Thursday 29 September - A quick run to alleviate guilt!

This morning I rose very early to go for a run before catching the plane to Sydney for a meeting. Of course the meeting didn't start until 1pm so I planned a detour to the Lindt Cafe and a little retail therapy in the morning. As I knew I was about to over-indulge I decided to run first!

Activity: Run
Distance: 6:03km
Location: Kaleen block
Time: 34:17
Av Rate per km: 5:40
Calories used: 342
AHR: 158bpm MHR: 172bpm
Slowest km: 5:57
Fastest km: 5:13

Comments: When I first left the house it was drizzling lightly and stopped completely for a short while. However on the outward half of the block there was a strong headwind and by the time I reached the slight incline only a few blocks away the rain had started to set in. It wasn't entirely a pleasant run and I arrived home rather damp! However I felt pleased I had done that as I knew I was about to make the most of my free morning in Sydney.

I had a few minutes wait when I booked in at the airport in Canberra so bought a cappuccino. I then walked to a table and my mobile rang so I balanced my briefcase and handbag in one hand and tried to hold the phone and coffee in the other rather unsuccessfully as I dropped and smashed the cup on the ground and all its contents splashed all down my black pants - a great start as I only had five minutes to clean it up with paper serviettes before rushing off to catch the plane. I'm sure I smelt of coffee all day - just as well the pants were black! Of course the plane was delayed 40 minutes on take-off and on the return trip it was delayed another 40mins so it turned out to be a very long day with a 5.30am start and an 11pm finish. I ate a Baileys chocolate truffle, which I bought at the Lindt cafe, before retiring to bed and I was wide awake for some time! I bought Mr B an assortment of Lindt balls and it was necessary to sample the new flavours - absolutely divine! I will be sorry when I step on the scales in the morning!

Friday - A shocker of a day work-wise

Activity: Swim

Distance: 1km

Time: 27:33

Location: Civic Pool

Comments: Met CJ at the pool and went for a swim (wonder I didn't sink with all that chocolate inside me) and brekkie at RBB. Although the day started well it deteriorated the moment I walked in the office door! It was just one of those Fridays when everything went wrong and there were numerous problems to be sorted. I am so looking forward to this long weekend which promises to be warm, sunny and hopefully relaxing. We already have a run with friends and brekkie planned for Sunday and Floriade might be on the cards if the forecast is correct.

Activity: Run
Location: Lake BG
Distance: 10.18km
Time: 59:25
Km rate: 5:50
AHR: 159bpm MHR: 207bpm!!
Calories used: 617

Comments: Phew! That's a lot of data to record! Ran at 5.15pm from the office, with my friend on blades, to Lake Burley Griffin, turned right at the ferry terminal on to the museum and right round it then on past Black Mountain Peninsula then turned and ran back again. Near the museum we spotted Mummy and Daddy Black Swan with half a dozen tiny fluffy signets following them - so cute. I wore my garmin but forgot to wait for the satellite at the start so may be a little out with the accuracy - could explain that maximum heart rate - oops! It's so cool wearing it though and hearing it beep every kilometre. My fastest km was only 5:38 but I felt like I was running at a good pace so obviously I have to pick up a bit of speed somehow. It was great knowing exactly how far we went. Any ideas for a name for Garmin - I love it! One problem though, it recorded that I ran in Campbell, Victoria - interesting! Not sure how it managed to decide that!

I skipped the run

There was thunder, lightning and rain and more rain as it approached 5.30pm. I watched the rain pouring down from my office window and decided not to go to Parliament House to run. As I walked to the carpark just before 6pm the rain had eased although it was hovering in the black clouds. When it stayed away I felt really guilty for not having gone. I hope it's not raining after work tomorrow so I can at least have a run then and take the un-named Garmin with me.

Activity: Swim 6.30am

Distance: 1km

Location: Civic Pool

Time: 28:03

Comments: I never get any faster! Today I split the swim into 2 x 500metres and it felt fast but my watch disagreed with me! With CJ in Sydney I didn't go to RBB for brekkie. Instead I took some rolled oats from home and made porridge in the microwave at work and it was yummy.

24 September - A tester

Activity: Cycle - 11.30am

Location: To and round Lake G

Distance: 18.9km

Time: 55mins

Comments: Av sp 20.5kph and max sp 35kph. That magpie was out again - I saw him lurking in the shadows and ducked as he swooped down and he MISSED then I sped off and lost him - phew! It was a stunning day - a bit of a wind chill factor but mainly beautiful. I did wear the garmin as I sat outside and logged in my details and found the satellite but it didn't quite agree with my odometer reading and I preferred the odo in this instance! However, at least I know it works for the bike although I really bought it for the running. That was just a test run. Tomorrow is for real!

Sunday 25 September - Vets' Handicap and I wore my Garmin!

Activity: Run - 9am

Location: Deeks Forest, Stromlo

Distance: 8km - distance on Garmin 8.16km

Time: 45:21

Group: 15

Place: 51st

Av Rate per km: 5:33

Calories used: 524

Heartrate Av: 166bpm

Max Heartrate: 191bpm

Comments: A good day for the run - slightly cool and cloudy to start but warmed up quickly. Originally this was a beautiful forest but since the fires it is so barren and open - hard to believe it's the same location. However it wasn't a bad run and I so enjoyed wearing my Garmin (yet to be named, Jen) and hearing it beep, beep, beep at every kilometre. In fact it told me I ran 8.16km instead of 8km. It also told me I ran the first km in 4:44 but I think I slowed down after that. With the help of CJ it is now set up to tell me the time I do each km in future runs. I have a lot of learning yet to do but it will be such fun.

Woo hoo - I downloaded the route!

Spring is in the air!
Another lovely day in Canberra. It wasn't even too difficult to roll out of bed well before 6am in order to go to the pool for a swim before brekkie.

Activity: Swim
Time: 7secs slower than Monday!
Distance: 1km
Location: Civic Pool
Comments: I'm sure I swam faster than Monday - maybe my watch was slow!!! Anyway, it was such a lovely morning I couldn't be discouraged. The chef has changed at RBB and our usual brekkie is no longer on the menu so CJ and I had porridge with dates and flaked almonds. It was delicious but very filling.
Today I also had lunch with a colleague at RBB (again) and in the evening I met up with CJ, Mr CJ and two of our training friends who have just returned from overseas and we ate at Zefferellis - oh dear, will this food fight never end? Tomorrow I think I'll cycle but only a little way as I have to save my legs for the Vets' Handicap on Sunday. I'll try out my garmin. What fun!

I hope this gorgeous sunshine stays for the weekend.

My Garmin has arrived!

Woo hoo, it landed on my desk today - how exciting. I've charged the battery and tomorrow when I meet CJ for brekkie after we swim, we'll be talking "garmins". I can't wait to use it. It didn't arrived until about 3.30pm so I didn't have time to charge it before my afternoon run but I'll test it out in the weekend.

Activity: Run at 5.15pm
Location: From office to ANU past museum and back
Distance: approx 8.5km
Time: 50mins

Comments: Left work at 5.15pm and ran over the bridge past Rydges and towards the museum. Everything was hurting tonight, the knee, the ankle, everything, not helped by the fact that I walked into our weights (very big ones at that) which were in the wrong place on the dining floor last night and have such a sore little toe, so I decided to avoid the hills and run past the museum and on to the ANU grounds before turning and running back the same way. On the return leg I met up with a friend from triathlons who was cycling with his little girl on the back of his bike while his wife was running, training for the Half Ironman. He cycled beside me for a while so we could chat. It's great the way I never seem to lack company on that run route. I might add it was another stunning day in Canberra and it really is a pleasure to run in this weather in spite of the aches and pains!

A Stunning Day for a Run!

This morning I had a work-related brekkie at Olims, later in the morning a great coffee at Babars and a very nice lunch at Blue Olive with The Hare so it was definitely a necessity to work all that off with a good run after work. And what a great day it was in Canberra today - 20deg and bright sunshine.

Activity: Run

Location: Lake BG

Distance: Approx 9.5km

Time: 55mins

Comments: I had to run alone as my friend forgot his blading gear so I left the office about 5.25pm and ran down to the lake, turned left at the ferry terminal, then instead of heading towards the Museum I ran through the tunnel, over the hill, past Black Mountain Peninsula where the sun was setting over the hills and the sky was pink. It was so pretty there. It would have been nice to share that moment with a friend. Then on to the log cabin toilet block out there in the distance. There I turned round and ran back again. Just before the turnoff over that nasty hill I was joined by an Israeli gentleman who asked if he could join me. He needed directions back to the Uni where he was staying but when we reached his destination he decided to continue running with me back to the ferry terminal and over the bridge as far as Rydges. He told me he had lived in Wellington, NZ, for three years lecturing at the Uni there (where we lived for 20 years before moving to Canberra), he lives in Sydney for a couple of months each year lecturing in Statistics and lives in Israel the rest of the time. Currently he's staying at University House where he gave a lecture today. He left me his number and told me his unpronounceable name suggesting we go for a run on Friday - I don't think so, but it was an interesting encounter! And at least I had company for a small part of my return journey. I am so looking forward to my garmin arriving so that I can accurately calculate my run distances.

I'll try this again!

Sunday 12 September - A beaut day for the Fun Run

Activity: Run
Location: Canberra College to Commonwealth Park
Distance: 10km
Time: 53:20

Comments: After a dreadful day on Saturday, Sunday dawned bright and beautiful - perfect conditions for the Canberra Times Fun Run. We arrived bright and early so that Mr B could do a late entry. Waved to CJ in the toilet queue and found FlashDuck at the start of the run. At least we're all easy to spot in our bright coloured CR gear. CJ joined us soon afterwards and we spotted lots of familiar faces in the crowds waiting for the starting gun. For the first 3 or 4km I managed to run with Mr B but after that he took off and I didn't see him until the end. I actually enjoyed the run, especially the long gentle downhill stretches. It's not a spectator friendly course though so when we passed under the bridges I made sure I waved madly at the spectators cheering from above. At the 5km mark we passed the walkers just starting out on their course. I spotted a friend and we exchanged words of encouragement but I didn't see Aki at that stage. I finished the run in 53:20 which pleased me as, upon looking back at my CT results since 1999, I see that I have never managed a faster time than 55mins in that particular run before today. After passing through the finish chute I found CJ, Mr B and soon afterwards FlashDuck, JS, Griffin and his lovely lady. And then Luckylegs arrived very excited as she had a big PB as well as a big smile! It was great to see everyone - lots of hugs all round. It became very cold very quickly though and we were relieved when finally Mr CJ found us as he had our bags of warm gear. In the meantime Mrs Griffin lent me her lovely warm jacket which helped considerably. We waited around for the barrel draws and the results. None of our group won a barrel draw but it gave us an opportunity to chat. LL had to leave us early. It was so good to finally have a chance to meet her properly and we did manage a group CR photo before her departure. Later FD, CJ and Mr CJ, Aki, Mr B and I went to The Deck for coffee and more chatting. It was a good way to spend a Sun morning and I was quite surprised to note it was well after 2pm when we left for home.

In the evening I took the plunge and ordered a garmin over the web after FD gave me the website today. I just couldn't hang out any longer. Now I have to be patient for the next six days! I can't wait!!

Monday - A new week dawns

An early start and off for a swim to start the week well.

Activity: Swim at 6.30am

Location: Civic Pool

Distance: 1km

Time: 28:03

Comment: Swam in 2 x 500m lots but got caught up with a group of swimmers in the slow lane as it was really busy this morning. Had a yummy brekkie with CJ at RBB afterwards. That's well worth the early morning swim.

Activity: Run at 5.30pm

Location: Parliament House - speedygeoff's group

Distance: 10km (according to CJ's garmin)

Time: 60mins

Comment: Welcome back to speedygeoff! We had what was supposedly an easy session! We had a very long warm up followed by some long loops up and down and across beside the grass between old and new parliament house for about 20mins then a cool down loop round Parliament House. Unfortunately on our last grass loop CJ tripped on the edge of the gutter and hurt her ankle. She was suffering from bad twinges as we finished our cool down so it was not a good way to end the session. I believe she is now taking anti-inflammatories and doing all the correct things (RICE) so here's hoping it recovers quickly.

20 September Tuesday - Swear not by the moon!

Activity: Cycle 6am

Location: Home to and round Lake Ginninderra and home via Giralang

Distance: 17.22km

Time: 54mins

Comments: After such a disastrous blog session last night I dragged myself out of bed and piled on several layers of cycling gear and set off on a short but pleasant cycle to and round the lake. It was really still and cold out there but I really enjoyed the ride in spite of cold tootsies and a blue nose! In the distance I saw the outline of the pale full moon from the previous night and there was a swirling mist over the lake giving an eerie feel. There were also a surprising number of people out there walking round the lake. On the return past Giralang I was swooped repeatedly on my helmet by a very persistent magpie. Obviously Spring has sprung and the magpies are back. However, I arrived home feeling ready to face the day. I could not possibly feel cranky anymore when spring is in the air and a new day beckons!

I am feeling very very cranky right now. I just spent ages writing up my blog for yesterday and it's all disappeared - zip! I put 4 photos on it so now I'll just put 2 on it! I am not at all a happy chappy so perhaps I should leave this tonight and write it up tomorrow instead! I'll put the photos on though so at least I've started (again)!!! Don't you love that shoe selection!

Thursday 15 Sept - Brrrr!
Activity: Run 6pm
Location: Kaleen block
Distance: 6.1km
Time: 34:19

Comments: Brrrr - I made myself change and go for a run the minute I arrived home from work, mainly so that I wouldn't have to drag myself out of bed at some ungodly hour in the morning to run before going to meet CJ for brekkie at RBB. I also met a friend for dinner and that meant a late night so the very early start tomorrow definitely did not appeal. Instead I braved the cold headwind and ran my Kaleen block. I was definitely much warmer by the end but it was a battle against that wind and cold for the first half. Glad I made myself do it though! I will enjoy brekkie so much more in the morning without all that rushing to be on time.

Friday

Brekkie was divine and two cappuccinos a perfect way to start a Friday. Today was a rest day - bliss! Tonight, after drinks and nibbles at work, I went to the movies to see 'Wedding Crashers'. It was a bit silly but very funny in parts - a light-hearted fun movie and a pleasant way to spend the evening.

Mid-week Run
Activity: Run 5.45pm
Location: Lake BG
Distance: approx 9km
Time: 50mins
Comments: Ran from work with FS rollerblading with me. Past Rydges over bridge, past Museum and on to the ANU through the grounds and back to work the same way. Cold but pleasant run except that for the first ten minutes I was suffering from cramping calf muscles. Had to guess the distance. A bit of drizzle but it cleared. By the time we returned to the office it was becoming dark. I'm looking forward to daylight saving and those nice long days.

Monday - A cold start to the week
Activity: Swim
Location: Civic Pool
Distance: 1km
Time: 28:57

Comment: Marginally faster than last week! Gosh it was a cold day today - I missed CJ and Mr B joining me for brekkie. In fact I just bought a loaf of raisin bread and toasted it at work with a take-away cappuccino - not the same at all. Today CJ will be enjoying a well-earned rest after a fantastic PB in Sydney. FD did a great time too - what an amazing woman! Spoke to JS as he travelled back from Sydney yesterday. He also ran the marathon - a difficult run but he did well although I think he was a bit disappointed with his time. He found it much tougher than Canberra which is what a number of people have said. I'm hoping he will train with me for the Canberra Ultra next year.

Activity: Run with speedygeoff's group

Location: Parliament House

Distance: Approx 8.5km (no CJ therefore no garmin)

Time: Approx 45mins

Comments: What a cold cold night! We ran the same 3km warm-up that we have done over the last few weeks. It was actually drizzling when I pulled into the Parliament House underground carpark and I thought we might be running round the carpark but when we emerged outside in the freezing air there was no sign of any more rain so off we set. After the warm-up we did four sets of three squares of the grass running fast on the flat paths and slower on the hills. We had one minute rest between each set of three. To finish we ran a loop of Parliament House. At this stage Peter lent me his spray jacket to wear as I was shivering with cold after cooling down really quickly. I think my problem was I didn't wear enough on top. I really enjoyed a hot shower later and stayed in it far too long!

Tuesday - a little variety

Activity: Cycle 6.15am

Location: Cycle track past Lake G & home via Giralang

Distance: 10.56km

Time: 34mins

Comments: Another cold morning. Wore lots of layers. Started out a bit late in the morning so didn't allow enough time to cycle far but even though it was a short ride I really enjoyed it.

Activity: Gym 5.45pm

Location: Canberra Club

Comments: Warmed up on the treadmill then did 3 x 15reps on the bench press, 3 x 15reps flies, 3 x 15reps of pull-downs. Then I enjoyed a nice hot spa. Haven't been to the gym for many months so need to build up gently.

Thursday

I went for an early morning cycle just to check out the run distance from Tuesday - 8.2km to be exact! In the evening I attended the Training Excellence Awards at Parliament House - an amazing night. In fact I didn't arrive home until 3.30am so not much sleep for me! Friday at work it was difficult to stay awake - no training today for obvious reasons!

Saturday - Rain, sunshine and more rain!

Activity: Run

Location: From home to and round Lake G

Distance: 13.6km

Time: 77:30 (1hour 17mins 30secs)

Comments: Left home about 2.20pm and ran down to Black Pepper to meet Mr B and The Hare and continued right round lake. The weather was overcast but it started pouring as we started off round the lake continuing off and on throughout our run - sun, rain, sun, rain all the way - quite bizarre. Saw a number of Vet race walkers on the way and indeed a number of runners too. It's good to know we weren't the only crazy ones. It was actually a really good run and 4 minutes faster than the same run last week. I was doing my best to keep up with Mr B and The Hare but couldn't quite catch them. However it was still pleasant, the lake was calm and there were ducks (even a white one) and birds out enjoying the rain. Later we had a coffee in the Mall as Black Pepper was closed. Tonight there was thunder and lightning out there so I'm glad we fitted in a run before the real storm! I'm hoping it's good weather in Sydney for all those competing in the marathon tomorrow. Here's hoping it's a great race for them. Best of luck to CJ and FlashDuck!

Wednesday

Activity: Run

Location: Lake Burley Griffin

Distance: 8km plus

Time: 47:16mins

Comments: Lovely day in Canberra today - a little cool wind but mainly lovely blue sky and sunshine. Went for run after work with my friend on blades. Ran from the office past Rydges over the bridge to the lake, turned right and ran down past the museum and turned right along the cycle track for 24mins (I still need that garmin) then turned and ran back to the office. One small problem - I forgot my crop top and had to run in a push-up bra - not a good look!! I must remember to repack my running bag in the evenings! I set my alarm this morning with the intent of cycling to measure the distance for yesterday's run but I rolled over and went back to sleep instead!

Almost forgot to add my CT number arrived yesterday complete with a little tattoo - how cute! Thanks Flash Duck for organising this and running it a week after the marathon - impressive!

Monday 5 September
Activity: Swim with cj at 6.30am
Location: Civic Pool
Distance: 1km
Time: Slow - forgot my watch!
Comments: I swum the 1km without stopping so that must be a bonus. However, I couldn't time myself as I left my watch in my running bag! That's the problem with all these bags. Never mind, I quite enjoyed it and really enjoyed the brekkie at RBB where we both chose Turkish bread toasted with ricotta, honey and banana on top and a great cappuccino - yum, I love starting the week like that!

Activity: Run with speedygeoff's group at 5.30pm
Location: Parliament House
Distance: 8.3km
Comments: We did a similar undulating warm up to last week and cj's garmin tells me it was just over 3km then we had 9 sprints diagonally across the grass (had to watch that footing) interspersed with gentle jogging where we could chat - always good. We followed this with a cool-down loop of Parliament House. An enjoyable session with good company and lots of chatting later!

Tuesday 6 September - Mr B keeps me honest!
Activity: Run at 6pm with Mr B
Location: From home along cycle track past Giralang to tunnel on way to Gungahlin and return
Distance: Approx 8km (will measure on my bike tomorrow to confirm distance - I need that garmin!)
Time: 44:36mins
Comments: Left home (after work) at 6pm with Mr B for company and ran quite briskly (for me) - difficult to keep up but did my best. Ran to tunnel and it took 21.50mins then we turned and ran home in the dark so I watched my footing which slowed us down a little. Still, I think that was probably an ok time for the distance. Will check it on my odometer on my bike. Felt like a good effort so must have been at least 8km according to Mr B. Oh and I did a few abs exercises this morning before work - need to work on that tummy!

Saturday
Activity: Run
Location: From home to and round Lake Ginninderra
Distance: 13.6km
Time: 81.43minutes
Comment: I ran down to Lake G, met up with cj and Mr B and we ran round the lake and had a great coffee at Black Pepper afterwards where Mr cj joined us. We chatted all the way so it was not a fast time but it was the furthest I have run for ages and it felt comfortable.

Sunday - Fathers' Day
Activity: Cycle!!
Location: From home to and round Lake G and home via Giralang
Distance: 17.16km
Time: 47minutes
Comment: It was a lovely day today. We had brunch with the family at Black Pepper in the morning and later in the afternoon while Mr B played squash with our son I dusted the cobwebs off my bike, pumped up the tyres and went for a short cycle - the first one since Feb. It was quite late in the day so I wore leggings and long sleeved top but I really enjoyed a nice gentle ride. Average speed 21.54kph and maximum speed 35kph - fun!

Tuesday I woke with a sore throat - not a good sign. We went with friends to the Electric Shadows Theatre in the evening to see a few locally made short movies. The main one (a whole 18minutes) was 'The Milk Man' and set in Griffith in 1988. It was very well done and had all the necessary ingredients - pathos, drama, romance and humour. A good coffee (decaf) at Babars later made for a very pleasant evening.

Wednesday
Activity: Run
Location: London Circuit to Lake BG round museum and beyond
Distance: Approx 5.5km (I need a garmin!)
Time: 30mins
Comment: Very cold and I forgot my long sleeved running top so I ran with my gym t-shirt (the original intention was to go to the gym) and a singlet top - must have looked very strange! I ran with my friend who roller bladed. We didn't leave work until 5.35pm so had to return before it was too dark to blade or we would have gone out for longer.

Thursday (today) - First day of Spring
This morning I had a work-related breakfast - yesterday I had a brekkie with friends - two mornings in a row when I was unable to run. However I did go over to the Canberra Club after work but not to lift weights - just to the 15metre (!) pool.
Activity: Swim
Location: Canberra Club Pool
Distance: 930metres (I miscounted the laps - very tricky in a 15metre pool!!)
Time: 24mins
Comments: Far too difficult to keep count! I enjoyed the spa and sauna I had after the swim - a lovely way to end a hectic working day. My throat is still sore but I don't think the swimming made it any worse. I'll find out tomorrow I guess.
This morning I had a wonderful cappuccino with FlashDuck - such a pleasant surprise. I have now signed up for the CT Fun Run in the CR team - woo hoo - hope I don't slow down the team time too much. It was great to have a long chat with FD. She is a delight.