to do faster than our 5km race pace on the straights and slightly slower around the bends. We had 4.8km which was 12 laps ** groan**
We started off and I tucked in behind Bernie. I had planned to take the first 6 a little conservatively and then pick up the pace. So I aimed at 2min laps initially. The first few felt harder than they should.... once again reminding myself to run in the morning on Mondays! Then I seemed to get into a rhythm. On about the 6th lap Mark passed me so I used him to drag me along and then I tried to maintian the quicker pace. This seemed to work and the last laps I felt quite relaxed. I put in a good effort for the final lap and finished in 23:35. The garmin said I had averaged 4:40/km so I was happy with that! Sean said you could equate that time to a flat 5km on the road.... if that is true I am a happy camper. My best 5km pre marathon was 22:30. There was some good running out there this morning...... I think Fats lapped me three or four times! I finished feeling in a much better mood than I started.... another perk of running!

Happy Birthday to you...

Today: 10km
Week: 10km
Month: 112km
Year: 1333km

I love a public holiday... so happy Birthday to the Queen! I had a lovely monday off spent with my Mum, Sister, brother in law and my lovely neice Alex. She is almost 7 months old and is sooo cute and has an enormous set of lungs!! I opted for a sleep in this morning and had planed to go for a run at about 11am~ but housework got in the way, then lunch so I finally got out of the house when we got home at about 5pm. It was a great run..... really cold and clear and the moon was MASSIVE!!! I cruised along listening to the i-pod and felt great. No niggles at all and I felt nice and relaxed. I am back to enjoying my runs again instead of worrying about whether my pelvis is going to start to hurt..... gotta love that!!!

Distance: 10km
Time: 54min
Average Pace: 5:25/km

Homebush Star

Today 20.5km
Week: 70km
Month: 102km
Year: 1323km

I was undecided weather to run at Centenial park or head to the star at homebush.... given how wet the park would be I met Bernie at 6am for the 20km option at Homebush. It was dark and rainy when we started, but it stopped after about 25mins and held off for the rest of the run. It was quite windy and cold, but not too bad :-) I was soooo thankful that Bernie was there as most people were running the full 30km as the last run before Gold Coast. So us two girls stuck together and ran out 20.5km in 1hr 59mins. We maintianed a pretty good pace most of the run, although we were pretty tired and faded a bit towards the end. I felt pretty comfortable for the whole 20km, felt in a good rhythm.... but the old glutes were very tired by the 20km mark. It is amazing how quickly the body adjusts to the kms.... 3 weeks ago I ran 12km as my long run and it was exhausting. Today I feel great, although I will need a good stretch tonight! I have to say you appreciate a hot shower after 2 hrs in the wet and cold!!

So a big Woo Hoo!! This was a bit of a test this week.... 70km and 6 days of running. It is all feeling good. So if I can keep the core strong I might be on a winner! I am looking forward to Nowra on Saturday, although a little scared of this giant hill that we have to run twice. Hahaha.....the boys have to run in thrice, so it could be worse :-) I am going to try and add a few more hilly runs in from now in in preparation for city to surf and Sydney....hmmm maby a few more runs in Sydney park- that ought to do it!

A mad runner in the making

Today: 11km
Week: 49km
Month: 82km
Year: 1303km

I crawled out from under my doona (yes it is freezing in our unit) and headed into Sydney park for the cross country run. I was undecided about whether I should do 5km or 7.5km, but after my warm up with Don Juan and the huffing and puffing that resulted I decided on two laps (5km). There was a good turn out, despite the rain- last hit out before Nowra next week. I was feeling nervous about this run as it is the first race since Canberra and the whole slipped pelvis thing.... but I decided to not worry about my time and just be happy that I am running again. Now the course is a 2.5km loop around sydney park and it maanges to include 3 nasty hills. The first one feels like it goes forever, the second is short but really steep and third one is just mean! It was also wet and muddy but the rain was only sprinkling so it was quite nice. My first lap was 12:20 and I had probably run the first hill a bit too hard. The second time around I decided to forget about the time, my goal was too finish without stopping or walking..... as Sean says "There is no stopping in races"- well technically thast is not true, but it is a good philosophy! I felt like I was going backwads up the hills and lets just say my form was not particularly elegant... but hey I have never claimed to be lady like :-) I finished in 25:10 and felt really happy with my effort. The last time I ran this course last year I did 24:10. So after only 3 weeks back into running I am pretty pleased with the time and happy that I did not stop despite my brains best attempts to convince me it would be a good idea. So I have a bit of work to do to get the fitness back but it will happen!

The other exciting news is we bought Ray his new asics and some running shorts today.... and while I was at the cross country he headed out, in the rain to "try them out". Now if thats not a mad runner in the making I don't know what is! I am really proud of him. He started out walking which he built up to 10km most days. Then he started swimming after work..... now running! I hope he will come to the CR challenge and just run/ walk the 5km and then he will have something each month to compare to :-) So it is all happening in the Rowell household.

" I see red, I see red, I see red..."

Today:7km
Week:38km
Month: 71km
Year: 1292

I am still singing from last nights Split Endz concert... what a buzz! I bought these tickets for Ray as a thankyou for all his marathon support, and they were fantastic! After a late night to bed I was less than enthusiastic when the alarm went off at 5am.... but I had promised to meet a friend at the bay so up I got. It was a great run.... lots of catching up as we cruised around the bay. The rain just sprinkled and it was really lovely as the sun started to rise over the bay. I felt great... still buzzing from the night before. We did 7.2km in 38mins, averaged about 5:20/km which felt nice and comfy. I am looking forward to the cross country tommorow.... hopefully it is not pouring for the run.... some of the down hills are steep so I might end up on my bum!

Rest!

After a funeral yesterday and 5 hours in the car- this morning became a rest day. I just felt tired and stiff from all the driving, so gave the hills a miss. Instead I did my stretching and pillates. This week was a bit of a test with three days in a row of running. I am quite excited because apart from feeling tired the back and pelvis are all feeling good. I am going to have a run tommorow and then run the 5km cross country on Saturday.... so fingers crossed!!! That will be my first race since Canberra, but it is a really low key event so I should'nt feel too nervous :-)

Wednesday Long run

Today: 13km
Week: 31km
Month: 64km
Year: 1285km

I met Bernie and Deanne at the park at 5:30am for our 1 1/2hr run. It was raining and cold... but we warmed up pretty quickly. there were only a few other crazy runners out there this morning..... haha one guy actually gave us a bit of a cheer and said " yeah, I thought I was the only crazy one!". My glutes and abs felt tired from the outset this morning and I knew it was going to be a bit of a grind. I have been making sure I do all my glute and core exercises at night which means until they get stronger they feel really tired the next day. We plodded along and pretty soon we had covered 10km. At this point I let the girls finish off the second loop and I cut it short, through the park as my glutes were feeling really tired. I ended up doing 13km in 1hr 15mins but it was not a graceful run thats for sure :-) Still no pain or niggles which is great!!

Brrrr!

Today: 7km
week: 18km
month: 51km
year: 1272km

I think I can only just feel my fingers after this mornings efforts in the rain!!! It held off until we got started and rained for most of the session. I had taken my long sleeve off so I had something dry to put on.... and I could not feel my arms. We had three reps on the program today- 1x 2000m and 2 x1200m which Sean then changed to 1 x 1200m and 1 x 1600m. Sean wanted us to put in a good effort in the first 2000m rep, and that combined with last nights effort meant by the third 1600m rep I was pooped! I ran with Gil and we worked as a team. I set the pace for most of the reps and then she would pick up the pace and drag me home the last 100m. It worked well and it definately helped in the final rep. Apart from feeling pooped I was happy with the session. I didn't feel as breathless this week.... but my legs just did not have any oomph. I will have to make an extra effort to do my monday run in the morning so I can put in 100%. I could really feel my core muscles working today... by the third rep I could feel them screaming for me to stop, which is great because it means they are doing what they are meant to do. Felt like I had done 100 crunches... all good!

2000m- 9:30
1200m- 5:45
1600m- 7:50

Wicked Witch of the West....

Today: 11km
Week: 11km
Month: 44km
Year: 1265km

" I'm Melting, I'm Melting...." , well I was concerned enough about the risk that I bailed on the planned 5:30am run with Ali this morning **Sorry**. I just could not face the cold and the rain at that time of the morning... so Jen there is another nomination for the blowse :-) I had an 1hr10min run on the prgram but could only manage 1hr on the treadmill before I started to loose the plot! I have no idea how people run on the treadmill regularly! Apart from the mind numbing scenary I was really happy with this run. I felt a little stiff in the lower back to begin with but once I warmed up I felt great. I maintined about 5:20 pace for most of the run with a few minutes at 4:40 pace here and there to break up the run a little. Just like yesterday, the run felt really comfortable and not a struggle at all- very happy!!!

On a sour not..... our hot water system had a hissy fit last night. So Ray and I changed the fuse and then turned it back on only to have the fuse explode like a fire cracker! Now anyone who knows us will be aware of our sever limitations when it comes to anything practical and housey. So I took a day off and hung around for the hot water guy who called at 4:30pm to say.... ooops we overbooked and can not come today! Due to a funeral we have to attend we now can not have it fixed until thursday! So I wasted a day off, cancelled a massage for nothing. So I will have to use the showers at work and the gym.... boo hoo! Well, I could have a cold shower, but some how I don't think so!

Sabotage and a lot of cheering!!

Today: 19km
Week: 41km
Month: 33km
Year: 1254km

SATURDAY 3rd June

Weel Striders just was not meant to be. I was feeling a bit apprhensive about the run.... just a bit nervous about the hills and pushing to hard and stirring up the pelvis. I went to my physio appointment and he strongly suggested that I should hold off racing for another week but would let me make the decision. Well he then proceed to do some really deep tissue massage in my lower back and side which more or less made the decision for me... sabotage I say!!!! I woke up Saturday morning and felt like I had been through a few rounds with Kosta, so agreed with my body that another week of not racing was the smart choice. So I went to Lane Cove anyway and did rego's and catching duties with Mohammed, Bernie and Wayne. I went to the gym and did some cardio and my core exercises and upper body stuff. I then spent the afternoon at Scarbourough Park cheering the Striders in the realys. I had a ball, but am keen to do the cross country race next week for fear of becoming a professioal cheer girl!

SUNDAY 4th June

What an absolutely perfect morning!!! I met Bernie and Helen at 7am at Centenial Park and we were soon joined by Ali and Deanne who had already been out for an hour. We ran around both Centenial and Qeens park for an hour before picking Alison and Kerry up at 8am. It was such a nice morning- pefect weather and lots of chatting and laughing! We enjoyed running with out newly PB'd registered athlete who put in a great effort yesterday at the ANSW relays! We covered about 19km in 1hr 50mins. The great thing was there was not a peep out of anything anywhere on my body and I felt like I could have easily kept running. Woo Hoo!!! all looking good for the Gold Coast half.... it won't be record breaking but at least I feel I will cover the distance now :-) Oh and we finished with the worlds best home baked double choc biscuits courtesy of Allison!! I am telling you that girl can cook!!

Puffin' Billy...

Today: 6.3km
Week: 22km
Month: 14km
Year: 1235km

I met Deanne and Bernie this morning at the park for our 30min run. We started running on the outside of the park as the sun started to come up and then finished off on the inside loop. It was really cold to start with and it felt hard to breath the air and we were puffin along like steam trains... hehe at least I was! A bit of chatter about up coming races and me trying to egg Deanne on for a big run at the striders 10km :-) We will need out winter woolies tommorow at Lane Cove.... gets a tad frosty this time of year!
Today: 6.3km
Time: 33:30
Average Pace: 5:18/km

Big Bertha

Today: 8km
Week: 16km
Month: 8km
Year: 1229km

After a brief discussion of the pros and cons of getting out of bed, I dragged myself out and headed to the park for a hills session. I was a little worried about how the pelvis would handle the down hill section of Big Bertha and decided I would not go all out on the downhill section and to stop if it was causing any discomfort. Sean only had me down for 6 reps which suited me perfectly! So after a warm up, drills and strides we launched in to the hills. Now before the marathon I go my average reps down to about 2:10 with my best being 2:02. This morning I sat on 2:20, which I was really happy with! I was not pushing the down hill section... so 10 secs slower per rep was great! I was expecting it to be a lot worse. I am looking forward to not worrying about putting in 100% effort..... another week should do it fingers crossed. Even better than the time was that there was not a peep out of my back/pelvis. It felt really comfortable and I could actually feel my abs were working and holding it together.... not a niggle or twinge!!! Woo Hoo!! I am going to run the Striders 10km race on Saturday and am expecting a very pedesterian time... but who cares I am just happy to be running again :-) I am on stanby for the striders female team at the relays.... fingers crossed I am not needed ( How embarrasing will that be!)