Doona monster....

Today: 13km
Week: 13km
Month: 360km
Year: 1830km

I was trapped in bed this morning by the Doona Monster..... no not Ray :-) I opted for the extra 2hrs sleep and headed out this afternoon after work. I had 70mins on the program and covered 13km~ average pace 5:29/km. It was hilly loop around home and it was pretty cold and windy tonight. The hills are becoming easier which is nice..... all is going well in my mission to make hills my friend :-) Unfortunately the shenanigans with the doona monster mean I do not get much recovery for my speed work tommorow..... no rest for the wicked. On a different note.... has any one experienced loosing your appetite when training for a marathon? I am getting very hungry but have not a lot of desire for anything in particular. This happened at about the same point before Canberra.... am I just fussy?

Hills, hills and more hills!

Saturday 29th July

Today: 12km
Week: 74km
Month: 314km
Year: 1784km

Today was the CR 5km challenge.... which was very exciting as it was Rays first 5km race. We headed into the bay and did a warm up and then chatted with the usual suspects. I decided to aim for 23mins this morning- if I could do this I would be pretty happy. This week has been a heavy training week, so I thought it would give me an idea of how I was going. I lined up with Ray and his pacer Blue Dog and Deanne. As soon as we started I realised Ray and Blue Dog were quicker than 23min pace, so Deanne and I let them glide away :-) Ray looked very comfortable and I was so happy to be able to be chasing him. I felt really comfortable and just focused on maintaining the pace. At the 4.5km mark I felt really pooped and just wanted to stop. Deanne had been sitting just behind me until this point and then took off.... I just could not go with her. So I finished with 23:13 and was really happy with the run. The splits were pretty even....and even though I felt the last km was really slow it was the same pace. Ray had managed a 21:59 for his first 5km and did it comfortablty..... I was sooo excited! I can't run fast so I may as well live it through him. If he can do this after 9 weeks running, I cant wait to see him in 6months! After the run back we finished off with a yummy breakfast.

Sunday 30th July

Today: 33km
Week: 107km
Month: 347km
Year: 1817km

A whole group of us met at the park and ran through the park, into the city, onto William st and then ran the city to surf course, then up Bondi rd, along to Queens Park and back into Centenial park to finish off. I had started earlier and done an extra 20mins to make up my distance. It was a spectacular morning, not too cold, clear blue skies and a great sun rise! I soaked up the views because I will not be particularly interested in two weeks :-) I felt pretty comfortable for most of the run, even the hills did not feel too bad. I was pretty pooped for the last 20mins and was very happy to see my little car!!! We bumped into a disapearing Lulu and steve topwards then end and am sure we looked like wrecks! Benrnie did really well, managing to do her 30km run with a cold.... and provided well deserved coke at the end :-) Once I had a good stretch I felt pretty good and went to Deanne's for a lovely breakfast and lots of talking!! So this week I did 107km which is the most I have ever run in a week. The legs feel fine and I am happy to report I have handled the kms pretty well! I have another big week next week but I get a shorter sunday long run... woo hoo! I feel really confident about the city to surf after todays run. If I can feel ok up those hills with 107 km's in the legs, race day should be a bit better....I hope :-)

33km- 3hrs 09mins Average pace 5:44/km

Update:

Thursday 27th July

Today: 10km
Week: 52km
Month: 292km
Year: 1763km

After yesterdays long run I had a really sore glute... not enough stretching. It was still sore this morning so I gave hills a miss. I decided to give it a good stretch and run in the afternoon if it felt fine. By the afternoon it felt great so I did a 10km hilly loop from home and surged all the hills. There was about 10 hill surges, so I feel I made up for this morning. Finished off at the gym and then lots of stretching. 10km- 53:30, average pace 5:23/km

Friday 28th July

Today: 10km
Week: 62km
Month: 302km
Year: 1772km

I met some friends at Leichardt and we did a run down to around the water and back. There were some good hills in this run as well.... all good for city to surf! The view was spectacular this morning and well worth the early rise. The glute felt fine this morning.... no sign of the mysterious tightness. This run was almost the same as yesterday- 10km 53:40, average pace 5:25/km. Tommorow is the CR 5km at the bay.... I am going to gice 23mins a go. My last cr 5km before canberra was 22:30.... boo hoo I am not in that form!

Theres nothing wrong with us...

Today: 20km
Week:42km
Month: 282km
Year: 1753km
Met up with Bernie, Kulinda, Helen and Deanne this morning for our mid week long run. I know it is politically incorrect but I was a little dissapointed to run in the rain again. I knew winter marathon training would break the drought. Bernie and I had 1hr 45mins on the program and we did our usual outside park loop and then around the golf course and then back into the park to finish off. We were all very chatty intially, but then as we all got tired we got very quiet. Bernie and I got to 1hr 44mins and she announced either 1 min to go or 700m to make 20km...... haha not a lot of thought we both opted for the 700ms~ nothing wrong with us, we just like whole numbers. Thankfully Bernie managed to get her foot off the fence this week :-) After last nights fitball class the glutes were really tired and I felt them ++ this morning, especially towards the end of the run. We maintained a really good pace, which felt comfortable except the screaming glutes! So I am sitting here in my skins under my pants.... I feel like a superhero :-)
20km- 1hr 47:30 Average pace: 5:23/km

A not so speedy speed session!

Monday 24th July
Today: 12km
Week: 12km
Month: 262km
Year: 1733km
Punishment for not getting out of bed this morning was having to run this evening after work. I felt so much better today and it was a really nice night for a run. I had an hour on the program and finished 12km in 63mins. I then headed to the gym for my core and ab exercises.

Tuesday 25th July

Today: 10km
Week: 22km
Month: 272km
Year: 1743km
I felt really tired this morning despite a really good night sleep. Headed to the park and the rain held off *phew*. We had 2200m, 1600m and 1000m reps this morning with an active recovery. I had a good warm up, drills and strides and felt pooped by then end if it.... I knew it was going to be a tough session. I just had no oomph in the legs today. The rest of me was willing but there was no get up and go! I just gritted my teeth and grinded this one out today. I was really happy to just keep a pretty consistant pace and get this one done. I really focused on keeping good form and lifting my knees..... haha helped take my mind off my burning legs :-)
2200m- 10:33, 1600m- 7:35, 1000m- 4:36
So next week when the alarm goes off on Monday morning and I want to stay in bed I will remind myself how tough a speed session is on tired legs. The lovely blue dog is going to pace Ray on Saturday for the CR challenge... thats exciting!

No tears...

Today: 10km
Week: 80km
Month: 250km
Year: 1721km

Well there were no tears and I managed to not drop Alex in the holy water :-) We had a fantastic day and despite teething Alex was wonderful in the church..... all the time for that matter :-) I will get Ray to put some photos on for me. This morning I headed to the bay with Ray to do some secret training for the CR challenge next week. It will be his first one and he was keen to sus it out. I felt really heavy in the legs after yesterdays efforts and Ray was bounding along next to me obviously finding the run a breeze. I can not believe how well he is doing. Any way he dragged me around for ten kms in 52mins averaging 5:15/km. This was quicker than I intended and I had to tell Ray to run ahead for the last 2 kms because I was struggling to keep up...... hehehe I had better get used to that I think!!! So I can' t wait for next week when I will get to chase him down.... a bit like the old days :-) I am getting ready to get my butt kicked...... can't wait!!

Long one!

Today: 33km
Week: 70km
Month: 240km
Year: 1711km

Tommorow is the christening of my beautiful niece and Ray and I are God parents so I decided to move the long run to today ~ otherwise I might drop Alex in the holy water! I met Deanne at the park and she ran the first 45mins with me. I then settled into my run and cruised around the park listening to my i-pod. The legs felt heavy after my massage but they felt pretty good. At about the 16km mark I started to struggle mentally.... only half way, this is going to be a struggle. So I had a bit of a stretch and then ran into Kerrie. I was so happy to have a bit of a distraction. We plodded around together for 20mins and then I headed off again. I felt in a really good rhythm for the rest of the run and maintained a pretty good pace~ I mainly ran around Centenial park, Queens park, the golf course and then back into Centenial park to finish off the 33km. I much prefer having a big loop course where you can head towards home, rather than having to keep looping around to make up the km's. I also spotted Don Juan, Mohammed and Sparkie all looking much speedier than me :-) The last hour it started to rain, but it was not heavy and it was really enjoyable. Overall covered 33km in 3hrs 3mins~ average pace 5:33/km. Now I get a sleep in and a nice easy run tommorow :-)

A grease and oil change....

Today: 6km
Week: 37km
Month: 207km
Year: 1678km

Today was an easy 30min run. I turned the alarm off at 5am and decided another hour in bed was needed. Then at 6am I had an overwhelming urge to get back into bed.... the pillow looked so comfy! I layered up and head off into the dark to do a 6km loop around home. You know when your car needs a tune up and it pings.... well that was me this morning. My whole body felt tired after yesterdays hills and I am sooooo looking forward to my massage this afternoon. It has been ages since I saw Tiger so the legs are in need of a tune up! Once I warmed up I felt pretty good and was home in the hot shower pretty quickly :-) 6km, average 5:38/km

No rest for the wicked.....

Today: 10km
Week: 31km
Month: 201km
Year: 1672km

This morning was a hills session and woo hoo the rain held off! We had on the program 3 sets of 3 hill reps with a 2min active recovery. The aim was to attack the uphill and float the downhill. Sean told me when I arrived I had to do 4 sets of 3 reps..... no rest for the wicked. We warmed up and did the drills and strides and then into the hill. I pretty good, I was a bit worried about the weights at the gym last night. The first set I felt pretty good and finished in 7:01 for the three reps. The so called 2 min recovery was based on when the speddies finished so my recovery was 20secs... aghhh! I worked really hard this morning and tried to keep really upright on the uphill. The glutes were burning by the third set. We finished the third set and 10 secs later Sean was saying " up on the line".... this was very tough with no recovery. I thought I would either cry or vomit..... lucky I did neither! I was so pooped at the end but really enjoyed the session. I found it great to break the 12 up into 4 sets.... seemed a lot less daunting. So city2surf here we come!

Reps: 7:01, 7:01, 6:58, 6:56

I have also been tagged by DJ.... so here we go

4 Jobs:
Deli hand at Bi-lo
Personal Care assistant in Aged Care facility
Welfare worker at Homeless drop in shelter
Social Worker Aged Care Psychiatry

4 Movies I could watch over and over:
Pirates of the Carrabian
Lord of the Rings
Strictly Ballroom
The Castle

4 Places I have lived:

Newcastle
Brisbane
Morriset
Narwee

4 TV shows I like

Seinfield
The Simpsons
House
Greys annatomy

4 Holidays

Vietnam
Lord Howe Island
New Zealand
Japan

4 Web sites I look at daily
Cool running
Hotmail

4 places I'd rather be

Running anywhere
Lord Howe Island
Tasmania
Africa

4 Favourite foods

Chocolate
Cereal
Tofu
Bananas

4 bands I like

Missy Higgins
Midnight Oil
Split Endz
Pink Floyd

4 bloggers I tag

Bernie G
Rebelecka
Running Widow
Gronk

Its raining, its pouring.....

Today: 11km
Week: 21km
Month: 191km
Year: 1662km

I met Miss Bernie and Deanne this morning for an hour in the rain. It was not only wet but Brrr cold! We ran 11km in 61mins and felt really comfortable.... average opace 5:33/km. It took me a while to warm up, felt really stiff and sore all over courtesy of the fitball class tuesday night. It is brilliant for the core but you feel it the next day..... this morning I could feel evry bit of my ab's protesting away :-) Bernie and I discussed the injustices that happen to good people the whole way around.... we might become vigil anties :-) Hills tommorow, that should be fun!

Brave Heart!

Today: 10km
Week: 10km
Month: 180km
Year: 1651km

This morning it was the brave and hardy that got out of bed and braved the rain and wind. I met Bernie and Wayne at the gates and waynes umbrealla almost blew away. It was pouring with rain and really windy and I was questioning our sanity!! We did a few laps of the oval wondering how we would manage 1600m reps in the mud. Sean decided instead we would do two laps of the park (3.7km) at 10km race pace with a 5 minutes active recovery. I felt great in the first lap and the pace felt easy to maintain.... but I was not sure I could do 2 laps at that pace. I decided to not back off and just try to hang on in the second rep. Parts of the path were completely flooded and almost ankle deep water.... the shoes felt about 5kg heavier. As soon as I started the 2nd rep I knew it was going to be hard going. My breathing and cardio was fine but the legs were feeling the 32km run from Sunday and yesterdays gym work! I felt myself slowing 3/4 of the way through and just tried to hang on. I felt like I was going much slower but ended up 10secs slower than the first. I felt really satisfied at the end of the session.... I worked really hard on both reps and did not fade as badly as I thought in the 2nd rep. We only saw the backs of the fasties ever so briefly as they disapeared into the rain :-)

3.7km- 17:58, 18:08

Western Wanderer.

Today: 32.5km
Week: 76km
Month: 170km
Year: 1641km

This morning was spent running around the inner wester suburbs of sydney. We started at Brett Park Drummoyne and ran around Five Dock, Chiswick, Abbortsford, Canada Bay, Cabarita, concord, and back through Five Dock, Rodd Point and around the bay. The first half of the run was in complete fog and we could have been anywhere.... no water in sight! The 6am striders group were great this morning.... started in a big group and stuck together for quite a while before breaking up. I settled into a group of 4 who were running a little faster than I wanted but I was feeling comfortable and I thought I would see how long I could stick with them. Then at about 20km I got a second wind which was good because as we got closer to home the pace picked up. We end up running 32.5 in just on 3hrs~ average pace 5:38/km. The legs felt great today and the hamstring and calf tightness was no where to be seen.... hahaha maby I should have run harder yesterday :-) I felt really strong running today.... amazing how the body remembers all the Canberra training. The wonderful Bernie had hidden me a diet coke which was much appreciated~ you all know how I crave this after a long run :-) Now I am off to my sisters for some yummy vego lasagna for lunch....mmmmmm lasagna!

Update

Friday 13th July

Today: 6km
Week: 34km
Month: 128km
Year: 1599km

Easy 6km run tonight- my right calf and hamstring felt a bit tight, I am really needing a massage! covered the 6km in 31:30. Felt nice and relaxed.

Saturday 14th July

Today: 10km
Week: 44km
Month: 138km
Year: 1609km

Today was the state short course cross country at The Crest at Bankstown. The girls had to do 5km and the course looked really wet and muddy. We arrived a bit early for Ray to run his first race in the 4km fun run ( I will let him blog about it).... all I will say was it was very exciting to see him out there running and he finished really well! I am so proud of him...... a muddy cross country is not the easiest runs for your first race. I then did a warm up run keeping an eye out for Bernie who had not arrived yet! finally I spotted her *phew* and we did another quick loop before lining up for the start. I was a bit worried about my leg feeling tight but once the gun went off I forgot all about it. I knew the course was muddy as all the earlier races the kids had come in covered in mud! We had to do a 2km loop then a 3km loop and most of it was on muddy tracks. There were a few steppish downhill sections in the first 2km loop and people were slipping and sliding all over the place. I decided to just go for it and if I fell who cares. By some miracle I did not slip over.... haha despite a few very close calls! As we turned around a sharp bend the girl in front came crashing down, but she jumped up unhurt. I was quite disorientated and was not sure which direction we were running in and was really surprised when I realised we were almost finished. We popped out onto the synthetic track and I put in a really good spurt to sprint the last 200m. I LOVED this run! I finished in 24:25 which I was really happy with the time,especially given how slipperry, muddy and rough parts of the course was. I felt really strong today and really enjoyed the run. There were lots of great runs again today and I can not blieve how well craig ran so soon after the marathon...... impressive! All good fun :-)

Fartlek

Today: 8km
Week: 28km
Month: 122km
Year: 1593km

This morning we had the outside loop on the prgram but when we turned up we saw that sean was marking out the 1km loop which meant a tough session was on the cards. This fartlek session involves you surging and floating but the floats are meant to be a bit slower than 5km race pace.... so you end up working hard the whole session. I enjoyed this the last time we did it, but I get nervous when I know I have a tough one...I always worry I can't do it. Sean let those of us doing the cross country short course on Saturday do 4km instead of 7km. Once we got going I felt pretty good and decided to try and stick not to far behind Kulinda. I worked pretty hard to put in a good surge and my floats felt harder and harder. I averaged 4:40min/km and finished 19:16. Again once it was over I really enjoyed it! It is a nice feeling when you know you have put in a hard effort. My body felt a bit stiff today.... I did a fitball class which worked all the core muscles, so I need a good stretch!

Easy run.

Today: 11km
Week: 20km
Month: 114km
Year: 1585km
I had to drag myself up this morning to meet Bernie and Deanne for our mid week run. Bernie is on holidays and was being a champion for running with me so early... so not going was out of the question. It was really mild again this morning and we had an hour on the program. We ran around the outside of the park, it is still too dark to run on the grass. We chatted the whole way and it was a great way to start the day. My right calf felt a bit tight this morning, needs a bit more stretching. We bumped into Helen in Queens park so we had some extra company. We covered 11.3km in 63mins ~average pace 5:39/km.

800's

Today: 9km
Week: 9km
Month: 103km
Year: 1574km

I had 5 x 800m reps with 1:30 min active recovery on the program this morning. It was not as dark or cold which was a nice change. There was a big crowd this morning with Horrie making an appearance. My aim today was to try and do all 5 about the same pace and put a hard effort in for each one. I was able to do them all around the same pace and worked pretty hard on the 4th and 5th rep. The recovery seemed to go very quickly especially as Sean wanted us to keep up a good paced jog. I was really pleased with how quickly I recovered at the end of the session.

800's- 3:39, 3:39, 3:35, 3:33, 3:34

Ten bridges

Today: 29km
Week: 70km
Month: 94km
Year: 1565km

Today was one of my favourite Striders run called the Ten Bridges. It starts off in Lane cove and runs through Lane Cove, Woolstencraft, North Sydney, Lavander Bay, past Lunar park, up onto the Harbour Bridge, through the city, through Darling Harbour, Pyrmont, over the Anzac bridge, through Glebe, past the Bay back onto Iron Cove Bridge, Victoria rd, Hunters Hill, acros Byrns bay rd bridge and then back to the start at Lane Cove. It was a spectacular morning, cold and clear blue skies. The sunrise and running across the bridge made the 4:50am get up all worth it! I ran the first 15km or so with Bernie.... the others doing the full 30km had all dissapeared very quickly! The last 15km I was pretty much on my own.... that was ok though I was really enjoying the run. Thankfully the faster guys came through at one spot where I was a little directionally challenged and then I could keep them in the distance so I didn't get lost. I was quite excited to have caught a few of the other runners only doing 24km... theres a first! I was really nervous about this run today. It is the first really long one since Canberra and I was not sure how I would handle it. I am happy to report apart from the usual aches of 3 hrs of running the body and legs feel fine. I definately need new shoes.... I could almost feel the road through my shoes. I covered the 29km in 2:48 running time.... but I was out there for 3 hrs including my map reading stops :-) I felt really comfortable for most of the run and there are some pretty good hills in there too. So I am a happy girl today.... I am sure to need a nana nap before dinner tonigh!

A'hoy there...

Today: 8km
Week: 41km
Month: 65km
Year: 1566km

Met up with the woodstock guys this morning for a nice social run to Canada Bay. It was a beautiful morning to be out in the sun.... mmmmm followed with yummy fruit toast at Bowen Island! Averaged 5:30/km pace for the run and felt not too bad. Me feet were feeling the pounding today.... added up my shoes and time for a new pair. So tommorow some retail therapy. Pirates was great!!! Lots of action and lots of Johnny Depp :-) Although Keira Knightly had a very wrong fake tan happening. Ooooh now I have to wait for the third one! Tommorow is the first of the long runs in the lead up to Sydney...... 3hrs *gulp* haha I fogort I actually have to do the long runs for the marathon. I have a few weeks of 3hr runs and then the distance will drop back and build up again. Seans program worked a charm for Canberra so here goes. I am sure to be a zombie tommorow!

Like a fish in water!

Today: 11km
Week: 33km
Month: 57km
Year: 1558km

Ray and I headed out this evening for a run together. I asked Ray how long he wanted to runa nd he said 45mins. So I plotted out in my head which way to run and we were off. I felt crap for about 3kms.... really tired, but then I felt like I could run all night. About 30mins into the run I realised I had underestimated the distance and we were going to take longer than 15mins to get home.....typically I am directionally challenged at times! I told Ray to tell me when he wanted to stop and we would walk the rest of the way. We got closer and closer to home and there was no sign of stopping....hahaha stubborn buggar~ he was going to run home no matter what. He actually ran the 11km comfortably although I think he was tired when we finished. We covered 11km in 59mins. It was so great to run together and great to see him improving in leaps and bounds. He is being really sensible too~ stretching, resting when he is tired and even had a massage with Easy Tiger. Were off to see Johnny Depp in Pirates tonight...... how I love a man in mascarra ;-)

Tired legs!!!

Today: 10km
Week: 22km
Month: 46km
Year: 1557km

I could not quite entice Ray to training this morning.... which is probably sensible, I don't want to break him too quickly! We had hill reps this morning and my legs were feeling the effects of last nights gym session. Sean said for Bernie and I to do 5.... others had 6 or 7 (yuck!). The first rep felt pretty crappy.... my hamstrings were feeling pretty tired. My legs felt tired, but I coped pretty ok on the uphills. I did not feel like my heart was going to explode quite as much as usual :-) The plan was to do each rep faster than the one before. I used Kulinda and Helen as my markers and tried to chase them down each rep. Finished feeling pooped and sooo happy I only had 5!
Reps: 3:23, 3:20, 3: 13, 3:11, 3:09

Update.

Monday 3rd July

Rest day! Pretty sore in the quads, calfs and abs....at least I know I worked hard. We drove down to Byron Bay and had lunch. We walked up to the light hous and you could see dolphins swimming and whales off the coast. the most amazing thing were the sea turtles! The water was that clear and blue you could see the sea turtles clearly swimming around and playing in the surf..... I was a happy Kitty Kat! We flew home and crashed in bed.

Tuesday 4th July

Today: 6km
Week: 6km
Month: 30km
Year: 1541km

I was still feeling sore this morning so I opted for an easy 6km run from home instead of speed work. In my effort to stay injury free I am trying to give the body rest when it needs it......the rain also made the choice pretty easy ;-) Plodded nice and slowly.... covered the 6km in 32mins. Finished at the gym and got stuck into the core and glute exercises.

Wednesday 5th July

Today: 6km
Week: 12km
Month: 36km
Year: 1547km

The legs felt fine today... soreness all gone. I had another rrealxed run on the program so I headed out on my 6km loop from the Gym. I had been absoultely freezing at home so was enjoying defrosting in the warm sun! I can not believe how cold our unit is.... I am still waiting for my central heating that mark promised ;-) I finished at the gym with my exercises. I can really feel a big improvement in these exercises and I am not getting quite as sore... finally!! I am so proud of Ray.... he has been really enjoying running and went out early this morning. He is on holidays this week so I might bring him to training tommorow.... so he can see what it is I rabbit on about. We are in one spot tommorow so he can do as much or little as he likes. All very exciting!!

I am feeling really happy with my run on Sunday. I felt really great for most of the run and surprised my self with the pace. It has given me a big boost of energy for the next few months of training....I really feel that a sub 70min city to surf is possible. I am also really wanting to get my 10km time down a bit. So the big goal is the Sydney Marathon, with a few other goals along the way.

Gold coast!

What a spectacular weekend!! We arrived at the gold coast on Friday and picked up our stuff and checked in. The weather was spectacular..... the only negative was my awful cold and and the wierd spots that had appeared all over my tummy! I decided the power of positive thinking was needed and just took cold and flu medication and pretended it was not there. Met up with Deanne and Ali Friday evening and they were getting excited! Ray and I went for a nice 6km run alone the water front..... felt a bit breathless from the cold but otherwise a great run.
Ray aand I met with Ali and Deanne for a nice easy 5km run. Lots of marathon cahtter and all very exciting. We then headed to Lamington national park to O'Reiley's Plateau... a long but beautiful drive! We then met up with Ali and Deanne for a nice dinner before the big event. The girls were getting excited and nervous by now.... it was great to be a part of it. Haha also took my mind off my yucky cold and the half marathon I was meant to be running. I crashed into bed and had a really great sleep.

I awoke just before the alarm at 4am and jumped up. Poped some cold and flu tablets.... my ears were really blocked. I had decided to just run and see what happens. If I feel like crap it would be quickly turning into a training run. The girls came to our unit and w got ready together. they wer now really excited and nervous... lots of checking and re-checking. This was a great way to take my mind off racing... I felt really realxed, which was a nice change. We walked over to the start.... we were starting at 6:30am and the marathon at 6:50am. had enough time to drop my bad and make my way to the start. We managed to find a hole in the fence, so Bernie, Bec, Karin and myself squeezed in up the front. There were about 4500 people running so we did not want to be at the back. the gun went off and we took about 30 sec to cross the line.... not too bad!

I settled into a nice rhythm quickly. My breathing felt ok and I was feeling pretty relaxed. Now the next few kms I felt really comfortable and was surprised to see they were all sub 5min kms. I kept thinking I should slow down, this was too fast.... but I felt really good. I decided stuff it.... I will just try and keep this up. I always run a little conservatively... lets just give it ago. I got to the 14km mark and was still at sub 5 min pace. Now this is when I started to get tired and thought " you stuffed this one up"! I just focused on my form and picked someone who looked strong up ahead and focused on not letting her get away. I felt like I had slowed to 6 min pace and was surprised to se I managed to hover around the 5:05 mark. At about 16km the 1:45 pacer past me and he said to the group..... If we can maintain this we are fine! I thought I might try and stick with them... picked up the pace but hahaha they just glided on by! Now at the 18km mark I did some maths and realised I could do 6mins km and I would be happy with my time. I was hanging out for the shute and the crowd.... then I would be not too far from the finish. The last two kms were hard work and I really felt like I was not moving fast at all. Then I saw the finish line and could not believe my eyes it was telling me 1:46: 30..... so I put the foot down and sprinted as hard as I could and crossed at 1:46:50. Woo Hoo! Thats a 5min course PB and about 1:30min Half PB!! I am so happy with that time... I went out a bit too quickly and then had to work really hard in the last few kms... but who cares! So my chip time was 1:46:28!!! I am so happy with this result especially since I had 8 weks of no running after Canberra with the pelvis. So after 5 weeks training I am feeling great....touch wood this continues.

So I had time to have a drink and a gu and then walk 4kms back up the road to wait for Deanne and Ali. I stood with Jen and some othe CR's and cheered while waiting for the girls. I was feeling really tired and nervous about my promise to Deanne that I would run the last bit of the marathon with her. I did not want to let her down but I was feeling pretty pooped! Thank god Jen had some snakes... which I polished off quite a few :-)
the Deanne appeared around the corner and we were off! I asked how she was going .... " Fucked!" Now if you know Deanne you will know that swearing is not a usuall event for her! Ali was behind her and she had her husband running with her. Now Deanne has worked sooooo hard for this marathon and I was so excited that she was about to complete it. I asked her if she wanted me to just run with her or talk.... "please talk to me" was the response. Now talking is my strong point! Deanne was working really hard and she was dehydrated and it was starting to show. she was not 100% stable but she was determined to keep those legs going and finish! I reminded her that her goal was to finish in under 4hrs and she was well and truely going to smash that target! The crowd was amazing and the cheers were sooo loud! A few people were yelling to me "wow you look great, almost there" hahaha I did not correct them that I had only run half the distance!!! I was getting the crowd to cheer for Deanne and then we were in the finishers chute (again). There were so many people in the chute and Deanne was a bit unsteady by now.... ziging in and out was proving a little difficult. With 100m to go I gave her a pat on the back and said "bring it home!". God knows where she got it from but she bolted for the finish and crossed with a finishing time of 3:43!!! I had a big lump in my throat and was sooo happy for her! That is one tough and determined woman! Ali finished a few minutes later in 3:48: 50.

What a weekend!!!!

I will post a few photos soon!