A Few Piccies of the Grand Canyon

As requested by Giorgio here are just a few piccies of the Grand Canyon but they definitely don't do it justice. The deer was obviously outside the barriers!

Route 66 and The Grand Canyon!

Sunday 15 June continued

Route 66 has been a bit of a theme over the last few days - it runs from Chicago to LA and is the classic road, the Mother Road, for migration to the west, as featured in the John Steinbeck novel The Grapes of Wrath'. In the 60s there was TV show called Route 66 that some oldies may vaguely remember!! The road passes through various small towns, most with their cafes and gas stations and memorabilia of the 50s and 60s - and some classic cars scattered around - Studebakers, Edsels, Packards, Nashes, even an Oldsmobile Toronado, all classic lost causes in American motoring history. Once the new Interstate 40 highway was built many of the towns were bypassed, and fell into decay - but there has been a revival of interest in the old Route 66 in recent years and selling the memorabilia is all that seems to keep some places going. And of course we bought the t-shirt!

After Hackberry the countryside was almost green in parts. Sometimes we saw long freight trains passing in the distance and I counted 142 carriages with 4 locomotives on one train with most carriages having 2 containers!

We entered the Grand Canyon National Park at a cost of $25 for the vehicle. We did not even realise its magnitude until we stepped out of the car and through the fence and then - wow - what can I say, talk about gobsmacked. It is just spectacular. In fact this is when adjectives fail me, it was awesome in the true sense of the world. It is impossible to truly describe the beauty and magnificence of this fabulous rocky splendour. It is one of the seven wonders of the world and I can see why. You stand and stare and feel so small and insignificant against its enormity. We walked 4km along the South Rim trail taking lots of photos and stopping and staring at each viewpoint. It is 2500m at the rim and then there is a vertical drop of nearly 2000m to the canyon floor. We were just a step or two away from the edge. The temperature was mild in the low 20s compared to 40 a few hundred km away in Vegas but it was still quite warm enough for t-shirts and shorts. Some of the people walking made us wonder a litte, for example one lady was pushing her poodle in a baby stroller along the track!

It was a fabulous experience altogether and after enjoying lunch there we drove to the Imax Theatre to watch a movie of the history of the Grand Canyon which made you feel like you were actually inside the Canyon itself - fantastic.

We had a wonderful day and then drove back along Route 66 with the roof down and the wind blowing us away, to Kingman where we stopped for the night in a little motel.

Tuesday 16 June

Today was Mr B's birthday and we woke to rain! After breakfast we visited the Kingman Museum. It was full of the history of Route 66 with old cars on display and lots of photos and memorabilia everywhere. It was really interesting. There was also a fantastic souvenir shop which was well worth a perusal! We drove back along Route 66 and stopped at a car lot with hundreds of old 50s and 60s cars for sale - some in good condition and some real old rust buckets which I assume people buy for parts? We continued on some very steep windy roads with fantastic views and stopped at Oatman which was originally an old goldmining town. We walked through the town among the Burros (donkeys) and trying to avoid stepping on their droppings. We saw one baby Burro only two days old and not yet able to stand - so cute.

We drove past Laughlin which was very flat but surrounded by hills. It is set by the Colorado River and has a number of casinos trying to emulate Vegas in a very small way. It wasn't a very attractive town but we stopped to eat our sandwich beside the river. The river crosses from Arizona to Nevada.

We visited a Walmart in Bullhead City (because I have always wanted to look in a Walmart) - yes, it's big! Then back on the road using the highway as it was quicker. There were hundreds of huge trucks but fortunately most of them were going in the opposite direction. The road was now long and flat and we spotted heaps of goods trains in the distance. We visited a ghost town called Calico which was closed which was great as usually you have to pay to enter the town. We parked by the town and walked through looking at everything, taking lots of piccies and didn't have to go round any people as there was not a single soul there, just a few cats wandering about the empty streets. It was quite fun!

We stayed the night in Barstow in a Ramada Inn which was very nice and we ate at Sizzler over the road as Dave fancied a good steak. He had a huge and very tender porterhouse so he was a happy boy. I had salmon steak as I was missing my weekly fish meal! It was a good day but we were tired and slept well as we had covered quite a few miles.

Wednesday 17 June

We started the day by visiting the Barstow Mother Road Museum - another interesting little spot - more old cars, more memorabilia and old movies, magnets, postcards etc and loads of interesting little stories on the walls. We drove with the roof down whenever we left the highway but the noise is a bit much on the highway. We stopped at Pasadena for lunch (wasn't there a song about that place)? Then on to Santa Monica Pier where Route 66 ends. We walked along the pier and through Palisades Park then we drove to our hotel at LA Airport where we deposited our bags before Mr B returned our beautiful Mustang to Hertz. It has been lovely having the car this week. It ran smoothly on the highway although was a little cumbersome on the twisty roads. Petrol is really cheap here and it cost just over $30 to fill the car three times and $42 today because the tank was almost empty. Petrol costs $2.80 a gallon which is about 70cents a litre so the fact that the car only ran about 22miles to the gallon (or 14litres per 100km) didn't really matter at that price!

Tomorrow morning we fly to New York where we arrive after 5pm as we lose about 3 hours on the way! On Friday I plan to go for a run in Central Park. I've entered a NY Roadrunners' race on Sunday so I hope I can remember how to run! Still, it's all about being part of it and hopefully they'll give me a t-shirt!

Las Vegas - Nevada

New York New York Casino

Paris Casino toilets

Cafe Iles St Louis

Bellagio Casino at night

Our red Mustang beside Hoover Dam

On Wednesday 10 June we returned our hired Ford Focus and collected our red Mustang Convertible 2010 model. It's fabulous! It took about five hours to drive from LA to Las Vegas. The countryside varied from very flat and baron to undulating but there were no animals or greenery and only three official rest areas in a 400km stretch of road. The roads are in good condition but I do wonder how many accidents happen from drivers falling asleep. We had copious supplies of gummy worms (a disgusting variation of what we call snakes - sorry, but defnitely not 'yummy gummies' although they do have the same sugar effect to keep one awake)!

We arrived very late afternoon and checked in to the Stratosphere on The Strip. All the casinos double up as hotels and all have their own special attraction. Ours had a tower above the 108th floor where there was a magnificent view and four floors above that joy rides outside the tower - not for this wuss however - watching people's faces was enough for me!

On our first evening we walked along the Sunset Strip (always referred to as just The Strip) about 8km, checking out lots of casinos and their attractions on the way. Neither of us are gamblers - it's just all about the atmosphere and the free shows and sights and of course the people watching - wow! We took the bus back to our hotel in the early hours of the morning. This is the city that literally never sleeps.

Thursday 11 June

We drove our car with the top down to view Fremont Street where the casinos originally started then we drove along the Strip and to the Vegas Premium Outlets where we found a few great bargains. It was fun driving our fancy car with music blaring and roof down - we felt like we really fitted in! That evening we took the bus back along the Strip and had a very very late night (morning). Everwhere is so glitzy - music, dancing, bright lights - wow! We loved the piano bar in the Paris Vegas where they sang and played any requested song with money thrown on the piano. We also visited MGM casino where there were lions behind glass in a lion habitat where we had a great view of them. We had lots of fun and couldn't believe that it was 4am before we went to bed.

Friday 12 June
Needless to say all these late nights meant that half the mornings were wasted sleeping. We bought all-day bus tickets which were very economical and this meant we could bus to different spots and return whenever we liked as the tickets were valid for 24 hours. We checked out lots more casinos and free shows including a pirate boat show at Treasure Island casino (TI) with two boats, bautiful girls, pirates, fire etc. It was fun and very effective. That evening we had a beautiful meal in Paris Vegas - fillet mignon that melted in the mouth and creme brulee to die for. The bottle of champagne we drank with the meal just made it perfect. Then to top it off I had booked tickets for Cirque du Soleil at New York New York Casino where we saw Zumanity as an advance birthday treat for Dave - a very sensuous and amazing performance. There were lots of ropes, sheets, trapezes, acrobats and very skimpy costumes. We were very glad we were not sitting in the first few rows however as people were selected from the audience at random to take part in some 'interesting' maneuvres. It was altogether a great night.

Saturday 13 June

Today we decided to try to see all the things we hadn't already managed to see. Our first visit was to the top of our tower which was complementary for guests of the casino/hotel. The views were stunning. Next we took a bus right to the other end of the Strip and worked our way back going into all the casinos which had an attraction we hadn't yet seen. We visited the Venetian which was based on Venice with little canals and gondolas running under bridges and Italian shops and restaurants. Next on to Caesar's Palace which had amazing luxury shops and walkways and went for miles. From there to Mandalay Bay, then to Luxor where we caught a little train connecting to the next place Excalibur. Each of these casinos has its own uniqueness with fantastic architecture and each based on a different city in the world or on a different theme - very imaginative and exciting and all full of people. At the Imperial we visited a Classic Car Show where the majority of cars were for sale. There were purportedly 300 cars on display although we think there were probably a few less than that, perhaps they had been sold! It was great though with some gorgeous cars.

We had fun at the M&M store which had four floors of M&M related paraphenalia. We visited a huge Adidas store where I was in heaven! By this time hunger had set in and we just couldn't go past our Paris restaurant for a repeat performance of the night before. It lived up to its expectations and this time we included a beautiful cocktail - Marmosa du Soleil - just divine but I can't remember what was in it now - dammit!

To finish our evening we visited Circus Circus where we watched a couple of free circus performances - incredible balancing acts and a juggler who also bounced seven balls at once - phew - making them go round in circles - quite amazing.

Sunday 14 June

I know I haven't remembered to include everything we did or all the places we saw but suffice to say we had a ball and loved Vegas, the atmosphere and all the interesting sights and people. We even caught the bus one night with a bride in her long white wedding dress and red handbag along with her new husband in white pants and sleeveless vest, red shirt, red shoes and white cap. The bridesmaid had a short white dress and white extremely high shoes. There are wedding chapels in most of the casinos so that people can pay about $35 to have a quick wedding. We saw a few couples waiting their turn at various places and they were always dressed up in wedding outfits but there were rarely guests.

We left Vegas at about mid-day after stocking up on a few goodies from the supermarket including beautifully sweet strawberries to keep us going on the journey. Then we headed for Arizona. Today was the first time we experienced a real traffic jam. It was a very very slow drive as we neared Lake Mead due to construction where they are building roads near Hoover Dam. These roads and bridges commenced in 2003 and were supposed to be completed in 2008 but they have a lot still to do and obviously a Sunday is a good time for locals to visit Hoover Dam as an outing and thus the hold up. Hoover Dam was definitely impressive but we didn't stop there apart from taking a few photos. As we left that area the traffic eased and we had a much easier run. The road was steep and windy and the landscape was almost lunar - very barren - almost eerie. We stopped at Kingman on Route 66 for a quick look and plan to check out the museum on our return. We travelled along Route 66 after this and thoroughly enjoyed it. The countryside became very flat although there were hills in the distance. There were lots of interesting spots on the way, including the Hackberry General Store which was so cute. Everything is all set in the 50s and 60s with old original cars in the village streets outside the stores and so much to see.

- to be continued

Manhattan Beach, Los Angeles

We managed to sleep through breakfast yesterday and decided to start our first full day in LA with a run. We had explored our local area after we arrived on Sunday and our first discovery was a running shop just a few blocks down the road and a triathlon shop over the road. Wow! We were told about a good route to run and this is what we did yesterday. We ran from our hotel to a disused railway where the surface is now tanbarked and after a few miles we came to a sidewalk by the beach which went for several miles. On our return trip Mr B went for a swim in his running shorts before we ran back to the hotel, a total of 15km, so it was a good run. We did however miscalculate the time of day and have sunburnt shoulders and necks! The weather is a bit deceptive as it doesn't feel too hot, in fact it has been quite windy and cool at times.

Later in the day we walked along the boardwalk by the famous Venice Beach and had lots of strange offers. I did end up buying a Hip Hop CD from a gorgeous young black man who was over the moon that his music was going all the way to Australia. He insisted on taking a photo of me holding his CD! I am so NOT into Hip Hop so I hope somebody else will benefit from it!

For dinner last night we went to Joe's Crab House and were supplied with paper aprons and the appropriate tools to eat a basket each of crabs' legs and made lots of yummy mess - lots of fun too!

Today we returned to the running shop where I bought the very latest touch screen garmin and Mr B will now inherit mine. It is so amazing and was so reasonably priced - I can't believe it. Later we drove to Hollywood, Beverly Hills, Rodeo Drive etc and we went on a guided tour of all the fancy homes of the stars - utterly mind boggling. The average house costs 20million dollars - far out!!

Next we visited the Cheesecake Factory to try some of their amazing cheesecake. Yes, I think another run is required (in fact several)! There is just one thing I still haven't found and that is good coffee - nowhere, just nowhere and I can't even find a decent cup of tea. In the hotel breakfast room they have flavoured coffee (disgusting) or herbal tea which is ok but I just want a nice ordinary cup of tea (there's no kettle in this room) or a good cup of coffee. So far I have had a bitter strong cup and a dishwater tasting cup. Hmmm, will keep my fingers crossed that I have more luck in Vegas where we drive tomorrow. We swap hire cars for our convertible Mustang in the morning. Woo hoo - how exciting! I believe the weather is very much hotter there so I may put away my jacket tomorrow.

We're Leaving on a Jet Plane!

Since Monday training has been a bit erratic. I've been to the gym a few times and run a few times but nothing spectacular. I missed training on Thursday as we caught up with close friends for dinner instead. We left Canberra on the first flight this morning with no dramas and there's even room in my suitcase - a space to be filled (not by a human however)! We're now waiting for our next flight direct to LA where we arrive at 7am this morning - yes, we will have Sunday all over again! On the return flight however we will lose a day.

I will try to keep this reasonably up-to-date with my new cute little laptop. So far, so good. USA - we're on our way!

Winter has Begun!

Wednesday
6.15am - RPM at the gym
5.30pm - Run after work round Lake G and back to work.
Total distance: 8.15km
Time taken: 49:34
Average pace per km: 6:06

I was very glad to have a headlight with me as it was very dark indeed on the other side of the lake. In fact I was quite scared all alone out there. I kept imagining someone jumping out of the bushes. My imagination was definitely working overtime! I was very relieved when I returned to the lit side of the lake again.

Thursday - speedygeese training at Dickson Oval

Tonight at training on the cold exposed oval we ran a warm-up loop before our main set of 3 x 1km repeats in similar vein to last week. We didn't stay cold long once we set off. My times this week were slower than last week - oh dear, must be all that extra chocolate that I was still working off from the weekend! How long can I use that excuse?

My km times were 5:01, 5:05, 5:04

Total distance: 7:5km

We finished with a warm down loop and pleasant chat.

Sunday - Monthly Handicap Run

Location: West Stromlo

This was a very undulating (translate that as hilly) run on a very cold morning in Canberra. Of course I warmed up quickly and was comfortable running in a singlet as those hills were pretty tough although there were lots of downhills too.

Total distance: 7.5km

Time taken: 45:55

Average pace per km: 6:06

Handicap group: 21

Finishing Place: 68th (94 finishers)

Today - speedygeese at Parliament House

4.30pm - I made it to the early run before the main training session tonight to run with Ewen and Geoff down to the lake for an 8km loop.

5.30pm - We started again with the rest of the group and ran a couple of loops of PH before the main session on the grass in front of PH. Here we ran 8 x 400m fast with a 100m jog between. Our 400m was made up of running down one side of the grass rectangle across the rectangle and up the hill back to the start then a slow 100m to the next corner. This meant that we started at a different corner of the rectangle each time - challenging but fun and hard work after the hills yesterday and the 8km before the start!

Total distance for the evening: 16km

Hill Repeats at Parliament House

I met up with Ewen and speedycoach at Parliament House at 4.30pm and was able to run for 8km with them as a warm-up before our training began.

Our main session was hill repeats. We warmed up with our usual loop of PH in and out the trails and tracks before running 20 times up a hill of about 100m jogging back to the start each time. It was a tough session but I quite liked it, especially after the half way mark when you start counting down! We finished with another loop of PH.

Total distance: 16km (including warm up)

I did a gym strength session yesterday morning and another session before work this morning.

Tomorrow morning is RPM class at the gym.

Windy Weather Wakes a Water Rat!

I met up with Ewen at Questacon carpark and we ran the West Basin end of the lake, a similar run to the one we did a few weeks back but without the extra loop round the Museum. It was a pleasant climate but the wind was a bit strong in parts. We had a great opportunity to catch up on all the news - so many different topics of conversation - great fun. We did spot a very large water rat running across our path - eeek - glad I wasn't swimming in the lake! It was warm enough to run in a singlet top but we cooled down pretty quickly after we stopped. On went all the layers before we enjoyed really good coffee and cake at the little place by the lake.

Total distance: 17.5km

Time taken: 1:50

Average pace per km: 6:19

Training long intervals at speed

At Dickson Oval last night after our warm-up (and brrrr, we needed that warm-up) we ran 3 x 1km round the track fast with a short jog between. Our speedycoach timed us and handicapped us accordingly. I was put on a 15 secs handicap. My times were pretty consistent - 5:00, 4:59, 5:00. We ran a cool down to finish. Lovely people there tonight - some recent newcomers and lots of interesting conversation.
Total distance: just under 8km
Today I enjoyed Body Balance and lots of stretching at the gym.

Why am I going backwards?

That's what my speedycoach asked me after my abysmal effort at Canberra's 40th Half Marathon yesterday. I have no excuses. The conditions were absolutely perfect, no wind, cold but sunny and altogether a beautiful morning for a run. There were over 800 starters and lots of running friends setting PB's. I ran the first km comfortably in 5:35, the next km in 5:38 and then it was all downhill from there - each km being slower than the one before! I didn't walk at all although my pace was nearly walking pace as I ran up the hills. I had forgotten how many there are in this course. The end result was that I finished in 2hrs 6mins which is very slow and 5 mins slower than the Weston Creek Half 5 weeks prior to the marathon. Yes indeed, I am going backwards but now I will have a little break from races - I think my next big event is the City to Surf in August after a 5 week holiday in USA which means my training may be a bit challenged.

Distance: 21.1km (plus 1km warm-up)

Calories burned: 1255

This afternoon I went to speedygeoff's training at Parliament House. We ran a warm-up loop followed by 6 x [1min fast, 1min] slow round the grassy verge in front of PH. We then turned and ran in the opposite direction for 6 x [1min fast, 1min slow]. We followed this with a warm-down long loop.

Total distance: 8km

I was the slowest runner tonight but glad that I at least turned up and managed to run. My legs feel ok, probably because my training runs are faster than my half marathon pace!

Is this tapering?

Yesterday morning I did the upper body part of CJ's program at the gym and this morning I did the rest of the program plus a 15mins abs class. After work today I ran from the office and round Lake Ginninderra which is nearby. It was unexpectedly brisk outside with a chilly wind. It was also quite dark by the time I finished which could have had something to do with the fact that half way round the lake I came across Rach and Al walking their dogs and stopped to talk a while (no, surely not) before continuing back to the office in the semi light.

Total distance: 8km
Time taken: 47mins
Average pace per km: 5:57
Calories burned: 458

Now there's just over 3 days until the 40th Canberra Half Marathon. I hope the pleasant weather continues and the wind stays away!

speedy training at PH

Tonight I managed to arrive at Parliament House in time to run the 8km warm-up with Ewen and Geoff. After this we met up with the group and ran a warm-up loop of PH before the main session of 8 x 80secs hard with a slow jog back to the start on 4 minutes. This was run on the flat under lights and afterwards we ran the warm down loop through the trails where I found my headlamp was very useful to show the way.

Total distance: 16.5km
Calories burned: 975

A Quick Catch-up!

I can't believe it's almost a week since my last blog entry - oops, that's what happens when you have a few nights out in a row. Now I finally have a window of opportunity to update the week.

Monday

As there was no training due to the speedygeese dinner in the evening (a great night) I ran earlier in the day. I ran 10km and followed this with 6 x 100m strides (fast out and slow back).

Total distance: 11.2km

Time taken: 58:14 (for 10km)
Average pace per km for 10km: 5:49
Calories burned: 585

Tuesday

I had to go out straight after work for the evening so no running today, just CJ's strength program in the morning before work.

Wednesday
6.15am - RPM class - 45mins
7am - Abs class - 15mins
5.30pm - Short run from home squeezed in before meeting with CJ at gym
Total distance: 5.23km
Time taken: 30:03
Average pace per km: 5:44
Calories burned: 304
6.15pm - CJ's program at CIT Gym - 45mins

Thursday
5.30pm - speedygeoff's training at Dickson Oval

Two warm-up laps: 2.92k (big loop, stretch, small loop) followed by main set as follows:

In relay teams of 3, 8 x (400 hard - lane 4, anti-clockwise / 400 easy - lane 6, clockwise)

That was the plan but our team only managed 7 sets before we finished with a warm-down lap of 1km.

Total distance: 10:23km
Calories burned: 600

Friday
6.15am - Body Balance class - great stretching

Saturday

This morning I met Ewen at Questacon at the very civilised hour of 9am. We ran down to the lake and ran the West Basin loop of the lake incorporating the loop round the museum before heading back to Questacon. I had forgotten how many undulations there are on that end of the lake but a large part of the run was the half marathon course for next weekend so it was important to try that run again after a long break from the hills. I defnitely noticed them but the company compensated! We enjoyed a lovely coffee in the sun by the lake afterwards before I had to dash off for a shower and a hair appointment and afternoon tea at Tilleys with good friends later - such a great day.

Total distance: 19km
Time taken: 1:58:31
Average pace per km: 6:14
Calories burned: 1126
Happy Mothers' Day tomorrow to all those mothers and grandmothers out there!

A Perfect Autumn Day

Wow, what a day! It was an absolute stunner. The day started quite early when I drove to collect my son from the airport and then I spent a lovely morning with my daughter-in-law at the Hall Markets. The sun was shining brightly and it was just beautiful outside. Later in the afternoon I went for a tempo run in perfect conditions. There wasn't a breath of wind and the trees were very pretty with all their Autumn colours. I really enjoyed the run. I just love this time of the year on sunny days - not too hot and not too cold - delightful!

Total distance: 10km

Time taken: 57:19

Average pace per km: 5:43

Calories burned: 585

I had popped a chicken in the oven before I left home and beautiful smells wafted to greet me when I arrived home - mmmm!

Enjoying the Sunshine

After talking with Ewen last night I decided to run with him from the War Memorial this morning instead of the other option of running at the Cotter at 7.30am. Ewen and I met at the civilised hour of 8.30am. The sun was already shining and I wore shorts and a long sleeved top which I tied round my waist as the warmth of the sun became stronger. We ran along the Ainslie track to Campbell Park, Duntroon, the Wetlands, Nara Park, Commonwealth Ave and back to the War Memorial. It was great to have company but by 14km my legs were definitely feeling slow and I was glad when we reached our destination. We were both so looking forward to our coffee only to discover that our favourite spot had closed for renovations. So off we drove to Hudsons in Dickson to imbibe in yummy apple and blueberry crumble and cappuccino sitting outside enjoying the warmth of the sun.

Total distance: 18km
Time taken: 1:52:56
Average pace per km: 6:16/km
Calories burned: 1061

My First Session Back at Dickson

I arrived early for my first session back at Dickson Oval yesterday with the purpose of warming up and squeezing in a few extra kms. Our speedycoach had run even earlier so I ran on my own for an easy and pleasant 5km run round the local streets before the session started. There were ten of us at training. We ran 12 x 200m with a 100m float, which translated to nine laps of 400m starting with the 100m slower. It was great to catch up with Caroline and Marg and to meet another new starter, Heidi. I tried my best to run on my toes for the fast repeats and relaxed for the floats. I was very pleased that I managed to complete the whole session and was only lapped once (by 6 people mind you)!

Total distance: 13km

The temperature has improved in Canberra. Although it was zero degrees as I drove to Body Balance at 6am this morning the day was a very pleasant 17deg and the forecast is for much the same over the next week. The problem is there's only a few hours in the middle of the day when the warmth of the sun makes the days so lovely - pity about the COLD mornings!

Return to RPM

This morning I attended my first RPM class in two weeks - ouch, I noticed it! I also noticed the temperature - 4deg - soon the frosts will be here. Next it was the 15mins abs class which felt ok. I'm finding the planks reasonably easy these days. At 5pm promptly I started running from the office and down to Lake G which is only a short distance away. I managed to run more than half the distance before darkness set in and there was only a short timeframe when there was no light at all. It felt ok although I was even slower than last night.

Total distance: 7.8km (plus 200m warm-up) - 8km
Time taken: 47:30
Average pace per km: 6:06
Calories burned: 475
Tomorrow is my day off work and brekkie with CJ - woo hoo!

Running in Darkness

This morning (brrrr) I went to the gym very early to follow CJ's upper body strength program before going to work. I'm currently working 3 days a week to bring in some spending money for our trip to the States next month. I'm enjoying it but now I have to go back to fitting in 3 days of my training around working hours - bother!

After work today I ran from home. At first my glutes and my left hammie hurt like crazy but at about 3km I began to feel comfortable and decided to keep going. Originally I thought I would only make 5km but I ended up running my usual little 8km route. After the turn around point the track was quite dark and I ran a bit cautiously. I must organise myself and wear a headlamp. Darkness comes early these days.

Total distance: 8:04km

Time taken: 47:24

Average pace per km: 5:54

Calories burned: 474

I defnitely ran the second half of the run much faster than the first half in spite of the lack of light so that was good.

Back to Training in Wintry Weather!

Brrrr - another freezing day in Canberra today. It barely reached 9deg outside and was very bleak and gloomy. I joined speedygeoff for the early start of training at Parliament House in order to fit in a bit more distance with company. It's always good to have company and makes the time go quicker. We ran 8km for a warm-up and although it was cold the wind had dropped and it wasn't too bad. I wore gloves, ear warmers and for the first time this season I wore leggings and was glad of them.

For the main session we had a few new people and a number of regulars weren't there, possibly because it was a public holiday in Canberra today in lieu of Anzac Day being on a Saturday this year. There were ten of us plus our speedyleader. We ran the warm-up lap of PH and then headed for the rose garden and ran 2 x 930m undulating loops at a reasonable pace with a slower lap between using the exercise options if desired on the way. It became too dark to run more than four laps so we then proceeded to the hill where we ran attrition runs. The slowest person was eliminated on each hill sprint. Of course I was the first person eliminated - I had no legs left!

We then ran a warm-up loop back to the start.

Distance of warm-up: 8km
Distance of training session: 7km
Total distance for day: 15km
Total calories burned: 875

Rocking the Boat on Ewen's Birthday!

I couldn't resist copying this photo from Katy's collection with Mark doing his thumbs-up in the background!

Yesterday afternoon I ran my first very short run since the marathon from home in the afternoon in the blustery wind!

Total distance: 4km

Time taken: 23:53

Average pace per km: 5:57

Calories burned: 236

I had a few little twinges and couldn't have run any further. Besides the wind was just bitter.

Today I ran in the Masters' Handicap held at Mt Majura - the location gives some indication of the undulating course but no hints about the weather. It was just dreadful, raining lots of well-needed rain during the night and this morning bleak and very windy and COLD! In fact the majority of sensible runners were wearing leggings, long sleeved tops and some even wore beanies. I did start off in a long-sleeved top and gloves but I still wore shorts - it's not minus degrees yet! The long-sleeved top came off as I warmed up at about the 5km mark and I tied it round my waist for the rest of the run.

I ran in Group 21 and felt reasonably comfortable athough I don't much like starting on an uphill! Fortunately Marg and I ran a warm-up before the run and I knew what to expect at the start.

Total distance: 10km plus 1km warm-up
Time taken: 59:46
Average pace per km: 5:59
Handicap: 21
Place: 40th (out of 92 finishers in the long course)
Calories burned: 604

Being such a bleak and wintry day Mr B and I decided to go to the movies later in the day and saw "The Boat that Rocked". I would highly recommend it - absolutely brilliant movie about pirate radio set in 1966 - fun and great music! Perhaps I enjoyed it because it was my era!

And last but not least HAPPY BIRTHDAY to Ewen today - everybody's running buddy!

A few Photos from the Marathon

CJ, Clairie, Strewth, Lucky Legs

CJ, Strewth, Sue - all with medals for achieving places in age groups of Masters' Athletics

CJ, Mark, Strewth, Ewen, Katy. CJ, Katy, Strewth, Sue

Total distance: 42.2km

Time taken: 4:15:28

Average pace per km: 5:58

Calories burned: 2492

Place in marathon: 858

Place in age category: 3rd (10 in age group)

Place in age group in Australian Masters' Athletics: 1st

Canberra Marathon Number Eight

CJ, Katy (with Clairie's medal), me and Sue (winner of W60) at Rydges

I'm another year closer to becoming a Griffin as yet another Canberra Marathon bites the dust! It was quite a pleasant morning for a run apart from a bit of headwind over the bridge a couple of times which felt like a gale at the time! There were almost 1300 entrants in the marathon which is apparently the largest number in 25 years. It didn't rain and the temperature was ideal and the wind didn't pick up for a couple of hours.

I started off with speedygeoff beside me, my music plugged in and I felt fine. At about the km mark the white 4 hour balloon appeared behind me and I decided to attempt to keep it in sight. I was on track for four hours until about 15km when I slowly started slipping behind the correct splits. At this stage I was just 40secs behind so still had a little hope of catching up. By 18km I was 1 min behind and I realised my chances were defnitely diminishing. At the half marathon point it had taken me 2:00:49 - still behind time - but I felt quite happy. I could still do a respectable time if I kept plodding along at this pace. However at the 25km mark I was 2mins behind - I was obviously slowing down even more. It took me 2:55 to reach 30km and although I was plodding I was also relaxed, enjoying the atmosphere, the music and especially the cheer squad and the awesome Katy in her different set-ups under the bridge. She truly is amazing and makes everyone smile or indeed laugh.

The headwind over the bridge was annoying and the little undulations felt like hills. I had forgotten the repetitions could feel so long. I was starting to visualise the finish and kept reminding myself this was marathon number eight, a step closer to my ultimate goal, no matter what the time. I was still going to finish and I felt ok although there would be no PBs this year for me. At about 41km I heard a bit of chatting nearby and realised the 4:15 balloon was right there behind me - good grief, I really had slowed down. I tried to keep them at bay or at least run with them and as I rounded the final bend my ipod was very aptly playing, "the long and winding road". I ran through the finish line at 4:15:28 (net chip time). I felt comfortable, I wasn't in too much pain and I didn't fall over. I was just glad to stop and have someone else remove my time chip before I posed for the photographer with my marathon medal. Ok, so it was my second slowest time but I felt happy anyway. It's always such a great atmosphere and there are always so many inspirational runners out there.

Later CJ and I went to Rydges for the awards and to catch up with all our lovely interstate friends. Lucky Legs looked awesome and ran a great run. She is always an inspiration. It was great to catch up with Katy and Mark and Tesso and Clairie too. Then CJ and I had the surprise of our lives when we both received Masters' Athletics medals for our respective age groups - wow - that was certainly unexpected, especially with a time like mine! CJ's was well-deserved as her time was a very respectable 3:39 but my medal was definitely a fluke!!

To sum up it was a good day thanks to the fantastic support out there. I will download some photos soon.

I can do no more so bring on the marathon!

I ran a very gentle 20 minutes this afternoon. My drink bottles are labelled, my nails are painted a coordinating colour to my outfit and my last run is done and dusted. I just have to make up my personal drinks for the bottles, cut up my jelly snakes, charge my ipod and report to Registration for my goodies bag and timing chip tomorrow afternoon before cheering on the 5km and 10km runners on marathon eve. It's very close - two more sleeps - and I'm starting to feel those butterflies in my tummy!

Best of luck to all competitors this weekend. We can only do our best and smile when we finish - whatever the result let's just do it. Bring it on!

Time to Load Up on the Carbs!

Yesterday there was quite a wind storm and it turned out to be a good day not to run. By this morning the wind had calmed down and the weather was much better. I left my run today until quite late in the afternoon and by then there was a bit of a head wind on my outward journey. I only had a 30min run scheduled with 6 x 100m strides after that.

Total distance: 6:06km

Time taken: 37mins
Average pace per km: 6:06
Calories burned: 358

I ran 15mins out from home then turned and ran 15mins back. After that I chose a nice flat piece of cycle track near home and ran 6 x 100m at a reasonable pace jogging back to the start each time. That's about all I can do now. I have a 20min run left to run and then it's 42.2km to face on Sunday! Now I have started carbo loading so it's countdown time!

Trying to Stick to the Plan!

I ran at 5.15pm today when the conditions were perfect - cool, overcast and the sun setting in an orange glow in the distance. It was lovely. I turned up my music and just ran. I just couldn't hang off a minute longer. The schedule was to run for 40mins with the last 10mins at marathon pace and that's exactly what I did!

I ran from home for 20mins then turned and ran back again to make my total of 40mins.

Total distance: 6:76km! (not like me to not round it up but I religiously stuck to the 40mins)
Average pace per km: 5:55 (with last 10mins averaging 5:38per km)
Calories burned: 400

Tomorrow, as I have a few appointments, I will have the rest day from running that I didn't have on Monday! Why is it that I always want to run more when I'm tapering? I'm also hungry and have to stop myself from nibbling at that chocolate!

A Fun Run to Start Last Taper Week

It was one of those drizzly grey days in Canberra today when the grey clouds hover, there's a slight chill in the air and the day can't make up its mind whether it will rain or stay murky. As it was the Easter long weekend and a number of speedygeese were in Adelaide competing at the nationals, training at Parliament House was cancelled. I had a rest day scheduled but because I didn't run on Sat I figured that I could run this afternoon to make up for it. Besides, by 5pm I was desperate for a run and the conditions were ideal as it was cool with light rain falling.

I put the mustard honey chicken and veges in the oven and took off for my run. It felt so much better than yesterday and I was so glad I ran. I had loaded my ipod with more music and I could enjoy some different songs as I ran along. In fact if anyone had seen me they would have thought I was going crazy as I was singing and leaping about like a woman possessed. It was fun, I enjoyed it and although the rain stopped as quickly as it started the air was cool and very pleasant. I arrived home just before it became really dark.

Total distance: 8km
Time taken: 48:12
Average pace per km: 6:02
Calories burned: 470

Happy Easter!

Hope the Easter bunny was good to you, but not too good! My plan is to save the majority of my choccie until after the marathon if I can restrain myself for that long! However, I still managed to eat more than is good for me!

After a lovely but brief visit from my daughters and an interesting visit with one of them to the National Portrait Gallery somehow this resulted in two rest days from running in a row - not good! Today I therefore went for a very gentle 16km run and every step hurt. It was ridiculous. After a two day break I was jumping out of my skin and yet when I ran it was really uncomfortable. I was so slow and if I run like that next weekend I'll be in big trouble!

Distance: 16km
Time taken: 1:39
Average pace per km: 6:13
Total distance for second taper week: 52km

Desperately Seeking .......Shade!

If only I could bottle this perfect weather and release it for marathon day. It has been such an amazing week weather-wise and I have been lucky enough to have had the time to appreciate it. Yesterday morning I rose at some silly hour to go to the 6.15am RPM class at the gym. I used yesterday as my 'rest from running' day in place of Monday but I still worked hard at RPM and the 15mins abs class following it.

Today, as I met CJ and Mr B for brekkie, I went for my run at about 1.30pm when it was quite hot. I decided to run to find some shade and headed for the back of the AIS where I found some undulating shady paths and ran down to Belconnen Way which proved to be exactly 5km from home. My session today was 15mins warm-up followed by 4mins fast, 3mins fast and 2mins fast with 2mins slow recovery jogs between. Then it was a steady run home with a bit of a head wind and a few undulations slowing me down. However I did have a little negative split as I took 29:30 on the way out and 28:27 on the return trip.

Total distance: 10km

Time taken: 57:57
Average pace per km: 5:49
Calories burned: 582

Tonight I had an appointment with personal trainer CJ at the CIT gym where she supervised me going through my strength/weights program and adjusted it accordingly. I can actually see my abs these days - wish they could help me run faster!

Autumn in Canberra - Perfect!

This morning I went to the gym at the very civilised hour of 9.30am to take part in the Total Body Conditioning (TBC) class - gosh, it's tough. The first 30mins is cardio and this is followed by 30mins of squats, hips, butt and abs work and it HURTS. The class is taken by a blonde Canadian lady who doesn't stop for breath. I'm sure it does some good though, at least it will eventually.

It was another absolutely stunning Autumn day in the low 20's with bright sunshine and no wind, just perfect. Just as I was deciding it was time to go for a run my mobile beeped at me and Marg was asking if I had run yet cos she was in the area. Yay, I ran to meet her and had company for most of my 10km run. It was fantastic. We just talked and ran gently but it was fun and the conditions were ideal. I arrived home just as the sun disappeared and the light was growing dim - good timing!

Total distance: 10.37km
Time taken: 1:04
Average pace per km: 6:13 (oops, too much talking)
Calories burned: 615

Monday's Training and Less Than Two Weeks Left!

It's quite scary how fast this year has flown and knowing that there's now less than two weeks left until the marathon. Today was another lovely sunny Autumn day in Canberra. Let's hope this weather can stay for another couple of weeks at least!

This morning I followed CJ's exercise program at the gym trying to tone up the flabby bits!

This afternoon I went to early training at 4.30pm where I joined Ewen, David P and Miranda for an 8km warm-up down to the lake and round Kingston foreshore before the main session. The main session was similar to last week consisting of a warm-up lap of PH before heading for the undulating trails where we (18 of us now) ran a 933m loop fast three times with a slow run between which included two lots of exercises such as sit ups, push ups, stretches, chin ups or step ups. I opted for the sit ups, push ups and stretches. By the third fast loop the sun had gone down completely and it was quite dark as of course daylight saving has finished. We finished with a short warm down lap of PH.

Total distance (including warm-up): 15.3km

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