Saturday, April 23, 2011

The Week in Review!

Monday 18 April
6.30am - 50mins upper body strength and abs work at the gym
5.30pm - speedygeese training at Parliament House
My hamstring was still sore and tight but I decided I needed to try a proper training session after a week of very easy running. We started with a warm-up loop of PH before heading for a grassy slope for some hill training. This consisted of 20 x 100m hill repeats and a jog back down to run the next one within 90secs. It was tough and I didn't push too hard but at least I managed every one which pleased me. This was followed by a warm down loop of PH.

There were only a few of us at training, probably a number were affected by the school holidays. However, a surprise visitor was Thea who ran the hills well. She also surprised us with the exciting news of her engagement, which actually happened in January. She is good at keeping secrets! Woo hoo - lovely news indeed:)
Total distance: 7.7km
I am looking after my 8 year old grandaughter Talia, for a few days in the school holidays and this morning we went to see Rio in 3D at the movies. It was lots of fun.

Tuesday 19 April
I just ran a short run of 6km this morning before collecting Talia for the day. It was not a comfortable run and my leg hurt far more than last night.
Talia and I met up with Jen and her boys at Questacon. We had a really fun time.

Wednesday 20 April
7am
- 15mins abs class at the gym
7.15am - 45mins upper body strength work
Talia and I had a lovely day, spending some time in the morning buying craft materials and visiting the chocolate shop and the afternoon making Easter baskets and baking.
6pm - I ran from Parliament House with Ewen and Chris on a really pleasant evening. Earlier it had rained and I wasn't looking forward to the run. However, the evening was still and the rain had stopped. It was a lovely run.
Total distance: 9km

Thursday 21 April
Today I decided to kill two birds with one stone and took Teddy on my run with me. The first 2km were a struggle as he wanted to keep pulling over to stop and was easily distracted by dogs and interesting smells on the way. After that he found it easier just to run with me and was actually quite good. It was the furthest he had actually run with me without stopping.
Total distance: 8km

Saturday 23 April
None of my runs have been very long this week as I'm trying to keep my hamstring in one piece! This morning I ran from home and along the cycle track towards Gungahlin, just 5km out and 5km back listening to music. It was cold and crisp but later it turned into a beautiful sunny day.
Total distance: 10km
Time taken: 62mins
Average pace per km: 6:14
Calories burned: 589

Tomorrow I'm meeting Andy at the lake for another short run after his return from the UK. Next weekend I will pick up my distances hoping to be able to take part in the half marathon on 22 May.
Currently my daughters are in travel mode. They have both just left for overseas trips. One is in Vanuatu for a week and the other has just arrived in Paris. This is a good time to travel to warmer weather.

I wish you all a very happy and safe Easter weekend.

Saturday, April 16, 2011

The after effects!

Photos (with thanks to Ewen): Pam, Liz and strewth become Griffins Strewth and CJ on Marathon Eve Lunchtime celebrations after Marathon
Marathon weekend was big. Somehow in all the furore I forgot to mention how much I appreciate the support of all my friends and family. I have some very special friends and a wonderful husband. Mr B has always been there to support me when I used to dabble in triathlons and throughout my running career. He has in the last 6 years gone on to excel in his own running and triathlon adventures. In the half marathon in the Running Festival he achieved a time of 1:43. His goal is to complete a half in under 100mins and his PB is 1:41 so he is now aiming to improve in the next one. My son has also started running and hopes to complete a marathon himself before too long.

Since the marathon on Sunday I have had a couple of not very memorable runs. Basically they were painful and slow. I had a massage on Wednesday which felt great afterwards. Then on Thursday I ran from home for 7km. It was very slow and also very uncomfortable. My hamstring hurt even though I ran in compression tights. I couldn't wait for the run to end. This morning I met Ewen at the war memorial and ran with him for another slow painful 12km. The time is too slow to record and it hurt all the way. Thank goodness the company was good and the conversation kept my mind off the pain. The coffee later was great and we spotted Thea running past the cafe and managed to call her in to join us which was fantastic. I am concerned that my recovery is so slow this year. Next week I may have to pay another visit to the physio. Today was Teddy's (my labradoodle) first birthday and later this afternoon I took him for a long walk/run. The running part hurt but he loved it so much. Tomorrow I am on roster duty at the Veteran's handicap run - just as well, as it's all hills!

Monday, April 11, 2011

Proud to be a Griffin!


What a weekend! Yes, I achieved Griffin status which means I am now one of only five females who have run ten Canberra Marathons. I felt truly happy and proud to join Liz and Pam on the stage after the marathon on Sunday to be presented with our Griffin certificates. In due course we will receive singlets and t-shirts. Next year we will be able to run as Griffins!


On Sunday it rained on and off for the entire duration of the marathon. In the afternoon when it was all over the sun came out! However, the temperature was pleasantly cool at 12degrees and the rain kept the dehydration at bay. The half marathon started at the same time which made a field of over 2,200 competitors. Mr B ran in the half. CJ was injured and unable to run but she kept Ewen company on cheersquad duties. In fact the support out there was phenomenal in spite of the weather. Nadine and Brett were taking photos and supplying jellybeans, Margaret was out there with her camera as was Kerrie with hers. I spotted lots of friends from the running community and lots of familiar faces in both the half and full marathon. I met lots of new friends. It was a great day and a number of us enjoyed a lovely lunch later at the war memorial cafe.


We were not permitted to supply our own drinks this year but because of the weather it didn't actually cause me any problems. I took the water at every drink station and carried two Guus in my pockets. Ewen handed me one at the 25km mark.


I must admit that when I ran for just 20 minutes on Saturday I was, to put it mildly, worried. Everything hurt - my hamstring, my ankle, even my calf muscles. I thought if I felt like that at the start of the marathon I was in big trouble.


As it happened the endorphins took over, adrenalin set in and when the run started I went with the flow. There was nothing else I could do but run, run and keep on going through the rain, the slight wind in parts and the buzz of conversation around me. I didn't plug in my music until I was into my rhythm and there was nobody to chat to as I didn't want to miss any of the atmosphere and fun.


When we were well on our way Tori appeared from under the bridge and ran with me for nearly 10km. She was so encouraging, making me run faster, change my gait and aim for somebody in front of me to pass. It certainly helped the kms go by. She left me to try to catch Roger and I saw her later running with Kelley. She was great.


On the long boring stretch on Parkes Way speedycoach came running up beside me. He had already run the half marathon in 94mins and was running his cool down. Wow - he's amazing! He ran with me for a short while then ran with Rob Ey before returning to his car.


My hamstring was strapped by the physio on Friday but it gave me a lot of twinges and certainly was hurting quite a lot later in the run. However, I was absolutely determined not to give in to it. This tenth run was very important to me.


When I reached the 40km mark I suddenly felt quite emotional. I realised what I was about to achieve and that I was definitely going to make it. I suddenly felt on an incredible high. I spotted Chris out there and felt like jumping up and down with excitement at being so close to my goal. That long stretch before the final corner did not seem so bad this year. I knew I was going to do it. I felt fantastic. I heard people cheering not realising it was my own family there on the home strait. I ran over the finish line and achieved goal number two. I finished with a smile!


My son, daughter and grandchildren were there to greet me. Mr B had run his half marathon and was waiting to give me a hug. I felt overwhelmed and incredibly happy. I did it! I ran my first Canberra marathon at 50 and my tenth Canberra marathon at 60. I had achieved what I had set out to do. I was content!

Total distance: 42.195km

Time taken: 4:12:52 (6mins faster than last year)

Average pace per km: 5:59

Fastest km (22nd km): 4:52

Place overall: 683 (out of 943 finishers)

Place in age group: 3rd

Calories burned: 2,534

Wednesday, April 06, 2011

Tapering makes me hungry!

There is no rhyme nor reason to being more hungry during taper time. I haven't gone to the gym this week and I'm running less so where is the logic? I just feel like eating all the time. It's not good. Tomorrow I start carbo loading. At this rate I will look like an elephant at the start line!

Monday was a scheduled rest day and in the morning I had a remedial massage. It was painful but it was good pain and at the masseur's recommendation I returned in the afternoon to see Craig, the physio, who strapped my lower back and left hamstring with bright blue tape, a new sort of tape which stretches with the body. Hopefully it will be successful in keeping me upright on the big day!

Yesterday I ran 40mins with taped leg for the first time. It felt a bit strange to start but soon I couldn't notice it. The only downside seems to be that my right glute feels left out and is giving me some trouble now. All the joys of marathon week I expect where every niggle seems enormous!

Tuesday

Total distance: 6.6km

Time taken: 40mins

Average pace per km: 6:09

Wednesday This morning I decided to kill two birds with one stone and took Teddy with me to run my scheduled 45minutes. He was pretty good apart from all the distractions on the way, such as other dogs and interesting lamp posts. Then it was a tug of war keeping him beside me. Total distance: 7km Time taken: 46mins Average pace per km: 6:35 (a bit tricky to run with Teddy but he will get better)!


Four sleeps to go!!

Sunday, April 03, 2011

Sunshine means fun times!

Yesterday I wrote a post and the whole lot disappeared which means I have to try to remember what I said. That's a worry! This has been a perfect weekend weather-wise and I can only hope it is just as beautiful next weekend for the marathon weekend. Saturday
I met Emma and Ewen at the War Memorial at 8.30am (woo hoo - a little sleep-in) for a gentle last longish run. We ran to the marathon start at Telopea Park, at my request and from there on through the wetlands and back to the War Memorial via Molonglo Reach. At 13km gandalf went stone cold blank as I had forgotten to charge him after Thursday's track night - grrr! This meant we had to estimate the remaining distance from previous runs and from our time. I think we should be fairly close.

Distance with garmin: 13:36

Time taken for this distance: 1:25:31

Average pace per km: 6:24

Total distance for day: 17km

My legs felt like lead - no oomph at all. I was completely sluggish - not good! Later we enjoyed coffee at the cafe with Liz and later still, after collecting my shoe chip for today's run, Mr B and I took Teddy for a lovely walk round the bridges over the lake in the bright sunshine.

Sunday - Women's and Girls' Fun Run
This morning daylight saving ended and we thus gained an extra hour's sleep, in theory! The fun run started at 9am which was very civilized. There were 875 finishers, a bit lower in numbers due to a lot of other events happening, but it was a resounding success with many women and girls of all abilities taking part.

The start of the race is always a bit of a challenge as it's very narrow and difficult to pass people. However I entered with no serious intent as this was just a training run with company really! I certainly didn't want to push too hard with the big event just next weekend!
I ran a 2km warm up, 1km of it with Liz, which was lovely. Distance: 5km Official time: 28:24 Garmin time: 28:01 Net time: 27:58 (I'll take this one!) Place overall: 158th (out of 875) Place in age group: 3rd (out of 28) Average pace per km: 5:35
This afternoon Mr B and I took our grandchildren to the model railway exhibition at the local high school. It was fantastic. We all loved it!


Photo by speedygeoff: strewth and Liz

Friday, April 01, 2011

Last spiral handicap at the track

After a cold start to the day this afternoon turned into a stunning sunny Autumn day, a perfect day for a long walk with Teddy.

Last night however was definitely cold for the track events. I arrived an hour early for my event and went for a run out of the stadium and along the cycle track past the nature park (which was very dark) and down to the main road heading for the city where I turned and headed back to the track and ran a couple of loops before lining up for the start of the last spiral handicap for the season.

I ran off Group 28 with about 26 other participants. During the warm up I felt sluggish but once I started the spiral I felt fine. I didn't take my jacket off until just before I started as it was really cold. This was actually of benefit, as it's much preferable to run in the cold than the heat. It doesn't take long to build up a sweat! Tonight was a 7 lap spiral and I passed a number of people and managed to come in 3rd place overall keeping just ahead of Helen who finished in 4th place Audrey in 5th and Nadine in 11th. By my calculations Helen should win the pointscore by a narrow margin over Nadine and all things being equal I should place third in the women. However, the results are not yet on the website so that is yet to be confirmed. I was still happy with my time however which is a PB for me for the 7 lap spiral - yay!


Distance of spiral (according to gandalf): 2.94km Time taken: 14:18 Average pace per km: 4:51 Handicap group: 28 Finish place: 3rd Total distance including warm-up: 9km