Speedygeese at Dickson Oval - a first for me this season.

I seem to have recovered quickly from any after effects of the marathon. I went on a gentle run on Wednesday of just 24mins and on Thursday had a recovery massage before running another gentle run on Friday for 25mins with Teddy. On Saturday I was on duty at the Parkrun and it was great to be able to cheer on so many people I knew. CJ was on roster too so after the run we headed for coffee to join our friends. It was fun on a very cold windy morning. It would have been hard to run a PB in that wind.

On Sunday I headed from home for a slightly longer run but still at a very slow pace. I felt a bit sluggish as it was first run of any distance. The first half was really slow but I felt better after that 5km was done.

Total distance: 10.12km

Autumn colours on one of my runs

This afternoon I returned to my first speedygeese session since the marathon. It was the Tuesday session at Dickson Oval - another first for me this season. There had been a few early starters who left before the main session but Miranda stayed to run a few warm up loops of the oval with us before only four of us (Clint, Colin, Susan and I) ran a pyramid session like an 'M' ie we ran 200m fast/200m slow, 300m fast/slow, 400m fast/slow, 300m fast/slow, 200m fast/slow and then back up and down again the same way. That was 5km or 30mins of pyramids. Those 400m sprints were the hardest but the thought that the distance would reduce in the next one kept me going. Colin outsprinted everyone but I ran my best and didn't feel too bad. It was a cool evening but there was no wind and we had lights as the Bilbys were out there training in large numbers so it was all good!

Total distance: 9.2km

Canberra Marathon Number 12

Post marathon dinner with friends at Ellacure

Pre-marathon tweet up with friends from interstate and locally

In the final stretch

Canberra Marathon

With  Mr B (who ran the Half) and our son Peter after his first marathon

Mr B's brand new Alfa Giulietta

Another Canberra Marathon has come and gone. It was my slowest time yet and the last few kms were very slow and painful but I finished with the encouragement and support of very good friends on the way.

The weather on Sunday was perfect. Early in the morning it was cool and crisp and it warmed up gradually to a very pleasant morning. There were thousands of starters as the half marathon and marathon runners all started from the same place at the same time. Of course this meant there were also lots of familiar faces. For the first 4km I ran and chatted to CJ and it was great. As we reached the slight rise towards Parliament House she ran ahead and I listened to my music with only one earplug as I wanted to be aware of the all the interesting conversations going on around me. 

At one stage Jen, Kerry and her dog came running along near me to give me encouragement and it was great to have their company. I felt fine until my stomach started to feel a bit strange at about the 30km mark. I tried to have a drink at every drink station but did find the water at a few of the stations tasted disgusting. I'm not sure why as at other times the water tasted fine. I wanted to keep hydrated but could only take small sips as it really made my stomach feel worse. 

I was really struggling when there was about 6km left to run and it was great to see speedygeoff and Ewen out there to keep me going. I have never been more glad and relieved to see the finish line. I truly thought I might not make it. Maria and Charley were so lovely when I really felt quite ill at the finish. They made sure I was ok before leaving. So many people kept me going and made it all worth it.

Soon after I crossed the line I spotted my son who had completed his very first marathon in 4:08. He had been in pain for the last 10km with plantar fasciitis. However, he too was very happy to finish and I felt so proud of him. There's nothing quite like the feeling of finishing your very first marathon. 

Mr B finished the half marathon in 99:06 finally reaching his goal of beating 100mins. Later that evening, after a relaxing bath in our brand new bathroom we had a lovely dinner in a restaurant with very good friends celebrating birthdays and a big day out and discussing plans for our next big event in New York City!

Total distance: 42.2km
Time taken: 4:31:11
Average pace per km: 6:25
Calories burned: 2443

Postscript: Since I wrote this we have heard the devastating news of the bombings at the Boston Marathon. It is such a sad, senseless and tragic thing to happen. My heart goes out to all those poor people who took part in the marathon and the supporters and spectators. What an abhorrent act!

Carbo loading with two sleeps to go!

I had a morning shift at work this morning so decided to do my short run early. I left the house by 6.30am and ran from home. It felt really pleasant even at that hour and as daylight saving has finished for now it was light outside. In fact I wore sunglasses and a sleeveless top.

Total distance: 6.1km

Time taken: 38:29

Average pace per km: 6:18

Calories burned: 359

That is my last run before the Canberra Marathon on Sunday. There's nothing more I can do so I will just hope for good weather, no wind, an injury free run and a good day out! 

Later in the afternoon Mr B drove me out to Telopea Park in his brand new bright red Alfa Giulietta which he picked up this morning. It is fabulous! The expo hadn't started but I did meet up with Liz and we walked to Manuka for a great coffee and chat before I met up with Mr B who had been doing the supermarket shopping - lovely man. We drove into Woden and ended up eating a 'healthy' burger for dinner - carbo loading indeed!

I now feel very full of water, gatorade and lots of white starchy carbs which I have been consuming throughout the day. I hope to burn a few off on Sunday!

A Tempo Run at BBQ Stakes on a stunning Autumn Day

Today was a stunner. It was cool and foggy early as I drove into the city to meet up with Liz and CJ for a very pleasant breakfast. It was such a lovely catch up. Later in the morning I headed out to run in the BBQ Stakes handicap run in Woden. By this time it had reached 25deg and felt very warm indeed in the gorgeous sunshine. I had only managed to run 800m before the race and then I accidentally started in the wrong group which means my place won't be counted anyway. However I expect I will find out my official time eventually. My calculations indicate it was almost the same time as last week.

I forgot to take my garmin today, one of the problems of packing your bag the night before a run, trying to remember everything. At least I wasn't as bad as Jen who had to whizz to Rebel and buy a crop top before she could run, having forgotten to pack it in her bag!

After the run I ran a warm down of 3.3km with Gary (for half of it), Helen and Jen. This gave me a total distance of 10km which is what I needed.

After the run Jen and I headed to one of our favourite cafes for a light lunch and coffee. Then it was home to bring in the washing and take Teddy for a very enjoyable walk on a very balmy evening. Part of our walk was on trails which meant Teddy could run freely without his lead and he does enjoy that so much. It was a good day.
On the bathroom front, the plumber came today and installed the vanity unit, taps, towel rail, hooks and toilet. It's definitely starting to take shape. Tomorrow I think the man is coming to resurface the bath.

Massage Time

This morning I took Teddy with me for my run as it was only a short easy run scheduled. I decided not to go to Speedygeese training in the evening as I had a massage in the morning and wanted to make the most of it. 

Teddy and I ran from home to the oval and here I let him off the lead so that he could run and have fun. I did end up with wet grassy shoes though. We ran on past the shops before returning home.

Total distance: 6.3km

Time taken: 41mins

Average pace per km: 6:30

Calories burned: 348

The massage was great. He managed to find all the sore bits which I didn't know I had and ease out the pain.

Today the plasterer came and fixed the cornices in the ceiling and patched up a few holes. The bathroom is progressing.

Parkrun Number 3

Gindy Parkrun today

This morning I rose very early yet again in order to fit in my longish run before starting work for the day. Today's long run was my last before the marathon next weekend and of course was a taper run so much shorter than usaul. I ran down to the lake from home at 7.10am and found Marg and CJ at the start of the Parkrun which I had decided to incorporate in my run. Conditions were perfect; it was cool but the sun was starting to shine and there was no wind. The mist was swirling over the lake making it quite eerie and picturesque. 

After the Parkrun I ran the 5km back home again before showering and heading off to The Runners' Shop for work. My goodness, I now know what it is like to work there on a Saturday. It was really busy today. I think everybody is stocking up on shoes and guus for the Canberra Running Festival next weekend and the Canberra Running Club's half marathon a few weeks later.

Distance of Parkrun: 5km

Time taken: 27:50 (32sec PB)
Average pace per km: 5:35
Age percentage: 70.72%
Total distance of run including warm up and cool down: 15km

An "Easy" run with Teddy!

This afternoon after work I decided to incorporate Teddy's outing with my run as I only had an 8km easy run scheduled. I use the word "easy" loosely. It was actually anything but easy to keep an excitable dog focussed on the track ahead.

Teddy  wanted to check out the lamp posts, trees and every passing dog and would suddenly pull across my path when he spotted something of interest. This is a bit disconcerting when trying to stay upright and run in a straight line! However we managed to get into a reasonable rhythm eventually and completed the required distance without too much drama. It turned out to be a bit slow due to a few doggy detours!

Total distance: 8km

Time taken: 51:32

Average pace per km: 6:26

Calories burned: 456

Tomorrow I have a rest day scheduled (at least from running)! Unfortunately I will miss out on Body Balance as I'm working in the morning. I'm looking forward to meeting a friend for coffee after my shift.

Tempo Time with less than two weeks to go!

And so it was! Work until 2pm, followed by collection of Avon orders, followed by a chat to the tiler after admiring his handiwork (the wall tiles are looking great), followed by changing into running clothes and heading off for a run. I followed the cycle track from home and headed towards Gungahlin for 5.5km before returning. I ran a warm up for 2km before picking up the pace and running a tempo run for 8km and a warm down for 1km. 

The temperature was cool to start (our top temperature was only 17deg today) but the sun was out and I warmed up fairly quickly.

Total distance: 11km
Total time taken: 1:06:50
Average pace per km: 6:04
Best pace at the 10km mark: 5:42

Calories burned: 642

And after all that I quickly changed into something much warmer and took Teddy for a walk until the sun was too low in the sky and I headed home to hang out washing and cook some dinner.

I'm not sure about all this working business. It doesn't leave many spare hours in the day and as Mr B is doing a 3 month stint working too I don't have a magic fairy to make the housework disappear!

Tomorrow morning the carpenter comes followed by the electrician so there should be even more progress on the bathroom when I arrive home from work tomorrow afternoon before my next run.

A Stunning Autumn Day in Canberra

I ran a short run this morning as per my schedule. It was just a run from home and out towards Gungahlin turning at the 4km point and heading home again. I ran slowly but the conditions were ideal - a gorgeous Autumn day. It was very fresh but the sky was gradually becoming bluer and by the time I was on my last few kms the sun was bright in the sky. I love mornings like this.

Total distance: 8km

Then it was off to work after a quick chat with the bathroom tiler. The bathroom is progressing and looking good. By the time I arrived home from work in the evening the floor tiles had been laid.

Tomorrow morning and in fact every morning this week I am working until 2pm so it looks like afternoon runs may need to happen. The forecast for tomorrow is also for much cooler temperatures than we have been having.

Easter Weekend

This has been quite a weekend! On Good Friday I spent the day volunteering at the Australian Masters Athletics Championships at the AIS track. In the morning this meant lapscoring for the 10,000m events for all age groups. It was very exciting and some amazing times were achieved. This took most of the morning and then Margaret and I headed for the lower track where we assisted with the discus and later returned to the East field of the track where we assisted with the javelin throwing. It was a busy but fun day and we witnessed some very exciting records and PBs inbetween our duties.

Caroline wins Gold in W70 10,000m

Kelley Silver and Debbie Gold in W50 10,000m

Sue Archer wins Gold in W60 10,000m

Thea wins Gold in W30 10,000m

I only managed to take a few photos before duty called but it was great to have the opportunity to see a few presentations. Everyone was so happy with their great results.

On Saturday morning I ran from home to Lake Ginninderra and managed to incorporate the Parkrun into my long run. This was my first taper run so obviously the distance was much less than the previous Saturday. I managed to beat my last time for this run by 34 seconds and was placed 53rd (17th woman) in a field of 74 winning my age group which probably meant I was the only one in it lol! 

My time for the 5km was 28.22 which was an average pace of 5:40 per km.

I continued my run with CJ for company for the next few kms before running back home to make a total of 22.3km for the day.

Later I delivered Avon and had a great coffee and lunch with CJ and Mr B at one of our favourite cafes.

On Sunday it was back to the track for more lap scoring, this time at the 5000m events. In the first race I had three people to lapscore for and that makes for a lot of concentration as we don't choose our competitors and are often given people we don't know, from interstate. The first time they run past us we are all seeking out our people, checking their numbers and colours and ensuring we recognise them as they pass us next time. I was lucky when it came to the women as I was able to lapscore for Kathy and that made it very exciting.

Being Easter Sunday we had our Canberra part of the family over for dinner and a little Easter egg hunt for the grandchildren later in the day. As we are currently having bathroom renovations done there is a lot of dust and debris about so a fair bit of cleaning was involved before our guests arrived for roast lamb and chocolate dessert followed by Easter eggs!

Today I headed out for an easy 10km run. The first half was anything but easy. Whether it was an overload of chocolate I'm not sure but my legs felt heavy and I felt very sluggish. However, I ran past the AIS and down towards the city before returning and felt a lot better on the return trip. Later in the day I took Teddy for an undulating 7km walk. Maybe tomorrow I will be able to eat more cleanly as the chocolate has finally been consumed! I will be working the afternoon shift so a morning run will be a necessity and just a short run is scheduled.