Women's and Girls' Fun Run

photos courtesy of speedygeoff

There were 1300 starters for the very successful W & G Fun Run yesterday in ideal conditions. It was overcast with no wind for the run and later the sun shone brightly as we sat around waiting for the barrel drawers and catching up with friends. I started in quite the wrong spot this year and had to struggle through lots of runners and walkers who were taking up the whole pathway at the start of the run. I did lose a bit of time here but felt fine after the first km when I managed to run steadily. I thought I was running quite well, especially when I finally passed Yelena in the 4th km. However my time across the finish line was a little disappointing as I felt so comfortable and thought I had run better than that. Later we ate hot cross buns and fruit and queued for great coffee from the very welcome Cafe2U van which comes to events sometimes.

I was very excited when my name was called for one of the barrel draws - a bag of goodies from ACTEWAGL - yay, it's always fun to win a surprise!

Total distance: 5km (plus a 1.2km warm-up)

Time taken: 27:09

Average pace per km: 5:18

Place: 150th (out of 1300 starters and 1160 recorded results)

Total distance for first week of taper: 68km

Finally - a Break Through!

Last night was the final session at track for the season and there were impressive results and awards presented to some amazing athletes including M80, M85 and W80's - so inspiring to all of us. I entered the mile fitness walk and came in 3rd. When I can't run anymore I think I'll take up walking - it's fun although it does hurt!

Marg and I ran a few warm-up laps before entering the 3000m event. It didn't feel too bad and I happily surprised myself by finally managing to come in under 15mins - woo hoo! I'm not sure what the exact time was yet as the official results haven't been posted but I think it was 14:58. Anyway I was very happy to have finally broken that elusive 15mins!

Total distance including warm up laps: 6km

Friday is usually my rest day but this week I decided to run as I have entered the Women's and Girls' Fun Run on Sunday and will have my rest day tomorrow instead. It was mid morning before I left the house and it was quite hot (about 29deg). I struggled a bit with tired legs and unquenchable thirst. I ran from home to Lake G, round the lake and then a bit further towards Gungahlin before running home the long way. At the lake I stopped to say "hi" to speedy Sue who was cycling in the opposite direction. She is also doing the marathon but was resting a sore knee by cycling instead.

Total distance: 21km
Time taken: 2:07
Average pace per km: 6:05
Calories burned: 1235

Seventeen Days Nine Hours To Canberra Marathon!

This morning I went to the 6.15am RPM class followed by the 15mins abs class at the gym. Then later this afternoon I went for a gentle run to stretch the tight glutes and legs stopping to visit a girlfriend on the return journey - very pleasant! I also actually achieved a couple of things on my never-ending list of things to do - finally!

Total distance: 7.8km
Time taken: 47mins
Average pace per km: 6:05
Calories burned: 460

Autumn Showers

By the time I ran out the door this morning rain was gently falling down. It didn't look like stopping anytime soon so I donned a spray jacket and went running anyway. It was beautiful - rain in Canberra is a rare beauty indeed. After ten minutes I took the jacket off as I was very warm. I also wore sunglasses as the sun was shining at the same time as it rained. Autumn in Canberra - interesting, especially when it rains. Half way through the run the rain stopped. Ah well, at least it lasted a solid half hour - better than nothing. Then the sun shone brightly and it was quite hot for the rest of the run.

Total distance: 11km
Time taken: 1:07:05
Average pace per km: 6:05
Calories burned: 652
Then later I went for a sports/remedial massage and now I have a sore butt!

Three Weeks' Taper

That's the theory, however today wasn't much of a taper! This morning I followed CJ's strength program at the gym and later today I went to the early warm-up of the training group at 4.30pm and ran 8km with Ewen and Miranda before joining the rest of the group for the main session starting at 5.30pm. Tonight's session, after the warm-up loops of PH, consisted of 3 x fast undulating 920m loops of the trails with 3 x slow runs in-between incorporating a workout on the fitness trail as we went. We finished with a short warm-down.

Total distance: 16.3km

Masters' Monthly Handicap at Stromlo

It was an absolutely perfect morning for running as the sun didn't become really hot until we had finished running. The course started at Stromlo Forest Park where we ran our usual Cross Country loop then ran out on the dirt where the forest used to be before the Canberra fires about 5 years ago. It was undulating but not too hilly and an out and back course so we could high five others going in the opposite direction. I started in Group 21 and came in 16th out of 99 starters in the longer course of 8km. I felt surprisingly ok after yesterday's long run. Sometimes a long run the day before a race can help. I also managed to arrive in time to do a warm-up before the start which always helps!

Total distance: 8km (garmin says 8.2km)
Time taken: 44:14
Average pace per km: 5:32 (garmin says 5:23)
Place: 16th (out of 99)
Handicap group: 21
Calories burned: 486

Warm up run: 1:09
Total rounded-down distance for day: 9km
Total distance for week: 101km - woo hoo!

Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds!

Yes indeed - LSD - and I feel good - no bad after effects, no chaffing and a good recovery - yay! This morning I left home at 7.15am and ran via Lyneham down to Lake BG past the ferry terminal and on to Regatta Point where I met up with Ewen who ran with me for the next 15km past Molonglo Reach and round East Basin. We did stop briefly to watch a dragon boat race which was pretty exciting. Then over the bridges and back to Regatta Point where Ewen left me and I continued home again to the sound of music. It was great to have good company for the middle part of the run round the lake.
Today I wore a top I don't wear very often, new shorts, new shoes and a different crop top. For the first time this year I didn't chaff anywhere on a long run - so fantastic. I guess that decides what I will wear for the marathon! The singlet's not particularly flattering but, as CJ so correctly pointed out at coffee later, that won't really be worrying me too much after the 30km mark!!
Total distance: 35km
Time taken: 3:34:51
Average pace per km: 6:05
Calories burned: 2073
And tomorrow morning is the Masters' Handicap at Stromlo - that will make a good total of kms for the week!

Round and round and round we go!

I decided that in order to cover my distance today it would be fortuitous to complete the hour run on the track tonight. Thus it was that I dragged Mr B along to be my lap counter for the last event of the night - the hour run. As it happened he also lap scored for Marg. Oh boy, it is so boring running round and round the flat track for an hour without a break or even an opportunity to stop for a drink. Some people just kept flying past lapping me (including speedy Ewen, Roger and pocket rocket Sue) - quite demoralising seeing them fly past again and again as I trotted around for yet another lap.

Total distance: 10.852 (just missed lapping Marg the second time and also just missed the 11km)

Time taken: 1 hour!!!
Average pace per km: 5:37 (just slightly faster than marathon pace)
Now all I have to do is keep up that pace for 42.2km and I will make the distance in under 4hours - ha ha ha - not possible, that was the longest hour in eternity!!
Total distance including warm-up: 12km

Double Trouble

Tuesday
8.15am - short run

I ran a short run from home before heading for the gym. I purposely ran fairly gently as it was the final Summer Series race later in the day.

Total distance: 6.1km
Time taken: 37:17
Average pace per km: 6:06
Calories burned: 360

I went to a 9.30am class at the gym under the illusion that it would be nice and gentle because of the time it was held - big mistake! It was titled TBC - Total Body Conditioning - and it was designed to focus on the heart, muscle and mind. The description sounded fine but, unless they replaced this with a different class, it is a tough session with the first 3/4 of it being quite aerobic. At least the last 15mins included stretching and abs - always a good thing!

Later in the day I headed for Stromlo Forest Park where the final summer series run was held. My time was 20secs slower than my previous race at that location - damn, why don't I get faster?

Total distance: 5km (plus 550m warm-up)
Time taken: 27:29
Average pace per km: 5:21
Calories burned: 301

Total distance for day: 11.65km

Then off to a sub-committee meeting for Masters' Athletics - it's all go, go, go!

Wednesday - today's medium distance - 7.15am - another very warm day

This morning I had an early start as I had a meeting at 10.30am in the city and wanted to complete my scheduled run first. Yes, I know I'm retired but it seems people want me out there so I've become a part-time consultant by default!!

Anyway, I ran from home to and round Lake G then home the long way extending it a little at the other end to make the distance.

Total distance: 20km
Time taken: 1:59:01
Average pace per km: 5:57
Calories burned: 1178

Only Four Weeks to Go!

This morning I went to the gym to follow CJ's exercise program. It took me an hour to do the full session but it was a good start to the day.

I managed to arrive at PH for the early start of speedychief's training at 4.30pm which meant speedychief, Miranda, Ewen and I could run 7km before the main session started at 5.30pm.

After the warm-up loop of PH we were divided into teams of two for relays. One team member ran on a fast undulating loop while the other ran a slower shorter loop inbetween. It was tough but fun. Then to top it off we headed for the killer hill to do attrition sprints to the top. Fortunately I was out in the first attempt as the last five to reach the top were eliminated. The overall winner was Joel after Tim was given a handicap to hold him back!
Total distance: 13.7km
Calories burned: 826

Strewth - we're off to New York!

It's true - the airfares are very cheap right now and Mr B has booked the flights. We leave in June for LA and New York - how exciting! It will be summer there too so more sunshine to enjoy.

Today I ran late in the day before going out for dinner with friends to replace all the calories (plus more) I had lost! I just ran a short steady run from home along the cycle track to the tunnel past Giralang before turning and running back the way I had come.

Total distance: 8km
Time taken: 45:57
Average pace per km: 5:44
Calories burned: 470

Total distance for week: 93km

Another Long Run with my Mates!

This morning dawned cool (almost frosty) - ideal conditions for running for a very long time as the forecast was for 30deg later in the morning. I met up with the usual suspects at 7am and was pleasantly surprised when Cathy M joined us after her fantastic SFT last weekend. Roy and I ran the shorter loop of Mt Ainslie avoiding Mt Majura this time (as did most of the others) and after 10km ran along Anzac Pde to the lake and towards Molonglo Reach where we met up with Ewen who ran with us through the wetlands and round past Commonwealth Bridge (Roy left us to head back to the start) and back to Molonglo Reach where I left Ewen and ran on for another 5km to make up the distance.

Back at the lake off came the shoes and I joined Ewen in the water up to my thighs to ease the legs - absolute heaven. Ewen drove me back to the War Memorial where my car was parked and we enjoyed a wonderful cold drink followed by coffee and a yummy fruit pastry. It was great catching up with Ewen and hearing all about his SFT adventures (looking forward to that post Ewen - hurry up). He did a 'Good Samaritan' deed on our run by chasing a family of ducks across the road so that they took off in flight to avoid the next oncoming car!

Total distance: 34km
Time taken: 3:39:30
Average pace per km: 6:27 (those hills at the start definitely slowed me down)
Calories burned: 2000 (and I've sure made up for it since!)

It's turned into a stunning day and hopefully a perfect evening. We may well be taking our grandchildren to Skyfire tonight if Master Two has his afternoon sleep! It should be fun!

Track Session

This evening I just made it to the start of the Spiral Handicap at the AIS track not having time for a warm-up which was a mistake. Life is just too busy!! It was a 7 lap spiral and I started from Group 34. The runners were mainly made up of males. In fact there were only three females competing. Roy put on a real sprint and I couldn't catch him. Instead I ran just behind Laurie with him encouraging me every step of the way.

Distance: 2.92km (according to garmin)

Time taken: 15:16
Average pace per km: 5:13
Calories burned: 170

After the spiral I went for a gentle undulating run with speedychief to warm up (!) for the next event.

Distance: 3.07km

The next event I ran was the 3km GM series.
Distance: 3km (d'uh)
Time taken: 15:23:68
Average pace per km: 5:08
Calories burned: 175

Total distance for day: 9km

A Balmy Autumn Day

RPM is becoming busier in the mornings and when I arrived this morning all the bikes were taken. Therefore I decided to memorise the program CJ had set for me as I had left the written program at home. However, when I checked later I had remembered it all almost perfectly. I did make it to the abs class afterwards.

Today turned into quite a hot sunny day and I left my run until quite late, probably a bit too late as it turned out as it was very dark by the time I returned home and the cycle paths were not lit so I ran with caution. The forecast is for hot days going into the middle of next week. The best part of this time of year is that the nights cool down enough to sleep comfortably and the days don't become hot until late morning.

I ran from home to and round Lake Ginninderra and home the long way to make the correct distance. Interestingly as I approached the last few kms of the run my ipod played "I Want to be Old Before I die" followed directly afterwards by "I want to be 18 til I die" which was an amusing contrast in terms!

Total distance: 18.2km

Time taken: 1hr53mins

Average pace per km: 6:12

Calories burned: 1073

I have decided that this marathon will be just a case of completing it and not to worry about the time or I will be disappointed. I'm running far too slowly in training.

Fartlek on Rolling Hills

Having spent the morning looking after Master Two year old grandson (he's very cute) I didn't have a chance to run until mid afternoon when the sun was at its hottest. I ran a 15mins warm up (that was really tough as I was under the full sun at that stage) before heading for the trails and hills of North Lyneham ridge. There was a sign on the gate stating that bulldozers may be around during March and April and sure enough a lot of the uneven surfaces had been rolled flat. This however had created even more dust although there were less obstacles on the way. I headed for a shaded uphill section (perfect) to do my hill repeats.

My main session was:

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

Not sure about the float but I certainly enjoyed the downhill bits back to the starting point. I finished the session by jogging a loop of the Nth Lyneham ridge before heading for home.

Total distance: 12km

Calories burned: 700

In the evening Mr B and I headed out to the AIS to see Chris Isaak in concert - another great performer - wow! This was a Christmas gift - talk about making the most of the good life - awesome!

Five Weeks to Marathon

Yesterday morning, before leaving for Sydney, I squeezed in a short run to make up my total for the week. It was slow but not as bad as I expected after yesterday's hills.

Total distance: 9km
Average pace per km: 6:12
Calories burned: 543

Total distance for week: 95km

A New Week

Last night we attended the Coldplay concert in Sydney and it was absolutely awesome. We stayed with our daughters in their apartment thus killing two birds with one stone - catch up with the kids and a fantastic concert. We drove back this afternoon after a lovely lunch with the girls and youngest daughter's partner. We arrived back in Canberra cutting the time a little fine for making it to training. Instead I ran a gentle run from home desperately seeking bushes on the way back after consuming too much junk food on our one day and night away!

Total distance: 12km
Time taken: 1:13:53
Average pace per km: 6:09
Calories burned: 710

The Long and Dusty Trail!

Phew, maybe I was out in sympathy with the six footers this morning but I managed all of my run on the hills and it was hard, hot and slow. I met up with Mike, Graeme, Chris, Roy, Nadine and Brett at the War Memorial carpark and we walked to our starting points on Mt Ainslie.

There we dispersed in two different directions, the short course and the long. I ran with Nadine, Roy and Brett and we ran our usual course up and over to the highway and back (about 18km) then Roy and I ran on to the Masters' Handicap course. Nadine caught up with us there as she had detoured to stock up on water (a wise decision as the weather was humid and we became dehydrated very quickly). She ran round the whole of that loop while Roy and I turned round and ran back past the war memorial again to restock on our water.

At this point Roy stopped but I still had 8km to go so ran back out over Mt Ainslie again on my own sighting Nadine on her return. I also spotted an enormous lizard (?) - a really big one covering a quarter of the track, and lots and lots of kangaroos everywhere no doubt looking hopefully for water. It has been threatening rain all day but not a drop has fallen. The clouds are becoming blacker and blacker outside now though and the wind has picked up so any minute now??

I'm wondering how my six foot tracker friends have gone today. I thought of them a lot this morning on my dusty run imagining how much tougher their run would be and hoping that they had a great day for it after so much training.

I eventually completed my scheduled run and it took nearly four hours - oh dear, it was tough and slow but at least it's done! It was great to have company for most of the way. Roy waited for me while I finished my last 8km and we enjoyed a beautiful coffee afterwards.

Total distance: 34km
Time taken: 3:56:06
Average pace per km: 6:56
Calories burned: 1975

Friday is my favourite day!

Friday has always been my rest day although usually I do go to the gym early in the morning to a Body Balance class - great for stretching. However this morning I had the pleasure of my daughter's company instead which seemed like a lovely alternative.

As I collected aforesaid daughter from the airport in the middle of my scheduled 5km track race last night I obviously gave the race a miss and ran earlier in the day instead. In fact it was 12.30pm before I ran my planned tough run and oh boy it was hot. I ran from home past the AIS down to the highway and then back to O'Connor Ridge where there are some trees for shade. The surface is great but the hills are very steep. My session was as follows:

15mins warm-up jog
15mins tempo run
3mins jog
4 x 1min hills (I think the ones I selected were too steep - phew)
warm down run to finish

I found a lovely gently undulating surface for about 3km of my warm-down and it felt great but then I headed for home on the concrete cycle paths, couldn't avoid them unfortunately. It was hot, I was dripping, but with the workout done I could enjoy the rest of the day without rushing back to work - woo hoo!

Total distance: 12km
Fastest km: 5:27
Total time taken: 1hr15mins
Average pace per km: 6:12 (damn hills!)
Calories burned: 708

Later in the day I headed for the CIT to meet with CJ who had produced an exercise program for me designed to assist with upper body strength, abs, back fat etc. It took about an hour to go through everything. I'm hoping for great improvements although with my current training program I will probably only be able to squeeze in two or three weights sessions a week until after the marathon.

Less Than Six Weeks to Canberra Marathon!

Anaerobic Threshold and Race Preparation

Monday - recovery run on Canberra's Birthday
This morning I ran a gentle run from home at 10.30am!
Total distance: 12km
Time taken: 1:15:18
Average pace per km: 6:16
Calories burned: 715

Tuesday
Today I ran twice - something I do very rarely
Run at 8am
Total distance: 5km
Time taken: 31mins
Average pace per km: 6:13
Calories burned: 300

6.15pm Run - Summer Series at Acton Ferry Terminal
Warm up with Thea - 2km

Race total distance: 5km
Time taken: 27:01
Average pace per km: 5:15
Calories burned: 300
Total distance for day: 12km

Wednesday - Today
6.15am - RPM
7am - Abs class
4.30pm - Run from home to and round lake and home again
Total distance: 16.29km
Time taken: 1hr 31mins
Average pace per km: 6:04
Calories burned: 960

Weston Creek Half Marathon

I have mixed feelings about today's run. I felt decidedly ordinary at the start with my nose running like a leaky tap and my throat dry and sore. Yesterday's short 5km run was not comfortable and I admit I was a bit dubious about running at all feeling the way I did at the start line. However I was glad that I didn't wuss out. Although this was definitely not one of my better results I actually quite enjoyed the run in spite of the hills and the constant cycle paths. There were lots of familiar faces and Mr B was out there with extra supplies of tissues when needed. He ran about 17km off and on although he didn't compete and he just turned up at odd places with tissues! Rachelle was out there running here and there and popped up about 2km from the end as did speedychief who of course had already finished the race and was on his cool down when he found me and encouraged me to put on a bit more of a spurt to make it to the end. The clock had just clicked over the 2 hour mark when I ran through the finish line and no matter how big a finishing spurt I could not have run any faster. My name was accidentally called out as winning my age group and when I corrected the error I was rewarded with a bottle of NZ sauvignon blanc for my honesty - yay!!

Later I spent FOUR hours at Tilleys enjoying the company of CJ, Ewen, Lulu, Steve, Carol, Bruce (not to forget Bella the border collie) and Rachelle - such a great way to spend a sunny Sunday.

Distance: 21.1km

Official Time taken: 2hrs and some seconds (tbc)

Average pace per km: 5:40

Calories burned: 1255

A Good Day

This morning I went to Body Balance - I love that class, compulsory stretching, amazing abs work and so lovely when we have total relaxation for ten minutes at the end. Last night I was CJ's guinea pig at CIT for a fitness assessment. It was good fun but these abs of mine defnitely need more work!

After the gym this morning I went for a run which incorporated fartlek training. My legs did not want to cooperate and the fact that I'm still coughing madly doesn't help much. Here's hoping I don't disgrace myself at the half marathon on Sunday. However, I had a good day today. After my shower I went to lunch with my ex-admin staff as an opportunity to say thank you and farewell. It was so lovely being able to do that and we had such a nice time. Management covered the cost and had sent a very nice gift for me so it was all good.

Total distance today: 11.13km

Ups and Downs!

Since Sunday I've had a dose of flu and a bad cold - not very pleasant but I think I'm starting to feel better. I didn't run at all on Sunday and Monday - just no energy and totally blah. However I did go out for a gentle run yesterday and managed a slow 8.45km. This morning I returned to RPM and later I went to track which was held today as tomorrow there's a big footy match being held at the AIS and the track is closed. I was a bit apprehensive about racing as I'm not 100% yet but I decided to at least give the spiral a go. I started from Group 33 and finished in 8th place so was happy enough with that.

Distance: 5lap spiral - 2.47km
Time taken: 12:35
Average pace per km: 5:07

Next Marg and I decided to enter the 2km walking race which is always fun. We don't do the proper race walk, we just power walk a fast as we can. We still have a handicap but are not judged. It really is fun and I was very happy to come in second place - what a fluke!

After this Marg and I jogged outside the track for 3km just gently but as I was coughing a lot and feeling decidedly ordinary gave the 3km event a miss and instead headed home. But it's a start and I'm hoping I'll be ok for the half on Sunday, just taking it fairly easy this week.

Total distance today including warm-up: 8km

Friends make running fun!

Today it was another early start to be at the War Memorial to meet the others by 6am. It was still dark and I ran with some trepidation watching the ground all the time determined not to trip! Since yesterday I have been suffering from a sore dry throat and as a consequence felt very dehydrated and appreciated all the fluid I took with me. I ran with Cathy M, Graeme, Nad & Brett for the first 11km then left them at the steps to climb Mt Majura as usual. I felt a bit more sluggish today, could be related to my cold but plodded on alone and met up with Ewen back near the start. From here we headed to Campbell Park, Duntroon, Molonglo Reach and through the wetlands and round the lake heading back to the War Memorial - a 17km loop. It was great to have company and this meant I only had to run alone for about 8km. In the first part of the run over the Mt Ainslie trails there were large numbers of curious kangaroos and a few frisky bunnies. I was really tired and slow but achieved the required distance so that's good.

After the run we met up with the others at the picnic area for a little while then when everyone dispersed Ewen and I enjoyed beautiful coffee and cake at the Outpost Cafe.

Now I'll take my time recovering before going on a train ride with Mr B's squash group this evening to a French restaurant - should be lots of fun.

Total distance: 34.4km
Time taken: 3hrs 45mins approx
Average pace per km: 6:50
Calories burned: 2000

Echidna instead of a Wombat!

Wednesday without Wombat
6.15am - RPM
7am-abs

6.15pm - Medium/Long Run

I ran all alone (no ipod, no Ewen) from home to and round the lake and an extra loop round Kaleen. It's very quiet without music but I had lots to churn over in my mind so it made for great thinking time. It started off hot and sunny but was quite cool and dark by the time I reached home. I was pleasantly surprised by the number of runners, walkers, cyclist and dogs out there.

Total distance: 20km
Time taken: 2:05
Average pace per km: 6:14
Calories burned: 1198

Thursday

I decided not to enter any events at track tonight as my schedule suggested hills. However, I still had to go to track to deliver and collect a few things for people and decided to make it a base and ran from there out to O'Connor Ridge and hilly trails. I kept losing the correct path back to the start as there are too many opportunities to go down the wrong turn-off and if there's a way to become lost I will find it! However, it was a great surface and it completely blew me away when a gorgeous little echidna waddled across my path with its nose poking straight ahead. How exciting. That was a first on any run I've done. There were lots of steep hills which obviously slowed me down considerably although Idid try to push myself up them as quickly as possible. I ran back to the track in time to see the last half of the 10,000m. Some of the times were amazing.

Total distance: 13km

Time 1:26

Average pace per km: 6:39

Calories burned: 760

Gainfully Unemployed!

Sometimes life doesn't turn out quite the way you planned! I was so glad I went to RPM at the gym yesterday morning because I didn't make it to training after work as I was held up at work - my last day at work in fact as although I had put in my notice of retirement to finish in four weeks, due to my managerial position and the company "protocol" this afternoon I was escorted off the premises - not the best way to end my full-time working career and a very sad day. It was too late to go to training and I was rather distressed so no running happened.

Tuesday - Cross Country Summer Series
Location: Boathouse running towards Commonwealth Park.
Distance: 5km (plus 1km warm-up) = 6km
Time taken: 28:02
Average pace per km: 5:34
It was lovely to catch up with Marg, Cathy M and Carolyne before and after the run. There was a tough head wind heading out to the carillon but on the way back it eased off. Overall I was glad I ran as it really helps having those endorphins released!

Strewth - I did a CJ!

Saturday's run at Mt Ainslie started at 6am and suddenly 6am is still quite dark. Our little group started off and I chatted happily with Cathy M as we enjoyed the trails in the semi darkness. About 1.5km into the run I tripped on a tiny hidden rock and couldn't stop myself from falling flat on my front, arms splayed, flying dramatically to the dirty ground. I lay there quite stunned but eventually managed to stand with help with water poured from Chris and Graeme's bottles. They led me to sit on a branch of a tree as the world was defnitely going round - just shock I guess although I was in some pain! Roy in the meantime ran back to fetch his car and drive it closer but by the time he arrived I was feeling much better and ready to continue running. Roy rejoined us and we continued on the trails.

I know I looked quite a sight covered in dust and dirt and blood and scratches. My knee was stiff and sore but after Roy returned to his car at 17km I continued on slowly and found a great trail on the other side of the road. Next week I will run further along it. This week I was on a time frame as I needed to take Mr B to the airport for a triathlon in Brisbane. However I did manage to fit in 30km and all of it off-road which was fantastic. On the way back towards Roy's car after our turnaround point we came across CJ, twofruits and softshoeshuffle all looking extremely fit and healthy as they are nearly at the tapering stage for 6' track. Twofruits did point out that I might need a shower before taking Mr B to the airport!

At the picnic ground after the run I caught up with Cathy M, the two Graemes and all the 6' track group briefly before heading off for that shower! My knee felt a bit stiff and I have a big bruise in a spot where the sun doesn't shine but the only bad after effect is a very stiff neck - wierd - where did that come from?

Total distance: 30km

Average pace per km: 7mins (blame the stiff knee)

Today - Masters' Handicap at North Curtin

This morning I collected CJ and we drove out to the monthly handicap at Curtin. It was different to the Cross Country run on Tuesday although part of the off-road hill was the same route. There was quite a lot of the run on cycle track and I have to admit I definitely prefer the trails. The concrete is so hard on the feet (can't believe I said that). There were plenty of hills at the start but the second half of the run was almost boring even if it was much faster being both flat and downhill. However, I did pass a few people but was pipped at the post by speedy CJ who sprinted past me just before the finish and no way could these dead little legs catch her. I did enjoy the run and I do love seeing people I haven't seen for ages at these events. Later CJ and I enjoyed the most beautiful and welcome coffee at Black Pepper and a little piece of yummy loaf to go with it.

Starting group: 21

Distance of run: 6km

Warm-up: 1.5km

Time taken for run: 34:05

Average pace per km: 5:27

Finish place: 30th

Total distance for day: 7.5km

Total distance for week: 76km

Decision time!

Here it is Sat night and I haven't blogged since Monday. It's been quite a week - dreadful work-wise and big decisions made. My notice is in and I retire on Friday 20 March - woo hoo - so now it's countdown time! Already I feel better having made that decision!

Tuesday - Summer Series

Cross country race at North Curtin. This started with a 2km hill which seemed to go on forever and speedygeoff ran with me encouraging me to go faster. I enjoyed the run but it was tough trying to run fast after the training session the night before. I kept Caroline in sight and managed to finish just 6secs behind her. Speedygeoff let me run in just before him and as it turned out that wasn't necessarily a good thing as the number called for the barrel draw was our speedy leader. Being a gentleman gains its rewards!

Total distance for race: 5km
Time taken: 27:44
Average pace per km: 5:32
Warm-up: 1km
Total distance for day: 6km

Wednesday

After an 11 hour day at work and no Ewen to run with I ran from home starting much later than I had intended. I felt tired and cranky and it was good to run. However I only managed to fit in 10km which again was shorter than my original intention.

Total distance: 10km
Time taken: 59mins
Average pace per km: 5:54
Calories burned: 586

Thursday - Track
Tonight I arrived just in time for the 5 lap spiral and decided to run it as I always find it fun.
Total distance: 2.08km
Time taken: 10:29
Average pace per km: 5:08

Next Marg and I went for a gentle jog to keep the legs moving until the 3km event later in the evening. We ran 3km out of the AIS and met Ewen going out as we returned. He did however arrive back in time for the race and unbeknownst to me kept me in his sights. This was a handicap event according to age and he started well behind me. Just as I was coming to the finish line I heard these pounding feet coming up behind me. I put on a mad sprint but the long-legged wily wombat just pipped me at the post! I will plot my revenge!

Total distance: 3km
Time taken: 15:28
Average pace per km: 5:10

I never seem to manage that elusive under 15mins for 3km.

Total distance for day: 8km
And now it's late and I have the Masters' Handicap in the morning so I'll write about my eventful Saturday run tomorrow - goodnight!

Nine Weeks to Canberra Marathon - Focus Endurance and Anaerobic Threshold

6.15am - RPM

5.10pm - short warm-up run to meet Ewen and Miranda

5.30pm - speedygeoff's PH training

I was held up at work and didn't arrive at PH on time to do the 8km early warm-up, only time for 3.2km to meet up with the other early birds.

The training session started at 5.30pm with a bit of extra warm up before our main session at the grassy bank in front of PH. We ran (40secs fast/80secs slow x 3) x 4 up and down the slopes. Then we ran quite a long warm down loop - a bit different and quite fun.

Total distance: 14km

Sprint Marathon Relay

It was another early start this morning as we needed to be at Govt House for the organisation of the teams for the sprint marathon relay by 7.15am. Mr B had to leave even earlier for the triathlon which started at 6.30am. Rachelle and I went together and arrived exactly on time. It was great to see Marg's stunt double who had come to Canberra with Ron from Queensland for the weekend to celebrate their birthdays.

There were 8 teams with 6 in each team starting in order of estimated speed per km. The aim was to mix fast and slow runners in each team to make them as equal as possible. I started as No 4 in my team. It was lots of fun although the morning was very fresh and a long top was necessary for some of the long waits between runs. Our runs were split into 1 and 2km laps and in the last lap each runner picked up the next one so that all the team ran over the finish line together holding hands. Our team came 4th which was exactly in the middle and a quite exciting finish. Marg's team won which was so fantastic considering that she was asked to stand in for someone who had to drop out at 8pm last night.

Total distance: 6km (with about 1km run inbetween) = 7km

Total distance for week: 76km

Cool hilly trails!

After extremely hot temperatures last weekend it was quite bizarre running in positively cool temperatures this morning. It was in the low teens at 6am as we set off on the trails of Mt Ainslie, cloudy and cool - actually quite ideal running conditions because we warmed up quickly on the hills but never dehydrated or became too hot. I felt really comfortable today and ran with (not behind) Cathy and Maryanne managing the hills with ease. I'm sure it was because the temperature was so much cooler. Roy ran with me on the return loop when we left the others at the steps leading to Mt Majura. Roy and I ran on following the Masters' Handicap run and then on to Duntroon golf course where we ran all round it before running through the grounds of Duntroon and back to Mt Ainslie for the return to the War Memorial. I had to run 700m past the carpark at the end to make the exact required distance. It was a good pleasant run and we saw bunnies, curious kangaroos and the most stunning coloured parrots as well as some lovely views from the hills.

We joined the others later (with the two Graemes - the 'small' one had started at 7am) at the picnic area where we enjoyed drinks and a good chat - lots of fun.
Total distance: 28km
Time taken: 3hrs 11mins
Average pace per km: 6:50
Almost forgot - Happy Valentine's Day! I have some Lindt choccies which I will hide away from myself until after the sprint marathon relay tomorrow!

A Little Bit of Bling!

The temperature has dropped and this week has been so much cooler. So many tragedies have happened with dreadful floods in Queensland and horrific fires in Victoria and the devastation of so many lives lost. It makes us realise just how precious and fragile life really can be.

Sunday was still extremely hot, 40deg in Canberra and I just ran a very short run early in the morning.

Distance: 5km

Monday - speedygeoff's training at Parliament House

4.30pm - warm up run with Miranda, Geoff and Ewen

5.30pm - speedygeoff's training

warm up loop of PH followed by main set - 1 practise loop and 4 x 930m hilly repeats with 100m slow/200m fast repeated 3 times for each loop. Then off to the steep hill for attrition sprints. As usual I was eliminated in the first bunch but it was exciting cheering everyone else on and just like last week the two winners were Bronwyn and Tim with Tim the overall winner narrowly racing past Bron at the top of the hill - an exciting finish.

Warm down loop of PH

Total distance: 16.3km

Tuesday - Summer Series No 2 Race

Tonight this was held from The Boathouse and we ran to Molonglo Reach and over the bridge and back

Distance: 5km

Warm-up: 1km

Total distance: 6km

My calf felt very stiff and sore and as a consequence I didn't run a cool-down instead I treated it with a bag of frozen peas at home (having mislaid the ice pack) and gave it a bit of self massage and a soothing shower.

Wednesday

6.15am - RPM

7am - Abs class

6pm - Run with Ewen.

After some confusion re our meeting place Ewen and I finally met up at Regatta Point and started our run a litte later than intended. The conditions were cool and pleasant, so different from the week before. We ran very gently as I was treating my calf with caution. We ran out past Mollonglo and through the wetlands running the full loop - pleasant and after the initial twinges felt comfortable.

Warm-up: 1k

Run with Ewen: 13km
Total distance: 14km
Average pace per km: 6:25

Thursday - Track at AIS

Tonight for some crazy reason I had pre-entered the 15oom ACT Masters' Championships at the track. I ran 3km for a warm-up and ran the 1500m at about 7pm. It was a bit scary but I enjoyed the challenge. The best part was that as I walked down from the kitchen later Rachelle called out to me, "go collect your bling". Sure enough there was a silver medal waiting for me - 2nd in my age group (number in age group = 2) - tee hee! That was a lovely surprise - a medal for second place in spite of a slow time compared to everyone else. I wasn't last - one person finished 2 minutes after me!!

Total Distance with warm-up: 5km
Race distance: 1500m
Time taken for event: 7.09:53

I did look up my past events and find that in 1996 I ran this event in 7:08:34 so I have a bit of work to do to better that time! I have only ever run 1500m once since then before tonight.

Hot, hot, hot - but there's a cool change coming!

The heat in Canberra this week has been extreme and the problem here is that there's not a beach round the corner and it's difficult to cool down. Running in the heat has been a problem this week with every day soaring temperatures reaching well over 35deg. I'm just glad I had a relatively easy week scheduled!

Wednesday

6.15am - RPM

7am - abs class

6.15pm - Run with Ewen

It was still very hot (30deg) at 6.15pm when I met up with Ewen and I felt more comfortable running in a crop top. However, I took my singlet with me and when we reached the water fountain I soaked it in water to keep me cool. We met at Regatta Point and ran out past Molonglo Reach and on the track towards the airport before retracing our steps.

Total distance: 13km

Time taken: 1:21

Average pace per km: 6:14

Thursday
It was still very hot in the evening and I decided to go to track a little later than usual. After a short warm-up and the excitement of watching the speedygeeese run fantastic times in the 800m relays, I lined up for the 3000m event. It was challenging but quite fun really in spite of the heat. It took me 15:38 - a bit slow.

At the end of the track session Ewen, speedychief and I went for a cool down run outside the track. It was really pleasant and a good way to finish the evening.

Total distance: 1km warm up, 3km race, 5km warm down = 9km

Friday

Last Friday my Body Balance lady was away and we had a Power Yoga class in its place - rather challenging to say the least. However, this week it was back to Body Balance and those amazing stretches - great way to start the last day of the working week. I love Fridays!

Saturday - Back to the Hills

I met up with the Mt Ainslie group and Marg and Roy for a 6am start. Good decision as after the first km I was already dripping. I only had 20km scheduled today and managed to keep Cathy M in sight or run with her until leaving that part of the group who were climbing up ladders and heading for the top of Mt Majura. At that stage there had been a lot of undulations but it was all manageable and I enjoyed the surface of the trails and off road. However, I did manage to lose Marg and Roy and I hoped to catch them on the return journey but they were nowhere in sight. I did see Graeme heading out. He started out at 7am instead of 6am but I'm so glad we had started an hour earlier. It was so hot and later reached 40deg.

I managed to find my way back to the war memorial on my own for the last 10km - I did check with one runner out there as to where I was heading and felt so relieved when I realised I was on the right track! My sense of direction is non-existent and it's always a good feeling to know I'm not lost. Back at the start there was still no sign of M & R and I ran back a little way looking for them. However, eventually they turned up having taken a different turn with Marg limping from turning her ankle on the uneven surface.

We enjoyed a pleasant drink at the Outpost Cafe and joined the others in the picnic area to welcome back Cathy M etc who had run about 30km including both hills. It was certainly a very hot morning but lovely to see everyone and I felt comfortable in my run.

Total distance: 20km/Average pace per km: 6:42

Sunday

Just a short run from home - still far too hot. Next week the temperature is due to drop and from Tuesday should be much cooler and easier to run.

Total distance: 5km

Total goal for week: 50-57km

Total achieved for week: 60km

Easy Week Scheduled

My training program includes 3 weeks hard with the 4th week easing back. This week is my scheduled easy week and my distance drops back The focus of the past 3 weeks has been Endurance and Strength. My Monday started the usual way.

6.15am - RPM

5.30pm - speedygeese at Parliament House (I didn't make it to the early session tonight)

After the warm up loops we did four lots of four by twenty second sprints with a twenty second jog recovery between each sprint; then we were taken to a short steep hill to sprint to the top as fast as possible. There were 10 of us and 5 of us were eliminated after the first hill as we were the slowest. After that one person (the last one each time) was eliminated each time until we had a winner - Tim - good fun! Then it was a cool down loop back to the start.

Total distance: 7km

Tuesday - Summer Series Begins

This morning I actually went for a swim - I haven't swum at the pool for about 12 months and I only managed 600m before I emerged from the pool and sat in a soothing wonderful spa for 15mins. However I will return to swimming as it felt really good.

Tonight was the first of the ACT Cross Country Summer Series races. It was held at Stromlo Forest Park and although it had reached 31deg earlier in the day by the time of the run it had clouded over and was considerably cooler. There was a bit of a breeze but the conditions were pretty good and so much better than the extremely hot weather we have been experiencing lately. It was lovely to catch up with friends there although there were a number obvious by their absence.

Total distance for race: 5km (5.22km according to garmin)

Time taken: 27:11

Average pace per km: 5:13

Warm down: 1km making total distance 6km

One Perfect Day!

My Preparation for a long run:
Night Before
Charge ipod
Charge garmin
Make up gatorade
Put 4 little drink bottles in freezer with half gatorade in bottom
Fill up water bottle
Lay out all gear ready for run

Day of Run
Rise 2 hours before scheduled run. Eat banana and honey on white toast and cup of tea. Drink lots of water.
Quick wake-up shower
Put voltarin cream on likely sore spots
Put body glide on toes and any bits likely to chaff
Cover exposed parts of body with sunblock
Lipgloss to prevent sunburnt lips
Deodorant (of course)
Put on toe gel cover to prevent toes rubbing
Band-aid on heel
Put on running clothes
After tying shoe laces with double bows thread through rest of lace so that there are no dangly bits (can't stand dangly bits)
Adjust running cap
Get satellite for garmin by placing on window ledge
Clip on ipod shuffle and thread cords through crop top
Remove drink bottles from freezer and fill up with gatorade
Ensure drink belt contains house keys or car keys (if driving somewhere), jelly beans and tissues as well as drinks of course

Forgotten Saturday - guu (for carbo loading - left in running bag), 'cool-it' for keeping neck cool (left in fridge)

My Preparation for short run
Rise 30mins before
Quick wash
Put on running gear (laid out night before)
Put on ipod and garmin
Run out door - no drinks needed, house keys in shorts pocket

On Saturday after doing all the above I drove to Rydges near the lake and started my long run from there. I was on a bit of a time frame as we had decided to drive to the beach in the early afternoon and I was soooo looking forward to that swim. I ran to Molonglo Reach and took the little track down to the airport then turned and ran back and over the bridge and round the wetlands then back past the yacht club and round the west basin end of the lake. I was constantly thirsty and stopped whenever I found water filling up my water bottles and pouring water over me. The first two hours of the run were great as the sun hadn't shone in its full force but after 20km it became a struggle. However, although my speed slowed down considerably and I was hanging out to finish I managed to last the distance and breathed a huge sigh of relief as the kilometres ticked over to the required distance.

Total distance: 34km

Time taken: 3hrs 37mins

Average pace per km: 6:24

Calories burned: 1996

Sunday - today - my perfect day!

Yesterday afternoon we drove to the beach and stayed the night. We had a wonderful swim in the cold waves yesterday and it soothed my tired muscles.

This morning after an early brekkie I went for a short run beside the beach just to keep moving and to feel the coolness in the air. It was a great morning with plenty of cloud cover until lunchtime when the sun started streaming down. We spent the afternoon in the surf and the sand. We went for long walks along the beach and when we felt too hot we jumped back into the waves. In the late afternoon we bought fish and chips before driving home after a fantastic day feeling refreshed and ready to face another hot week in Canberra.

Total distance: 5:56

Goal for week: 86km

Total distance achieved for week: 90.56km!! Yay!

And now there are 11 weeks until the marathon.

Hilly Trails win over Track in the heatwave

It was far too hot for me to run at track tonight. Instead I waited until a more reasonable hour and set off for the North Lyneham Ridge hills. I found a nice off-road hill and after a 15min warm-up I ran 10 x 1min hill repeats. Even well after 7pm it was still very hot and a bit of a struggle. After the hill repeats I continued round the 3km undulating hill where the speedygeese used to train some years ago. It was a bit dusty but I enjoyed the hilly trails and was pleased to stay on the right track and not become lost on the little off-shoot trails. I finished with a gentle warm-down run and arrived home dripping like a wet rag. Boy, did I enjoy the cool shower afterwards!

Total distance: 10km

New Look Blog for a Slow Strewth!

I now have a new-look blog thanks to Ewen. I wish it would benefit my running speed! Tonight I had a shocker of a run - a real struggle in the still-hot evening. My legs felt like they were still recovering from the RPM class this morning - so heavy and slow and the heat was oppressive. Mr B ran with me or in front of me after his hot cycle home so at least I had some company as Ewen couldn't run with me tonight. Poor Mr B kept slowing down to wait for me - I really did it tough tonight - not good!

6.15am - RPM
7am - Abs class

6.45am - Run from home.
Distance: 15km
Time taken: 1hr 33mins
Average pace per km: 6:13

Running when the sun don't shine!

This morning I had a window of opportunity to run early as I didn't have to run back to back due to training at PH being cancelled last night and running long in its place yesterday morning. Thus, I ran at 6am from home past Lake G and back via Giralang - a 10km loop. It was a fantastic time of day to run - no hot sun and lots of cloud cover - perfect!

Distance: 10km (incorporating 6 strides or 1 min bursts of speed)
Time taken: 60mins
Average pace per km: 6mins

Happy Australia Day!

This morning Marg and I joined speedychief and some speedygeese at the zoo at 8am to run a supposedly gentle loop around that end of the lake. It was quite pleasant at that time of the day although felt pretty warm towards the end. The main group set a steady pace and I dropped to the back of the pack fairly quickly. However I did keep the group in sight until I decided to turn back to join Marg briefly and ensure all was well before chasing after the others again. I ran the last couple of kms with Al and caught up with lots of family news after many years. Ewen arrived about 3mins after we left from the start and he had to run a brisk catch-up and caught us at the first drink/nature stop at the yacht club.

After the run Marg, Cathy M, Graeme, Ewen and I spent a very pleasant hour at the cafe at Reconciliation Place enjoying good coffee or milkshake or gelato or more than one of the above. We had a prime view of the lake happenings and ducked as two fighter jets suddenly roared low overhead and soon after that we watched and heard canons being fired on the opposite side of the lake. We were also joined briefly by a gentleman on his bicycle decked with Aust flags and a carpet lined basket carrying two very cute little dogs complete with helmets having a "birds eye" view and the time of their lives. It was a great location - a lovely break by the lake in excellent company.

Total distance: 16km
Average pace per km for 14km: 6:05

A bit unsure of the total time taken as I forgot to turn on gandalf after one of the drink stations and lost about 2km before I realised - rats!

Later in the afternoon Mr B and I returned to Rec Place for a pleasant little walk, another round of refreshments and some people watching - very civilized - although by then the wind had picked up and it was very breezy.

First Masters' Handicap for 2009!

This morning CJ and I headed out to Campbell Park for the first Masters' Handicap for 2009. The weather was positively cool with cloud cover, no wind and perfect conditions for running. It was really good not to be battling the wind or struggling in the heat. I went off in Group 21 after
CJ and I had run an easy 2km warm-up. CJ was in Group 33! I caught up with a few people which was great and I felt comfortable and enjoyed the run. It was hilly on the way out and the last hill before the turn-around was tough but I didn't walk once and felt fairly strong most of the way - lots of lovely downhills! I finished in 38th place in the 'long course' field of 107. CJ and I ran a warm down run of 2km making the total for the day 10km.

Total distance of race: 6km

Time taken: 33:53
Average pace per km: 5:39
Place: 38th (out of 107)
Total distance including warm up and down: 10km

After the race CJ and I whizzed off to watch the last few finishers in the Olympic triathlon at the lake. We saw quite a few people we know and I caught up with a few people Mr B and I had met in Rimini last year, which was exciting. Caroline competed and did a pb for that course but when they called out the age group winners, due to some computer error, they didn't go above W60 and as she is in the W65 group her name was not called and she missed out on a medal - most disappointing, especially when she did so well.

In the early afternoon the sun came out and the temperature rose. It was hot again. We were so very lucky to have such ideal conditions for our first handicap of the year.
Goal for week: 82km
Achieved for week: 83km - woo hoo!

Whistle down the Wind!

I should have known it was a bad omen when 3.5km into my run my ipod stopped dead and I had to run the rest of the way without music. Obviously I hadn't charged it properly. All I could hear was the sound of breathing, strong winds and faint bird songs.

When the alarm went off this morning I pressed the snooze button three times before reluctantly crawling out of bed. After all this procrastination I didn't actually start running until 8.45am - rather later than planned. The wind was already blowing and I headed out from home towards Lake BG which was probably a mistake on hindsight as the wind was worse there. I hoped the wind would die down before the triathlon events later in the afternoon. Running beside the lake the choppy waves splashed me and it felt good. I found my thirst was unquenchable and stopped at every available bubbler in spite of carrying water with me. I battled the wind in both directions but on my return journey past the boathouse I could hardly move one foot in front of the other as the wind was so strong. In fact it blew my cap off and I just managed to rescue it before it before it fell in the lake - no way would I have jumped in after it! Thus it was that although there were few hills I felt just like I was climbing them as I battled the wind.

It took me longer than last week's long run even though the first half was quicker. Later, While Mr B was officiating at the triathlons, I spent a lovely afternoon with CJ. We headed off to buy new shoes at The Runners' Shop - maybe that will cure the blister problem. After a few more purchases we enjoyed a relaxing coffee and caught up with our news.

Total distance: 30km

Time taken: 3:13:55

Average pace per km: 6:27

Calories burned: 1770

Running with the Kangaroos!

Wednesday
6.15am - RPM
7am - Abs
5.20pm - Run with Ewen

Met Ewen at Rydges where we crossed the bridge to the ferry terminal and ran out past Molonglo Reach and a little way along the new track towards the airport. I didn't want Ewen to fire me as his running partner so I put on a bit of a burst of speed and we covered the distance a lot quicker than last week. It was hot, windy and hard work but the company helped considerably. After 14km we reached Ewen's car and I ran the last couple of km gently to make up the required distance.

Total distance: 16km
Average pace per km for 14km: 6:06
Calories burned: 850

Thursday

As I had fartlek on hills scheduled I decided against running at track. This was just as well as a most impressive storm hit in the early evening and the hour run at track was called to a halt after 40mins.

I ran a 15mins warm-up then headed for the hilly trails on North Lyneham ridge. My run went as follows:

2 x 60sec hard/60sec float
4 x 30sec hard/30sec float
2 x 60sec hard/60sec float
4 x 30sec hard/30 sec float
2 x 60sec hard/60sec float
Warm down.
Total distance: 10km

During the course of the run I was running with kangaroos beside me, I just couldn't keep up with their agile speed. During the warm-down I found a better trail than the first part of my run which was a bit steep and rough. I will head there for more hills in the weekend. My timing was perfect as I made it home just before the heavens opened!

Woo hoo - anybody out there?

Rush, rush, rush arriving at PH with only seconds to spare only to discover the usual underground entry had been blocked off due to preparations for the Australia Day concert. I parked the car outside and ran round PH looking for my running companions, water bottle in hand. I couldn't find any way into the carpark past the barriers so I ran back to return my bottle to the car and saw two familiar figures about to disappear in the distance. I quickly stored my bottle and took after the others at speed. I didn't catch them until I was through the tunnel and running by the lake - "woooo hoooo" I called loudly and fortunately speedychief heard me. I caught them and could therefore run the rest of our 8km warm-up with them or just behind them, in parts. It was very hot and I positively gulped the water down at the fountain on our return trip back to PH for the start of the real session.

After meeting up with our training group we ran a warm-up loop of PH before running a similar session to last week - one trial loop followed by four 900m loops of 100m gentle/200m hard. The loop is undulating and the weather was hot and oh boy did I enjoy that bubbler! It was a good way to start the week!

Total distance: 16.6km

Building up the Distance!

I decided against running at Mt Ainslie yesterday as we drove our daughter through to Sydney where both girls have now moved to this weekend. Instead I ran from home past the AIS incorporating a few trails there and running on to Lake BG, past the ferry terminal and on towards Molonglo Reach then back home via Lyneham. There was a bit of a head wind towards Molonglo but the temperature was much more pleasant than it has been of late, not as hot, making it more comfortable to run although my time was still very slow. I was very happy to squeeze in the distance before a very busy exhausting weekend and trouble with removalists!

Total distance: 30.33km
Time taken: 3hrs 12mins
Average pace: 6:22

Admittedly I did receive a call on my mobile and forgot to stop my garmin so it may have been marginally faster than that.

Goal for week: 76km
Achieved: 78km

Hill Repeats

Today's session included hill repeats. The temps reached 37deg today but I left home at 6.30pm when it had cooled very slightly although it still felt very hot at that stage. I ran for 15mins then ran 3 x 1min hill repeats jogging back to the start followed by 3 x 2min hill repeats. How can two minutes last so long? It was hard hot work. I followed this with about a 20min recovery run.

Total distance: 9.55km

I just could not manage that extra 500 metres to make it to 10km. However, I'm still ahead of schedule so don't feel too guilty! I should have run an hour later when the temperatures had dropped to a far more pleasant level. In fact the next few days should be much cooler in the mid 20s. Tomorrow is my scheduled rest day so I will go to Body Balance at the gym in the morning which includes some much needed stretching.

Footnote: After some very helpful advice I bought and tried a gel toe protector tonight for my rubbing toes. Yay, it solved that issue and now I've cut one to cover another toe which has developed a blister. Thank you softshoeshuffle. You are a legend!

Battling the Rising Temperature!

With temperatures of 35-38deg running has been tough this week!

Monday
6.15am - RPM at gym

4.30pm - Early warm-up at PH with speedychief and Ewen -8km
5.30pm - Training with speedygeese
Warm up loop of PH and a test run of 900m loop followed by main session as follows:
4 x 900m made up of 100m easy/200m hard
Cool down (nothing cool about it) back to PH

Total distance for day: 16.3km

Tuesday
7pm - Run from home - temperature still over 30deg.
Total distance: 8km
Time taken: 49mins

The best part of this hot run was when I ran past a house in a little cul-de-sac and noticed a man watering his shrubs. "Can I be a tree?" I called out and he obligingly turned the hose on me for a quick spray and it was fantastic - not sure if it was quite legal with water restrictions but I wasn't complaining!

Wednesday

I drove to Molonglo Reach and met Ewen there just before 7pm The temperature in my car said 39deg - still very hot outside. We ran out past the wetlands and round the East, Central Basin of the lake., It still felt really hot even when the sun was dim. The lake actually looked inviting! We saw tiny fluffy cygnets with their mum on the lake and dozens, yes dozens, of bunnies near Molonglo on the return trip. I'm having trouble with two of my toes rubbing against each other and was in a bit of pain throughout the run but we made it and good company always makes it easier.

Total distance: 14km
Time taken: 1hr 30mins
Average pace per km: 6:28

Track, Hills and Trails - What doesn't kill you makes you stronger!

Track on Thursday

I didn't manage to make it to track in time for the 3000m and therefore decided to run the 1500m race instead. The track races tonight included ACT Athletics as well as ACT Masters so ages, sizes and abilities were very varied! There were only three grades at the start - the elite, the very very fast and the very fast. I lined up at the start in C Grade wondering why I was out there making an idiot of myself. However, I guess I'm there to make everyone else feel good. The temperature had dropped but the wind had picked up so that we started with the wind behind us but faced a head wind in the opposite direction. It was challenging but I wasn't quite last. I don't yet know my official time but it was about 7:35 which is considered very slow by anybody's standards but I just did the best I could.

I warmed up for a few laps after the race as I didn't have a chance beforehand. I cheered on the 400m runners with awed respect then entered the 4 lap spiral which is something I always enjoy. I had a handicap of 30 so was one of the first runners to start and came in 9th place. I followed this with more gentle running for a warm down. It was good to welcome Jodie and Lance, our new arrivals from Melbourne, for their first time but the temperature dropped considerably during the course of the evening and we were really cold by the time we left for our homeward trip.

Total distance: 7km

Saturday Long Run

This morning I timed it correctly and met the War Memorial group at 7am to tackle Mt Ainslie and beyond. It was a small select number of competent hill/track runners and with a bit of trepidation I ventured to join them. Fortunately for me Kelley was there and although she is normally a fast and competent hill runner she kept me company and ran at my pace. This was so good as the others sped ahead and sometimes we lost sight of them and I'm sure if Kelley hadn't been beside me I would still be out there in the hills trying to find my way home! We had a lovely companionable chat on the way or at least I chatted during the times that I could breathe! Conditions were ideal and it was good to be back on the trails but oh boy I noticed those undulations!

We started at the picnic area at the base of Mt Ainslie and ran/walked all the way to the top, drew breath and then ran an extra loop before running out to the highway. We ran parts of the Bush Capital marathon and covered lots of hilly trails. It was a lovely area and when I am fitter (hopefully this will happen sooner rather than later) I know I will benefit from these hard, hilly trails. It's certainly easier on the limbs than running on the cycle paths. The company was great and we all met up at the picnic area afterwards for a drink and chat. Twofruits arrived with some of his SFT training group having run 25km but then they continued on for another 16km - phew! My total distance was only 20km but it felt like hard work and it took 2hrs 21mins which is the same time as I took last week to run 23km on the flat!

Total distance: 20km
Time taken: 2:21
Calories burned: 1116

Tomorrow I will spectate at the sprint triathlon where I know heaps of people taking part, including Mr B.

15 Weeks to Canberra Marathon!

I have been continuing training as per my schedule but unfortunately we’re having heaps of trouble at home with our computer which keeps logging off. It will have to be rescued by our son as it’s driving me crazy! It doesn’t help that I can’t access the internet at work either as we have just packed everything up in boxes, including our computers, and will probably not be operational until Friday in our new office and even then we will be busy unpacking – no opportunity to blog there!!

Back to my training for the first week of the New Year.

Saturday 3 January
I parked my car at the War Memorial by 7.20am thinking I had plenty of time to join the group to run Mt Ainslie and beyond. After waiting 20mins I decided I had missed them somehow and set out on my own running down Anzac Pde and on to the lake and round the wetlands. I found out later that in fact the group starts at 7am not 7.30am as I had thought. Never mind, I’ll try again this coming weekend. I turned on my music and ran alone and was extremely pleased not to get lost as I have no sense of direction, as those who know me well, would definitely affirm. I managed to run East and Central Basins of the lake including Kingston and back past the carillon crossing over to Anzac Pde and back to the War Memorial. I avoided Mt Ainslie as I prefer to run that with company.
Total distance: 23km
Average pace per km: 6:09
Calories burned: 1350
Then I treated myself to a beautiful coffee all on my own at the Outpost Café.

Sunday 4 January
Just to make up the distance for the week I ran at 6.45pm hoping to avoid the intense heat of the day. It was still very hot but definitely not as hot as earlier in the day. I ran a very short run just to make my total for the week and was very happy to do so!
Total distance: 4:37
Time taken: 27:09
Average pace per km: 6:12 (slower than the 23km the day before!)
Calories burned: 258

Goal for week: 72km
Distance achieved for week: 75km! (Yay!)

Monday 5 January

6.15am - RPM at gym
After a disastrous working day I was held up in a meeting and didn’t leave the office until after 6pm which meant that I missed speedygeoff’s training at PH. Instead I ran from home at about 7.15pm and it was still 32deg and unpleasantly hot. I needed to run as my mood was dismal – nothing like a good run to clear the head!
Total distance: 10km
Time taken: 1:03
To top off a rotten day my Gandalf Garmin was not properly charged and I had to run without it. It’s amazing how often you look at an arm expecting to see the average speed pop up!!

Today - Wednesday 7 January
Early morning run when the temperature was manageable.
Total distance: 10.13km
Time taken: 1:02
Average pace per km: 6:12

I ran early today as Ewen wasn't able to run with me in the late afternoon. As the temps were 35deg by the afternoon and the wind is furious I was glad I had run when it was very pleasant. Today is my oldest daughter's birthday and we have a pleasant family evening planned, trying out the updated Belluci's Suburban restaurant tonight.

This week I have an easy week scheduled and my total distance for the week reduces. I have three weeks hard, one week easy in my current training plan.

Another Year Bites the Dust!

I can't believe it's 2009 already. Happy New Year to one and all! Although we have had warm sunny weather there has been a nasty wind following us about, especially when running!

Yesterday, I finished work early and met up with Ewen at Molonglo at 2.30pm to go for a run . It was a nice leisurely run battling the wind in parts (of course, doesn't the wind always blow when we run together)! We firstly ran the new path to the airport then ran clockwise round the East and Central Basin of Lake BG. There were a few tiny fluffy cygnets on the lake being protected by their parents and we also noticed some teenage cygnets with protective swans swimming closely by them. Perhaps they were causing their parents some grief on New Year's Eve!

During our run we passed someone eating a very tempting looking icecream which made us decide that we would head to Reconciliation Place after our run to enjoy very yummy gelato followed by an equally creamy and delicious coffee - a great discovery of a location! While we were sitting there idling the afternoon away two young runners came up excitedly recognising me from Rimini in Italy! They had been at the duathlon there and indeed Jodie had gone on to compete in the Hawaii Ironman soon afterwards. They moved to Canberra from Melbourne two days ago and are very keen to get into the running/triathlon scene here. Thus we exchanged numbers and will keep in touch after they move from their hotel to Bruce on Friday - very exciting that they remembered me - such a lovely couple.

Total distance: 16km

Time taken: 1:42:12

Average pace per km: 6:23

New Year's Day - Thursday

We saw 2009 in with CJ and Mr CJ quietly at our home with nibbles, chocolate, Baileys, wine and champagne - a pleasant evening indeed. CJ and I also decided, as we both had 10km scheduled, that we should run it together today.

Mr B dropped me off about 3km from our meeting place to give me a little extra distance and the three of us ran gently round Lake G battling a nasty persistent strong wind. It was another sunny hot day but that wind is really strong and annoying. It's ages since CJ and I have run together and it was such fun being able to chat all the way and not worry about the pace. We couldn't run much faster anyway as the wind was a head-on battle.

Total distance: 10.4km

Average pace per km: 6:23

This pace appears to be consistent - consistently slow!

2008 is rapidly drawing to a close!!

I thought I should write at least one entry in December so here goes! Here is my confession! It has been 7 weeks since my last blog entry! In that time I have caught up with friends and relatives in New Zealand, run approx 280km, been to the gym several times, survived Christmas shopping, spent too much money and gained a couple of kilos having eaten far too much food!!

Photo shows Barb, strewth, Mr B in NZ!

I have decided to resume blogging as I begin training for the Canberra Marathon. I have used up all my annual leave and as a consequence I'm working through this holiday period. However I did manage to leave work early yesterday and joined Ewen, Miranda and speedychief for an 8km warm-up before our main session. When the others joined us at 5.30pm (only 8 of us altogether) we ran another couple of warm-up loops of PH before running 6 x 600m repeats on 5mins. The 600m consisted of two loops starting up a steep climb, plus a third climb up the hill to finish each interval. It was tough and hot! We then ran the cool-down to finish which meant those of us who started early did a grand total of 16km - woo hoo! I had also risen at 5.30am to go to my RPM session at the gym so I'm back into these early mornings.

This morning (Tuesday) I ran a short 6km loop of the local block at 6am before going into the office where we are packing up to move out of the city into a northern suburb - not happy about that move but on a positive note it will be near the Dickson Oval when we resume our Autumn training after track season finishes!!

When Courage Pays Dividends!

Tuesday

6.15am - Upper body strength/weights/abs

6.15pm - Cross Country Spring series at Black Mountain Peninsula

It was a very hot afternoon and the course was three repeats of cross country on rough grassy surface. I found it hot and not at all easy. The best part was catching up with lots of running buddies AND, wait for it, racing Aki to the finish line. She was obviously unwell and I found out later was suffering from intense pain from wisdom teeth. This is the only time I will ever catch her so that little last minute burst of energy probably did me good! Aki was pleased she ventured out bravely through her pain as she won the Running Shop barrel draw which was fantastic! Congratulations on your courage my friend!

Total distance: 5km
Time taken: 28:29
Average pace per km: 5:43
Calories burned: 293

Wednesday
6.15am - RPM class 45mins/Abs class 15mins
5.15pm - Run

I found a substitute for Ewen today and persuaded a work colleague to roller blade for the first time in months while I ran to Molonglo. It was another very hot afternoon and I really did struggle with the heat. My friend only made it as far as the carillon where he had to rest a while and I ran on to Molonglo where I found lots of water to throw over me and drank heaps before returning to meet him near the Boathouse. He rollerbladed alongside me back to the overbridge and I ran back to the office. I found it very hot and tiring and was surprised that in fact it was faster than last week. The temperature was still 26deg when we were running.

Total distance: 13.31km
Time taken: 1:21:04
Average pace per km: 6:05
Calories burned: 777

Thursday

The temperature reached 30degrees today. We are experiencing sudden hot weather which is due to become much cooler by the time the weekend arrives - hmmmm! I didn't venture to track this afternoon as I felt sore and definitely not up to racing. I have also felt decidedly ho hum all day. It was probably a good decision as I did go for a run with Mr B after work and it was very slow and painful. We ran from home and down towards Gungahlin turning at the 4km mark and returning home as I knew I couldn't run any further. I kept Mr B in sight but I shouldn't say I was actually running with him.

Distance: 8km
Time taken: 49:49
Average pace per km: 6:13
Calories burned: 470

A Gaggle of Geese and Goslings

Firstly I must amend my Wednesday's blog entry which stated that Ewen and I spotted goslings on our run. I have speedygeese and goslings on my brain. And our speedycoach is correct in assuming I meant cygnets in fact! No doubt they will be full-grown swans by the time we run past there again as this week Ewen is easing off for the 10,000m on the track on Thursday, next Wed I have a work function and the following Wed I will be in NZ. Rats - it's getting to be THAT time of year again!

Today
6.15am - RPM
5.30pm - Run with speedygeese at Parliament House
We ran a similar session to last week on a much hotter day. After our warm-up loop of PH we headed for the rose garden and our main session was as follows:

3 sets of 5 x 410m loops with 200m sprints on the flat sandy strip by the road.
Each set of 5 was off 3 minutes so we had a little rest before the next set of 5.

We finished with a warm-down loop of PH.
Total distance: 10.1km
Calories burned: 570

Weekends Go Too Fast!

Golly gosh tomorrow it's Monday again already. Where do the weekends go? This was a good weekend, very relaxing and very productive. We met up with friends for dinner on Friday night, I baked my Christmas cake (woo hoo), bought my Christmas cards and even got on my bike and more to the point, rode it!! We also visited Kingston Markets and bought our Christmas pudding! And yesterday, we saw a fantastic movie which I highly recommend - "Burn after Reading" - really funny!

Back to Thursday's track at the AIS - a bit of a disastrous result in the 3000m but before that I ran in the 6 lap spiral and thoroughly enjoyed it, then entered the 1500m walk with Miranda and Marg and it was loads of fun. In fact in the last 100m I wiggled my butt and picked up the speed to pass Miranda and Peter who had been in front of me all the way - loved the feeling!

However, the 3000m run was dreadful. I felt sluggish and it showed. No matter what, I couldn't get any more speed out of my legs and the end result was even slower than last week which I didn't think was possible! Oh dear me, I just have to improve!!

Fridays are currently my rest day. I go to the gym before work but there I do a Body Balance class which is very good for me as there's loads of stretching involved. It's a mix of yoga, tai chi, balance, pilates, abs and stretching. After the class we have about 5mins total relaxation and it's just lovely and a great way to start a Friday.

Saturday - Run

I ran down to Lake G and met Marg there and together we ran for another 30mins before turning and returning to Black Pepper for coffee. The first 3km from home were really slow and everything hurt but then I slowly found my rhythm and it was certainly easier once I met up with Marg at about the 5km point - company is always good!

Total distance: 15km

Sunday - Cycle

Today after the cake was in the oven Mr B and I went for a bike ride (woo hoo, I really did) down to Lake Burley Griffin and round the bridge to bridge ride and home. We spotted Roger walking with a lady friend a couple of times. It was a great day for being out and about.

Total distance: 24km Cycle - yay!

Running with Tired Legs!

Now these tired legs could be caused by a few hard runs this week or a hard workout at RPM or just plain late nights but they were certainly objecting this afternoon when Ewen and I ran our usual route to Molonglo Reach bridge and back. Naturally there was a head-wind on the way back but it was quite hot on the way out, far hotter than it had been earlier in the day when it was positively winter-like! I had to stop twice for water which makes me realise that it's time I took a drink bottle on these runs. We saw some new baby goslings and last week's babies had grown bigger! They were all eager to come to the water's edge and follow us in the hope of some crumbs. They are so cute.

Total distance: 14:08
Time taken: 1:27:48
Average pace per km: 6:14
Calories burned: 822

I was surprised that this was less than a minute slower than last week as it felt like hard work tonight but at least we ran all the way and Ewen did most of the talking!

Spring Lambs on the Loose!

I selected quite the wrong horses today for the Melbourne Cup (so did Ewen in his sweep selections) but the sun shone and it was great to have a holiday. We had a very pleasant lunch at Federation Square and spent some time with our family. Later Mr B and I drove to Weston Park to enter the first of the Cross Country Club Spring Series runs. It had clouded over and the conditions were ideal. My legs however decided to go on strike so my time was pretty slow!

Distance: 5km plus 2.3km warm-down = 7.3km
Time taken: 27:34
Average pace per km: 5:40
Calories burned: 285

Hopefully next week my time will improve although the course is at Black Mountain Peninsula which is hillier so it probably won't! After the barrel draws were over I ran a short warm down with speedygeoff and aki. We ran up hill and down dale and up and over little bridges and had fun being children or was that Spring Lambs? We spotted kangaroos including one little joey - very spring-like and fun!

Round and Round and Round We Go!

RPM this morning was hard work - it always is, of course, but this morning was extra hard. Maybe it was because a large number of people had taken today as an extra holiday and it felt like we should stay home in bed too! Tomorrow is a public holiday in Canberra to celebrate Melbourne Cup Day but it is officially called Family and Community Day because not all states in Australia have the benefit of having this day declared a holiday. It's an experiment for 3 years in the ACT and this is our 2nd year. In some ways it's a bit of a shame because we miss out on the office sweeps and lunches which always used to last all afternoon anyway! It does however mean we have a lovely sleep-in tomorrow - no complaints about that!

This evening speedygeoff's training was long and hard. We ran our usual warm-up loop of Parliament House then headed for the rose garden to do similar training to last week. However, tonight we ran as many undulating 410m loops as possible in 45mins speeding up for the flat 200m at the top of the steps. It was a tough session. I did have to stop for one call of nature but I managed 16 laps which wasn't too bad. Some fast runners ran 20 and some people only ran every second loop in order to have a short break between each repeat which meant they ran up to 10laps. We then jogged another loop of PH and back to the start to warm down.

Total distance: 10.4km
Calories burned: 620

Running for Fun and a Good Cause!

Ben Donohue was a 9year old boy who died in 2005 from a brain tumour. His mother works at Hawker College and since he died the school have annually organised a Fun Run to raise money for brain tumour research, the ACT Eden Monaro Cancer Support Group and Make-A-Wish Australia. This is the fourth year of the event which is a 6km fun run and walk round most of Lake Ginninderra. Today the conditions were ideal with cloud cover to start and a very mild temperature in the early 20s. Rachelle and I decided to put in a late entry and arrived in plenty of time to find quite a number of familiar faces. It was a pleasant run with a very large crowd of entrants of all ages and levels of fitness from the very serious runners setting PBs to those who participated for the fun. Every entrant helped raise money for a very worthy cause. We had fun and later enjoyed a lovely lunch by the lake, yummy food, good coffee but slow service. However there was plenty of good conversation- it was very pleasant indeed!

Total distance: 6km
Time taken: 33:20
Average pace per km: 5:32
Calories burned: 353

Too Much Halloween!

After a Halloween party last night and a bit of a sleep-in this morning I could only fit in a short run before an appointment late morning. However, my legs were leaden and I ran very slowly and I doubt if I could have managed to continue on with a longer run this morning anyway. I just ran from home past the lake with my music encouraging me to keep plodding along - ouch!

Total distance: 10km
Time taken: 1:02:46
Average pace per km: 6:16
Calories burned: 595
Hmmm, too much partying methinks!!