Friday, March 31, 2006

9 Sleeps and a Drizzly Misty Morning Run at 6am

Distance: 10:01km!! (I did try to stop Gandalf at the beep, Ewen)
Time taken: 1hour 19secs
Average pace per km: 6:02
Calories burned: 594

Comments: This was supposed to be an aerobic session and I did follow the program but at a much slower pace than intended. It was difficult to see as everywhere I ran was covered in a low swirling mist and the street lights radiated a soft glow but not much light. It must have been raining all night and underfoot was wet and full of puddles and there was a light endless drizzle to keep me cool. I was leaping over puddles and avoiding uneven surfaces. I think I'm a bit paranoid about injuries right now! I ran for 20mins then tried 4mins faster, 3mins faster, 2mins faster with 2min jog between each faster bit. Note I say "faster" not "fast" as obviously my overall pace did not reflect speed! However I felt comfortable and quite enjoyed my run in the drizzly misty morning. Oh and Ewen I ran the Kaleen block 1 3/4 times but not in reverse. It is steeper the other way not more undulating - a definite blond comment!!

Wednesday, March 29, 2006

Countdown - 11 Sleeps!

Activity: Run at 6am
Distance: 10.27km
Time: 59:22
Average pace per km: 5:54

Comments: A pleasant morning although very dark. I tried to stay where there were street lights. I ran round the Kaleen block clockwise then the extra 4km anti-clockwise which is a lot more undulating. I had to watch my footing on the uneven paths but I actually quite enjoyed the run and felt comfortable after the initial warm-up. It's always difficult to start out early but it's also a good way to wake up properly for the day ahead!

Today I had a physio appointment and my physio's wife treated me as he is on holiday. She's also a physio and just lovely. She really worked on my ITBs and feet - hurt heaps at the time but felt really good afterwards.

Activity: Yoga
Some of those stretches really work on the calf muscles. It's very 'ouch' but it's probably the only way I would ever stretch properly - an hour and a quarter of stretching basically before a fifteen minute relax pose - very difficult to stay awake at the end.

Tomorrow I have to fly to Sydney for the day for a meeting so it will be the rest day (from running) that I would have otherwise had on Friday. Oops, I had better book the taxi for the morning!

Monday, March 27, 2006

speedygeoff's group at Parliament House

13 sleeps to Ultra

Distance: 10km
Time: 1 hour
Calories: 563

Session: 2 loops round Parliament House (about 1.7km each) then 5 x laps of the grassy stretch combined with path all the way down the front of Parliament House over the bridges across the bottom and up the other side (about 800m I think) and supposedly running fast UP the far side. Those UPs were tough. After 5 laps of this (in the case of Colin and David it was 6) we ran another warm down loop round Parliament House and speedygeoff, Ewen and I ran the remaining 600metres to make the distance 10km! There were a number of newcomers tonight and it was a good turnout. I met and chatted with a lady (girl) in my age group who has a much stronger kiwi accent than me. She's only been in Oz three years and she lived very near my home town. Instead of today I will have a rest day tomorrow.

Sunday, March 26, 2006

Two Weeks to Canberra Ultra, a Shorter 'Long' Run and NO Chocolate!

Total km for first taper week: 74km

Distance: 30.01km at 8.15am
Time taken: 2hours 54mins
Average pace per km: 5:48
Calories burned: 1571
Fastest km: 4:51 (woo hoo)

Comments: Met up with JS at the yacht club and ran part of the marathon course from there. First we ran towards Telopea Park school where we ran round the last part of the 50km section to give an idea of where it goes then we ran round Parliament House and along Melbourne Avenue and on through Red Hill past those beautiful embassies and on along La Perouse Street which is surprisingly undulating and all tree-lined and gorgeous, then on through Manuka and back to the yacht club. It was exactly 30km - well, 30.01km by the time I had pressed the button on Gandalf! To start I felt a bit lethargic but once we were in our rhythm I felt so much better than yesterday. The only real drama was when I reached for my drink bottle and knocked my mobile out of its pouch and it fell heavily on the ground. We managed to sort of put it together but now I can hear other people on the phone but they can't hear me. Mr B thinks it's karma which is a bit cruel! It's very difficult when I can hear people at the other end saying "speak to me, speak to me" while I'm yellling at the top of my voice "HELLO, HELLO, I'M HERE!" Damn, how inconvenient but at least I can still send text messages!

After the run and the usual lovely cold lake paddle, we met up with Mr B, CJ & Mr CJ, The Hare & N for a scrumptious lunch at Black Pepper. I had such a great cappuccino too.

Oh and today while I was shopping for more guu Mr B bought a kitkat and offered me half and I said "NO". I also turned down a tim tam tonight. End of Day 2 of no chocolate - good girl strewth!

Saturday, March 25, 2006

A Not-so-easy "Easy" Run at 10.15am

Distance: 8.01km (yes Ewen .01)
Time: 47:30
Average pace per km: 5:56
Calories burned: 457
Fastest km: 5:30

Comments: For an easy run I found it difficult. I woke to the sound of rain absolutely pelting down which was a good excuse to stay in bed a bit longer. Then the sun came streaming through the curtains so I knew I couldn't use that excuse much longer. Mr B decided to join me this morning but I think he was frustrated with my slow pace. My feet felt like leaden blocks on the ends of my legs and did not want to cooperate with my body. It took me about 6km before I felt in the slightest bit human. My back really ached and I'm wondering if it's a result of the massage yesterday. He really worked on my back and at the time it felt good but today has been quite painful. In spite of the extra sleep I was also feeling tired. Mind you it could all have been because I had only eaten a small banana and was hanging out for breakfast! Sustenance can make a difference to the energy levels. Tomorrow is a 30km run so I'm hoping I feel much much better than today!

On a good note we went to the sales today and bought a lovely duck down doona and doona cover for our bed. I'm looking forward to snuggling down under it tonight. Oh and I did NOT have a tim tam when the packet was waved enticingly in front of me this evening. This is day one of no chocolate until after the marathon. There, I've written it down so there's no backing out of it now!!

Thursday, March 23, 2006

Everything Hurts and Tomorrow Looks Good!

Distance: 10:29km
Time: 59:22
Calories burned: 594
Average pace per km: 5:46
Fastest km: 5:05

Session: 15mins warm-up followed by 2 x 10mins tempo with 3 mins between then 15minutes cool-down and run the remaining kilometres to finish.

Comments: Ran from work seeking a satellite which appeared just as I crossed the bridge to the lake. Ran from the ferry terminal, past the museum, over Black Mountain peninsula and on a few more kms before turning and running back to work via the ferry terminal and bridge over the lake. It took ages to get into my rhythm. My knees hurt, my feet hurt (yes, I remembered my orthotics this time) and my back hurt. I managed to run through the pain in my knees and feet but my back hurt all the way to the end. I have a massage booked for tomorrow so here's hoping he can relieve the pain. My tempo part of the run wasn't exactly fast as I seemed to be running on the undulating parts again. I pushed but the legs just weren't cooperating.
I have been so hungry for the past couple of days. Tonight after my run I ate half a block of chocolate on the way home. I just couldn't last the distance. Oh dear, that's not a good strewth. Fortunately I had prepared tonight's dinner last night so it only required cooking rice to go with it so I could relieve any more hunger pains with proper food! Now I feel guilty but I still have chocolate cravings! Thank goodness I only had half a block of chocolate to eat and there's none left to tempt me!
Tomorrow is my rest day AND a massage - after the pain heaven awaits!

Wednesday, March 22, 2006

An undulating early morning run with two gentlemen, several kangaroos and two alpacas!!

Distance: 16:22km
Time taken: 1hr 53mins
Average pace per km: 6:12
Calories burned: 1066

Comments: Drove to speedygeoff's house in Holt to meet up with him and PRB. By 6.30am it is lightish so I organised to be late for work as I had been warned this was un undulating run on uneven surfaces. We started off on the road as it was still a little dark, although compared to the times I am used to running it was actually daylight to me! We ran through several suburbs and in areas I had never run before. A lot of it was up, up, up but it was mainly off-road and a great feeling on the legs in spite of the fact that I wore my other pair of running shoes and forgot to put my orthotics in them. Worse still, they had no insoles because I had taken them out meaning to insert the orthotics - hmmm, I didn't even realise this until I had already run about 5km - more seniors moments! It was a lovely time to run - still cool and the sun was slowly rising over the hills. We spotted quite a number of curious kangaroos and even ran past two alpacas. It was definitely just like running in the countryside - Canberra really is a unique place to run - so much wildlife and rolling hills so close to the suburbs. It definitely wasn't a fast time but it was a great run, very pleasant company and jolly hard work! Thanks guys - I enjoyed your company.

Later - Yoga
More stretches - heaps of downward dog poses and a very long shoulder stand. I thought he was never going to bring us down. I need all that stretching after tough runs but ouch it can be a bit painful. I was hanging out for the last ten minutes - heaven, bliss - concentrate only on the breathing - aaaaah.
And now it must be bedtime! Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz!!

Tuesday, March 21, 2006

Final Cross Country Race for Summer Series

Distance for race: 5km (5.12km according to Gandalf) plus 2km warm up and cool down (total 7.12km)
Time: 26:05
Average pace per km: 5:06
Calories burned: 300

Lap Times as follows:
1
4:56
1.00
2 4:48 1.00
3 5:12 1.00
4 4:59 1.00
5 5:35 1.00
6 0:35 0.12

Comments: Ran from work to ferry terminal which is 1km and ran back there after race. Mr B completed the race in 22:03 which was a PB for him. I took 26:05 (tbc) and was quite happy with that after my long run in the weekend. It was a good run just out and round the Museum and then a bit further until the 2.5km turnaround point before running back to the ferry terminal - definitely familiar territory. There are a lot of fast runners out there but I treated this as another training run. CJ was on duty so couldn't compete but as usual there were lots of familiar faces to chat to later. This was the last Cross Country race for the season and they have certainly been run on some very hot days. Fortunately the weather today was cooler and quite pleasant.

An early start tomorrow as I'm driving to speedygeoff's place to run with him and PRB on an undulating 19km course (distance to be checked on Gandalf tomorrow) before work. I plan to arrive at work late!


Sunday, March 19, 2006

Longest Training Run, Hot Air Balloons and Perfect Conditions

Three Weeks to Marathon

Total distance this week: 104.80km - the most running I've ever managed in a week - WOW!

Distance today: 40km
Time taken: 3hrs 59mins!
Average pace per km: 5:59
Calories burned: 2320
Fastest km: 5:25

Comments: Alarm woke me at 4.45am giving me a practice preparation for the marathon. Out of bed for toast, honey and a banana, a small coffee and a glass of water. Met up with The Hare and all his very fit training buddies at the ferry terminal. We decided to incorporate part of the Marathon into our long run today. Ran with The Hare over Kings Avenue bridge past the art gallery along Langton Avenue up to and round Parliament House into Melbourne Ave, right up Mugga Way then through Manuka, past Telopea Park School, past the Kingston Markets and on through the Jerrabomberra Wetlands, along Dairy Flat Road and on through Duntroon around the base of Mount Ainslie, through the undulating nature reserve and on to Limestone Ave across Haig Park, on through Turner to the ANU following Sullivans Creek to the lake, over hospital hill (damn hills) and back to the ferry terminal. There we chatted to the others for a few minutes and I left the boys to continue for my last 10km back to the Museum and on to Yarramundi Reach (over Black Mountain peninsula - more hills) which was exactly 5km. Mr B arrived on his bike and cycled the last 5km with me as I turned and ran back to the ferry terminal making the 40km in just under four hours. I was stuffed and couldn't wait to take off my shoes and clamber into that ice cold lake water drinking a Pepsi Max at the same time!
Conditions today were fantastic as there was cloud cover until about the 37km mark at which point the sun beat down relentlessly. However I was so lucky that it stayed behind the clouds until that late. It was an interesting run with a lot of it off road for a change - yes, it was undulating which slowed me down somewhat but it provided variety and a challenge. I was very tired after the 40km mark so I do hope I can make the 50km!! The start of the run was very beautiful as there were a number of balloons hovering over the lake and the water was still and full of beautiful reflections.
I drove home for a quick shower then met up with Mr B, CJ, Mr CJ, The Hare and his N for a really enjoyable brunch at Black Pepper. In the evening Mr B and I went to see "I'll Walk the Line" at the movies and really enjoyed it.
Fantastic marathon win for Kerryn McCann - what a woman and what a winner - totally moving and inspirational!

Saturday, March 18, 2006

Short Saturday Run

Distance: 8km
Time: 46:31
Average pace per km: 5:49
Calories burned: 464

Comments: Just a fairly easy run with 6 x 100m strides in the last 3km to make it more interesting. Just after the 4km mark I bumped into a friend who was out walking after recovering from surgery in her foot. I walked with her for about a km before resuming my running. Then it was a quick dash home to watch the women's triathlon on telly. It was so exciting and later I watched the men's triathlon. Can't believe we won gold in both events and they were really great to watch. I was on the edge of my seat especially watching Robo in the men's event. He is truly amazing and I was so happy he achieved the bronze. Good to see a kiwi achieve the silver too! Tomorrow I have to run while the marathon events are happening which is a bit frustrating. I'm hoping someone will have taped the races. Now I must go to bed as it's an early start tomorrow!

Thursday, March 16, 2006

Battling a Headwind and Face to Face with a HUGE scary Spider!

Activity: A tough Middle distance run at 6pm
Distance: 20km
Time: 1hr 52mins 21secs
Average pace per km: 5:37
Fastest km: 4:47 at 13th km!
Calories burned: 1177

Comments: I headed out the door, after arriving home from work and changing into my running gear, straight into a strong head wind. It was a real struggle to reach the lake and once there the head wind stayed with me for the next few kilometres as well until it finally settled down and I settled into a reasonable pace. I even contemplated giving up in the first few kms as my legs felt heavy and I had to really push against the wind but I'm so glad I persevered. I had to stop at the loo after Black Pepper as my tummy was playing up. As I stood up to flush the chain I came face to face with the most enormous hairy FAT spider I have ever seen. I kid you not, it was as big as the palm of my hand and definitely well fed. Makes one wonder what it eats in that location - actually I prefer not to think about it. Instead I backed out of that loo exceedingly quickly. I'm glad I didn't know it was there watching me earlier!

Anyway, I continued on my run feeling better and felt reasonably strong after eating an 'orange burst' goo. I haven't tried that flavour before and it was really nice. At the 10km mark I had run for 56mins and felt comfortable. Then at 12km I met up with Mr B who had run down to meet me. That was a lovely surprise. Funny that my 13th km was at 4:47 pace! He only ran with me for a couple of km to the start of the tunnel after Giralang, then he waited while I ran an extra km further on and turned back to meet up with him and run the last 4km together. He really kept me going. I pretended I was running the last few kms of the marathon and made myself run well cos I was determined to stay with him. It was hard work and when I reached the front door I felt like throwing up! However, Mr B ran me a bath - a very rare event - and I loved it. Now my ankle really hurts so I'm sitting here with ice on it. I went to the physio today and all seems to be going ok apart from all the niggles which seem to occur after any effort.

Tomorrow I have a brekkie and a REST day from running - YES! I am so looking forward to a break. Saturday is a short run and Sunday I'm running 40km. I just need to find some company as my long distance partner is unwell. I'm looking forward to my bed tonight!

Wednesday, March 15, 2006

Fartlek on Rolling Hills

Activity: Running with an effort at 5.30am
Distance: 12km
Time: 1hr 14mins 37secs
Average pace per km: 6:13 (like I said, it was an effort!)
Calories burned: 71

Session: 15mins warm up then 2 x [60secs effort/60secs float]; 4 x [30secs effort/30secs float]; 2 x [60secs effort/60secs float]; 4 x [30secs effort/30secs float]; 2 x [60secs effort/60secs float] on rolling hills then ran rest of distance.

Comments:
Gosh, it was difficult to roll out of bed this morning. I was still tired from the previous evening's run. However the fartlek session at least gave me variety and the music on the ipod kept me going. I ran the Kaleen block twice, firstly in a clockwise direction, then I ran it in an anti-clockwise direction where I discovered quite a hill. In the entire ten years I have run that block this is the first time I have run it anti-clockwise. It was quite interesting and I will do that again. I had trouble staying awake at work this morning although I perked up after lunch. I didn't have a very productive day though.

Yoga
Tonight at yoga there were three teachers assisting our leader. They were obviously in training and it was their job to take notes or help out in pushing our bodies into the correct poses. Obviously because they were watching our teacher decided that he should make us work extra hard and boy oh boy, some of those stretches really hurt. We did two shoulder stands and they were quite long ones too. My calf muscles and back hurt so much although we were being told the pain should be elsewhere.

I must finish this and go to bed. I am having difficulties keeping my eyes open.

Tuesday, March 14, 2006

In Need of Sleep!

Activity: Run at 6.15pm
Distance: 16.41km
Time: 1hr 33mins 9secs
Average speed per km: 5:41

Fastest km: 4:59
Calories burned: 1002
Locality: To and round Lake G

Session: 15mins warm-up then 5 x 4mins fast with 2 mins recovery jog between, then steady pace for rest of session. Needed to make up the few kilometres I lacked yesterday to keep on top of the distance. Mr B was feeling off-colour so I collected him after work and took him home which meant we missed the Cross Country race at South Curtin. I wasn't really too stressed about that as I didn't feel very enthused about racing anyway after the past couple of days. Instead I went out for a medium distance run and found it not too bad. I'm tired now though and all I want is to sleep. I plan to run my 12km run tomorrow morning and my 20km run on Thursday afternoon instead of tomorrow morning. I just find it too difficult to run 20km back to back with 16km and to fit it in before work. I figure if I run my long (40km) run on Sunday I still can have one day rest before then and joy of joys, Monday is Canberra Day and a holiday so I may even have an extra rest day as it's scheduled into my program anyway. I am so looking forward to that.

Monday, March 13, 2006

4 Weeks to Go!

Total distance 6-12 March - 84km

Morning Activity: An easy recovery swim
Distance: 1km
Time: 28mins!
Locality: Civic Pool


Comments: I found an almost empty lane and swam gently for 1km using it as a recovery session after yesterday's half marathon. I enjoyed it and for a time I was the only person in my lane. This was disturbed when a breaststroker decided to swim very slowly (yes, even slower than me) and spread out across the lane making it very tricky to pass. However, I enjoyed this start to the week and more especially the brekkie later with CJ and Mr B at RBB. Aaaah, I love that muesli.

Evening Activity: speedygeoff's Parliament House run session
Distance: 8.39km
Calories burned: 488
Fastest km: 4:51


Session: Warm-up followed by 4 x 940m hill sprints followed by a warm-down. It was hard work and I did my best and wasn't last! I did not run the extra kms to make it up to 12km after training tonight. I was tired and lacked the motivation to keep going. I also forgot to put my orthotics in my new running shoes which were the ones I packed in my bag so felt it a bit risky to run too far without them.

Sunday, March 12, 2006

Half Marathon Day

Distance: 21.1km
Time: 1hour 56mins 48secs (secs TBC)
Average pace per km: 5:31
Calories burned: 1336

Lap Times:

1 5:04



2 5:14

-- --
3 5:19

-- --
4 5:22

-- --
5 5:32

-- --
6 5:30

-- --
7 5:42

-- --
8 5:19

-- --
9 5:30

-- --
10 5:40

-- --
11 5:37

-- --
12 5:32

-- --
13 5:19

-- --
14 5:33

-- --
15 5:53

-- --
16 5:20

-- --
17 5:23

-- --
18 5:42

-- --
19 5:43

-- --
20 5:39

-- --
21 5:47

-- --




Comments: Start time was 7.30am and at that time the weather was slightly overcast as the sun was still behind the clouds. However, it was still pretty humid and certainly warmed up fairly quickly on the course. It was a hilly course and quite tough but I felt fairly comfortable throughout until about the last 3km when I had to really push myself. I was disappointed I didn't run just a couple of minutes faster but I felt ok so I guess that was important. The trick is to maintain that pace for the entire marathon distance and that could be very difficult if the weather is still this warm. I stayed with MM until the 16km mark when I finally managed to pass her and finished about 3mins before her. She was a real help in that I was determined to keep with her and I pretended that she was pulling me up the hills with an invisible rope. CJ achieved an amazing time with only 2secs off her PB and won her age group. It was certainly a day that required accepting water at every drink station.

I read on the Six Foot Track results from yesterday that Ewen's time was 6hrs 55mins and Geoff B's time was 5hrs 15mins. Both finished within the cut-off time. Well done guys!

Friday, March 10, 2006

Short Friday Run

Activity: Short Run 5.45am
Distance: 7.63km
Time: 45:32
Average pace per km: 5:58
Calories burned: 466

Comments: Ran gently in older shoes just to ensure knees are ok. Warmed up for about 15mins before running at a more reasonable pace. Knees felt ok after the initial warm-up although they still give me a bit of pain when I bend them or going upstairs or standing for a long time so I'll keep my fingers crossed that they'll settle after a rest day tomorrow. I need to be fresh for the half on Sunday. My right glute was troubling me a bit but I certainly didn't push myself too hard this morning and it was good just to run a short run while the temperature was very pleasantly cool. I had a sports massage early this afternoon and oh boy that man can find places I didn't even know hurt before he massaged them. I had tight hamstrings, sore calves and ouch to my right glute - ow ow ow! However, I must admit he does a great job and he's very easy on the eye too which is a bonus!!

Later today it reached over 30deg. The funeral was very moving and extremely crowded. David lived an amazing life and it was so good to hear the stories people had to tell and to see such an incredible turnout from all walks of life.

Autumn is the loveliest time of year in Canberra. The nights are cool but the days are still reaching 30deg and gorgeous. Hopefully, as the half marathon on Sunday is run at 7.30am, the weather will still be cool. The forecast for Sunday is for 32deg!

Good luck to all those people running or walking the Six Foot Track tomorrow. Wow, what an adventure and amazing experience that would be! As, like speedygeoff, I suffer from vertigo it is not something I would ever have the courage to do and I do admire each and every one of those competitors.

Thursday, March 09, 2006

Fartlek and Knee Twinges

Ouch - my knees are hurting, especially my left one. I am currently icing it and feeling cranky!

Activity: Fartlek Run
Distance: 12.62km plus 800m unrecorded warm-up while gaining a satellite
Average pace per km: 5:43
Fastest km: 5:04
Calories: 766

Session:
Ran about 10mins recorded warm-up then ran fartlek on rolling hills (they're probably the cause of the knee problems) . Main set as follows:

2 x 60secs/60 float
4 x 30secs/30 float
2 x 60secs/60 float
4 x 30secs/30 float
2 x 60secs/60 float

Wore my new shoes and had a bit of a problem initially as they felt a bit loose so I stopped and threaded the laces through the hole near the ankle to give them a bit more support. They're the same size as my other shoes but they felt a bit bigger. However, after a while I became used to them. I ran from work past Rydges and over the bridge to the ferry terminal and it took most of that time to gain a satellite. After that I turned on Gandalf and started the session properly. I ran to and past the museum, turned right and ran on for 6km over the Black Mountain hill and lots of other undulations. In fact every time I had to run a fast bit I seemed to end up at the start of a hill. I had forgotten how many hills there are on that part of the lake. The session did state'fartlek on rolling hills' and that certainly ended up happening. However, I'm not too happy that my left knee is hurting right now. Hope this ice helps.

Tomorrow I have a sports massage so I'm hoping for miracles. After that I have a funeral to go to - David was the husband of a friend from speedygeoff's running group and the Vets' Athletics. She is a lovely lady and David died very suddenly in spite of being extremely fit. It will be a very moving occasion I think and supported by a large number of the running and cycling community.

Tomorrow night I'm going to dinner with another group of close friends at Bernadettes, the vegetarian restaurant in Ainslie. I am very much looking forward to that.

Wednesday, March 08, 2006

Mid Week Madness

Activity: Far too early morning run
Distance: 18:01km
Time: 1hour 49mins 17secs
Calories: 1132
Average pace per km: 6:04

Comments: Oh boy, these early mornings are killers! Alarm went off at 4.30am, rolled out of bed for piece of toast and honey and a little cup of weak coffee which I don't usually have but I needed a caffeine hit. Once I started running I woke up cos the air was quite cool and conducive to a wake up call! I ran the Kaleen block then ran past the lake rather than round it as I was trying to stay in more lit areas although parts were still very dark and I had to watch my footing. I ran on through the tunnel towards Gungahlin then on a couple more kilometres before turning back along the cycle track towards the Kaleen shops and home. This early morning running is indeed becoming quite difficult as it's dark earlier. Besides because of the distance required in this program before work, it means a very early start so it's bound to always be dark! However, there's only one more really long mid-distance run left before the marathon. The others a bit shorter. Ran quite conservatively but was still tired on my return.

At lunch time I met a friend and we drove to Woden to collect my new running shoes. Yippee, I now have two pairs so I can alternate and they can breathe between runs!!

Tonight - Yoga

What a session! Heaps of difficult stretches - ouch, the calf muscles noticed it! Also lots of dog poses but the best part was we spent at least 20minutes on rest poses of all different varieties and indeed this time I did hear someone snore and it WASN'T me! Another lovely session.

Tuesday, March 07, 2006

Cross Country in Familiar Territory

Activity: Run
Distance: 5:01km for race followed by 7:01km warm down = 12.02km
Time for race: 26:48
Fastest km: 4:50
Calories: 313
Average pace per km: 5:18

Comments: Yes, my legs were tired and rebelled against running hard yet again. The first half was into a head wind and tough going but it felt better for the second half. Again I started out too fast at 4:50mins for the first km. It's so hard not to take off the way everyone else does but I really do need to pace myself better. Aki ran an amazing race and pipped Mr B at the post by 2secs in 22:35 - wow!
After the race and a quick chat with a few regulars Mr B accompanied me for a km and I ran slowly for a total of 7km to make up the 12km at an average pace per km of 6:05. I'm tired and I have to run 18km before work in the morning as I have yoga tomorrow night. The half marathon is on Sunday and I'm planning a rest day on Saturday with a nail appointment in the morning and a wedding to watch in the afternoon. This glorious Autumn weather is amazing. I love it. The nights are cool for sleeping and the days are in the late 20s to early 30s - very pleasant.

Monday, March 06, 2006

5 Weeks to Go!

Activity: Run with speedygeoff's group 5.30pm
Location: Parliament House
Distance: 12.17km including warm down afterwards
Calories burned: 534

Session: Warm up then 12 x 2 fast laps (260m) from the rose garden in teams of 2 with one person going slowly while the other person ran the laps twice then tagged the other person who then took their turn to run fast and so on.


Comments: It was a tough session (they always are) as after the warm up we ran sprints and they included several sets of steps followed by a steep hill. Admittedly it was a short loop but we had to run it fast twice then jog it in between and it felt steeper each time. After the session warm down I ran with Ewen, Gary & Geoff for a further 6km at a gentle 6:17mins/km pace to make up the extra kilometres. Tomorrow is the Cross Country race at The Boat House (a familiar start after all those aquathlons).

Sunday, March 05, 2006

Now I'm feeling Positive at last!

Activity: Run (surprise, surprise!)
Distance: 38.01km
Time: 3hours 40mins 17secs
Average pace per km: 5:48 (woo hoo, I'm improving)
Calories burned: 2328
Fastest km: 5:09 (at the 20th km)

Total Distance for week: 90km
Total distance for 2006: 686km

Comments: Met up with Marco at 6.30am at the ferry terminal. Mr B was officiating at the Sri Chinmoy triathlons at Yarralumla Bay and I knew the road was closed there so decided the ferry terminal was a better place to start. We ran anti-clockwise round the lake this morning - opposite to my usual route. It was different and a good change. Speedygeoff was out there running and joined us for a short time before he ran on to Weston Park to meet up with the jog-alongers. As we passed Yarralumla Bay I saw lots of competitors I knew. In fact there were a few familiar faces out there this morning. It was a great day for running. It wasn't too hot although later the temperature reached 30deg. When we arrived back at the ferry terminal (20km) we had run 1hour 56mins which was 1 min faster than the same distance last week. CJ ran in the opposite direction but the plan was that she would run some of the way with me once I left Marco at the ferry terminal. After contacting her by mobile I continued on past the carillon, The Boat House, Molonglo Reach and on to the Wetlands. Here I turned and met up with CJ before Molonglo Reach on the way back. She ran with me for about 8km until her Garmin beeped at the 34km mark and she stopped to walk back to the ferry terminal. I ran on to the museum where I turned and ran back to the ferry terminal as I wanted to run 38km. I couldn't believe the improvement on last week. I felt so much more positive about the marathon after that run and now wish I had run 40km. However, my legs were burning afterwards and I stepped into the welcome cold of the lake. Aaah bliss. CJ bought me a Pepsi Max and it was soooo good. It really helped standing there in the lake drinking pepsi!

After a rest and drying off we drove to Black Pepper where Mr CJ joined us and later Geoff B saw us and joined us for a drink too which was a lovely surprise. He's tapering for the 6' track next weekend. Later still Mr B joined us after finishing at the triathlons. It was very pleasant and relaxing. In the afternoon Mr B and I whizzed over to the Runners' Shop just before it shut as my physio has suggested I buy a second pair of running shoes. However they have to order them in as they didn't have my size. I did end up buying a running top without trying it on so I'll try it out tomorrow. It was a good day and I was so happy with my run today.

Friday, March 03, 2006

Somebody out there turn on the lights!

Activity: Run 5.30am
Distance: 12.47km
Time: 1hr 15mins 19secs
Average pace per km: 6:07 (Motion based says 6:02 - not sure who to believe!)
Calories: 766
Location: To and past Lake G, on through Giralang to tunnel, back on cycle track past Kaleen shops round Alberga St, then home via cycle track and road.

Comments: Gosh, my body did not want to move this morning - it strongly objected to running on a Friday which is my usual rest day but I decided to make it move anyway as I'm going to make tomorrow my rest day and run my long run on Sunday instead this weekend. It was dark again as I passed the shops and ran on to the unlit cycle track where the trees made eerie shadows as I ran. I was glad of my ipod singing ..."push, push, push" but it's pretty difficult to push too hard when watching ones footing. It took about 5km before I was in my rhythm this morning and by then I had reached parts of the unlit lake again. Aaaah, where is the man who lights up the street lights? Actually, it was quite funny really as I was just thinking - "damn, turn on those lights" when the song on the ipod rang out " ....shine a little light on the world...". It's quite bizarre how many times song words are so apt for the moment when you're at a particular point or thought while running. Anyway it wasn't a fast run but at least tomorrow I can sleep in a bit while Mr B goes to the lake to be a Technical Official at the triathlon. CJ and I will go there a bit later in the morning to check out the expo!

Mr B, CJ and I went to lunch at Bernadettes (a very nice vegetarian restaurant) today to celebrate a certain CJ's oncoming change of age group. It was fun and very yummy. I believe there will be fireworks in Canberra tomorrow night. Perhaps they are especially in her honour!!!

Thursday, March 02, 2006

Aquathlon No 4 - Final Short Race

Activity: Swim 300m; Run 2.5km
Time: 21:54 (tbc)
Locality: The Boat House

Comments: The buoy was in a different spot this week and directly under the line of the sun. It was impossible to sight it once out there swimming so I followed other people's kicking to the first buoy and from then I just took pot luck with directions to the finish. It was a case of swimming 6 strokes then sighting to see where I was or rather the approximate direction of the finish line. If I could swim faster I might have been able to stay in someone's slipstream but as it was I had to just hope for the best that I would end up at the right place. At least it wasn't as choppy as the last race, just more difficult to see. However, I made it without being last and took my time in transition drying the sticks and grass and dirt off my feet and tightening my stretchy laces as I made the mistake of having to adjust my shoelaces and running with stones in my shoes last time. It was a good run. I really ran my hardest and passed quite a number of people out there - had to make up for the slow swim somehow! I guess the splits and correct time will be on the website in a few days. It was fun later chatting to lots of regulars such as Annemarie, Pam, Flashduck, Caroline and Aki. Mr B cycled down to lend his support. The Coolrunning team (Aki and FD) did really well.

Wednesday, March 01, 2006

An EARLY mid-week run!

Activity: Run
Distance: 18.31km
Time: 1hour 50mins
Average pace per km: 6:02
Fastest km: 5:47
Calories: 1121

Comments: Alarm went off at 4.30am and I obediently rolled out of bed. I ate one piece of toast and honey and left the house at 5.15am. I ran down to the lake through the dark cycle paths to discover that half the lights at the lake were out of action so I continued to run in the dark with caution. My left foot was a bit sore but I have a physio appointment tomorrow so he can check the orthotics yet again. It was a great feeling when I reached The Lighthouse Bar as there were lights and for about 10 minutes I could see. Then I hit the other side of the lake and it was dark again - it does make it difficult to run very fast when you have to watch your footing all the time. I also had to beware of cyclists as some of them failed to see me running in the opposite direction and there were a few near-collisions. However the ipod kept me humming along and I felt amazingly strong after two days of tough short runs. The only real problem happened on the cycle path approaching the last 4km when I turned my ankle in the gutter. I think it gave me a fright more than anything else as after a couple of squeals and a few limping moments I continued on my way. I didn't have time to ice it as we had auditors in the office today and I was expecting them first thing so needed to be at work asap. I have ice on my foot as I write this but my ankle seems fine. Tomorrow is the final aquathlon - hope the wind doesn't pick up at that time of day!
I did forget to say that yesterday the cross country run was at the National Library and it was a really beautiful setting on a glorious day - hot, certainly, but very beautiful.

Evening Activity: Yoga
A really good session tonight. Lots of stretches - ouch, but also about 4 sessions of different sorts of rest. I had to really concentrate on NOT falling asleep. I'm too scared I'll make funny heavy breathing noises or worse still, snore, as we lie on our backs! But oh, it's so relaxing after the hard work is over.